(it's due in 4 min.)
the owner did not wait for a second invitation. he seized a rope which dantès flung to him, and with an activity that would have done credit to a sailor, climbed up the side of the ship, while the young man, going to his task, left the conversation to danglars, who now came towards the owner. he was a man of twenty-five or twenty-six years of age, of unprepossessing countenance, obsequious to his superiors, insolent to his subordinates; and this, in addition to his position as responsible agent on board, which is always obnoxious to the sailors, made him as much disliked by the crew as edmond dantès was beloved by them. from the count of monte cristo by alexander dumas danglars is described in the passage as being "obsequious to his superiors, insolent to his subordinates; " based on context, what is best meaning for the word "insolent"? a) rude and mean b) passionate and funny c) affectionate and kind d) stubborn and unyielding

A.

Explanation:

Insolent means being disrespectful in a mean kind of way and acting without any intention of being polite. While insolence is often associated with the behavior of subordinates towards an authority, it is also used to refer to disrespect in general.  

In this passage, Danglars is insolent to his subordinates because he does not treat them nicely. This contrasts greatly with his behavior towards his superiors which can be described as fawning.

d. murder of a son and cooking the son for a feast

procne murdered her son and served him to tereus, her husband and her son's father. she did this out of revenge. tereus raped her sister, philomela, and cut her tongue out to keep her from talking. philomela managed to communicate it to procne and procne sought revenge.

tantalus murdered his son and fed him to the gods because he was angry with the gods. the gods punished him by putting him in a pool of water that evaporates when he tries to drink and having fruit hang just out of his reach.

apprenticeships are formal, paid, long-term training programs that provide valuable classroom instruction coupled with on-the-job training for skilled, high-paying jobs.