Read the excerpt from "Not Waving but Drowning” by Stevie Smith.Poor chap, he always loved larkingAnd now he’s deadIt must have been too cold for him his heart gave way,They said.

“Larking” means playing around or behaving in a carefree, playful way. The people speaking remember him as someone who enjoyed larking, so they see him as carefree rather than unwell. Choice D, “The people around him thought he was carefree,” best matches the excerpt.

AI-written and checked against the verified answer.