. Read the following sentences from "Marriage is a Private Affair." In these sentences, Nene recalls a letter from his father.
I have found a girl who will suit you admirably - Ugoye Nweke, the eldest daughter of our neighbour, Jacob Newke. She has a proper Christian upbringing. When she stopped schooling some years ago her father (a man of sound judgement) sent her to live in the house of a pastor where she has received all the training a wife could need. Her Sunday School teacher has told me she reads her Bible very fluently. I hope we shall begin negotiations when you come home in December.
Which of the following words best expresses the speaker's attitude toward his son?
formal
reserved
strict
stiff

In the passage from "Marriage is a Private Affair," by Chinua Achebe, Nene's father's letter to his son is extremely formal, as if he were applying for a job or writing a letter of recommendation to a superior. In fact, his language contains a convention of etiquette which is suitable for a ceremonial or official situation - not to communicate a message to his son. For instance, he does not use contractions and makes use of an elegant vocabulary choice to describe the qualities of the girl he has chosen to marry his son, which is not typically used in informal writing.