Read the following sentences from "The Destructors."
Old Misery—whose real name was Thomas—had once been a builder and decorator. He lived alone in the crippled
house, doing for himself: once a week you could see him coming back across the common with bread and
vegetables, and once as the boys played in the car-park he put his head over the smashed wall of his garden and
looked at them.

Which of the following sentences is the best paraphrase of this excerpt?

A. Old Misery, a former builder and decorator, lived a peaceful life in his damaged house and made weekly trips for food. He paid
little mind to the boys who played in the car-park.
B. Old Misery used to be a builder and decorator, but now he lived by himself in his damaged house. His weekly trips for food gave
him cause to notice the boys who played in the car-park.
C. Old Misery had once been a builder and decorator and lived alone in his damaged house. He made weekly trips for food and
once watched the boys playing in the car-park.
D. Old Misery, or Thomas, was a solitary man who had once been a builder and decorator. His house was damaged but he
preferred to make weekly trips for food and saw the boys playing in the car-park.