What is a simple way to show empathy toward Kezia?

Listening to her and understanding her fear

A simple and meaningful expression of empathy is to listen carefully and try to understand what the other person is feeling. Kezia is not merely a careless child; she is anxious about her father and lacks the confidence to speak freely with him. Listening to her fear would help an adult respond with patience, explain the consequences of her mistake, and make her feel safe enough to learn. Option A is correct because it combines attentive listening with emotional understanding. Laughing at her mistake would cause shame, frightening her more would intensify the problem, and leaving her alone would ignore her need for reassurance. Empathy does not remove responsibility; it creates the emotional safety needed for honest communication and constructive correction.

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