Village life is praised by the author because it breeds humane virtues. The author writes about dignity, kindness and love for humanity in the villager’s heart. These are all aspects of a humane life and this helps us identify option (C) as the correct answer.

Refer to the lines: ‘... Civilization did not relax these energies, but it had diverted them; and all the special qualities, which might have helped to heal the world, had been destroyed. The family affection, the affection for the commune, the sane pastoral virtues - all had perished..’ These lines help us identify option (B) as the right answer.

The tone used by the author in the last sentence of the passage is sarcastic. From the concluding line ‘..No villain had done this thing: it was the work of ladies and gentlemen who were rich and often clever..’, we get a hint. Also, the passage is not mournful; hence the tone cannot be lamenting. Neither does the passage support one cause which leads to another, so it cannot be labelled as complimentary. Confusion can arise between sarcastic and ironic. Irony is something that exists because of the existence of two opposite situations; the last line certainly does not highlight any such situation and this helps us rule out this answer option.