In paragraph 11 , Houston says, "What difference does it make to me?" What characteristic does this reveal about Houston? A. indifference about the consequences of the separation from his wife B. sadness so extreme that the loss of his career appears of little importance C. curiosity about the effect that the separation will have on him D. irritation at his friend's repeated protests

To accurately determine the characteristic revealed about Houston, we need to consider the context of the quote. In this case, the context is about the consequences of the separation from his wife.

Now that we've established the context of the quote, we can evaluate each of the answer choices based on how well they align with the context and the emotions conveyed by Houston's statement. A. indifference about the consequences of the separation from his wife Houston is seemingly unaffected by the potential consequences and doesn't seem to care about the impact on his life. This choice aligns with the context and the tone of the quote. B. sadness so extreme that the loss of his career appears of little importance There is no indication that this statement is made out of sadness, as it seems more dismissive than sorrowful. C. curiosity about the effect that the separation will have on him The quote does not convey a sense of inquiry or curiosity, but rather indifference or disinterest in the matter. D. irritation at his friend's repeated protests Although irritation could potentially be present, this choice does not address how Houston feels about the consequences of the separation itself.

Based on our evaluation in Step 2, answer choice A (indifference about the consequences of the separation from his wife) is the most accurate in terms of revealing a characteristic about Houston, because it aligns with the context of the quote and best represents the emotions conveyed in Houston's statement.