Read the excerpt from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.
"Why, my dear, you must know, Mrs. Long says that Netherfield is taken by a young man of large fortune from the north of England. . . .”
"What is his name?”
"Bingley.”
"Is he married or single?”
"Oh! single, my dear, to be sure! A single man of large fortune; four or five thousand a year. What a fine thing for our girls!”
"How so? how can it affect them?”
"My dear Mr. Bennet,” replied his wife, "how can you be so tiresome! You must know that I am thinking of his marrying one of them.”
"Is that his design in settling here?”
"Design! nonsense, how can you talk so! But it is very likely that he may fall in love with one of them, and therefore you must visit him as soon as he comes.”
Which statement best explains Austen’s use of exposition?
It introduces a source of conflict between Mr. and Mrs. Bennet.
It creates a somber mood that reflects the seriousness of the topic.
It establishes how the other characters will interact with Mr. Bingley.
It shows that Mr. Bennet questions Mr. Bingley’s motives for arriving.
