Kezia’s stammering throws more light on what than on the father’s character alone?

The fear and emotional pressure built up in the child.

The governing literary idea is characterisation through speech and behaviour. Kezia’s stammering is an outward sign of an inward condition: she becomes nervous, self-conscious and afraid when she has to face her father. His stern manner contributes to the pressure, but the speech difficulty primarily reveals how the relationship is experienced by the child. It should not be read as proof that the father is entirely cruel or that every problem is caused by his work. Option B is correct because it identifies the emotional state communicated by the stammer. The Macdonald episode is a contrasting example of open affection, while the grandmother’s health and the father’s job do not explain this specific behaviour.

This is a Class 9 English question. Chapter: The Little Girl. Topic: emotional understanding.