The author’s attitude to the old lady in paragraph one is which of the given options?
A) Condescending
B) Intolerant
C) Objective
D) Sardonic

Hint:
- The passage comes from the essay 'The Rule of the Road,' written by a 20th-century essayist.
- Alfred George Gardiner is one of the most entertaining essayists of our time. In his essay "The Rule Of The Road," he explains what true liberty is.
- According to Gardiner, "on the rule of the road" means that everyone's liberties can be preserved while everyone's liberties must be restricted.

Complete answer:
The options presented here denote various attitudes.
A) Condescending – It refers to possessing or exhibiting a patronizing superiority attitude. When you deem anyone condescending, you're voicing your disapproval of the fact that they speak or behave in a way that indicates they think they're better than others.
B) Intolerant – It indicates a lack of respect for values or behaviors that differ from one's own. It also includes rejecting individuals we consider to be different, such as members of a different social or racial group, or people of different political or sexual orientations.
C) Objective – It means dealing or expressing with conditions as they are viewed, free of personal biases, prejudices, or interpretations.
D) Sardonic - We can name a person as sardonic, if they are mocking and scorning others in a humorous way.

In the passage, the author describes an elderly lady with a basket walking in the center of a busy street in the middle of traffic in the name of liberty. The author has a condescending attitude toward the elderly woman.

Hence, option A is the correct answer.

Note: Alfred George Gardiner was an English journalist, author, and editor who lived from 1865 to 1946. His essays, published under the pen name "Alpha of the Plough," have received a lot of acclaim.
Henry James Gardiner and Susanna Taylor were the parents of Gardiner. He was born in Chelmsford. Alfred George Gardiner also served as Chairman of the National Anti-Sweating League, an activist organization that pushed for a minimum wage in the workplace.