|Question 5Verbal

Source Texts

Text
The following text is from Anthony Trollope’s 1855 novel The Warden. Charles James is the son of a high-ranking clergy member.

Charles James was an exact and careful boy; he never committed himself; he well knew how much was expected from the eldest son of the Archdeacon of Barchester, and was therefore mindful not to mix too freely with other boys. He had not the great talents of his younger brothers, but he exceeded them in judgment and propriety of demeanour; his fault, if he had one, was an over-attention to words instead of things; there was a thought too much finesse about him, and, as even his father sometimes told him, he was too fond of a compromise.
Which choice best states the function of the phrase “if he had one” in the text as a whole?
It acknowledges that the qualities in Charles James the narrator goes on to describe may not actually be undesirable characteristics.
A
It concedes that Charles James’s attempts to be held in respect are sometimes fruitless.
B
It signals a shift in focus from describing Charles James’s good qualities to criticizing his tendency to place too much value on artfulness.
C
It anticipates readers’ objections to the narrator’s criticism of Charles James’s faults.
D