'Ariel and all his quality' means Ariel and

Analyze the question: The line comes from Shakespeare's The Tempest, Act 1, Scene 2. Prospero asks Ariel whether he has performed the tempest as commanded: "Hast thou, spirit, perform'd to point the tempest that I bad thee?" Ariel replies with a description of how he carried it out. Before that, Prospero says:

"Ariel and all his quality."

Here Prospero is referring to Ariel together with the other spirits who serve under him, the lesser spirits who helped create the storm.

Explain the concept: In Elizabethan English, "quality" could mean profession, skill, or those who share one's occupation or rank. So "all his quality" means "all his fellows of the same calling," that is, the company of spirits who work with Ariel. In the play, Ariel commands a band of lesser spirits who help carry out Prospero's orders, such as the storm that wrecks the ship.

Step-by-step solution:

1. "Ariel and..." tells us the phrase adds something to Ariel himself.
2. "All his quality" means everything or everyone that belongs to Ariel's kind or calling.
3. Checking the options: • A. "all at his command" is close, but it is more general and does not point to fellow spirits specifically. • B. "the quality of a spirit" treats "quality" as a trait, which is the modern meaning and not what Shakespeare intended here. • C. "his band of spirit(s)" matches the sense of fellow spirits who work with him. • D. "an ability to cause mischief" is not what the line says.

Answer: The correct option is C, his band of spirits.

Exam tip: In Shakespeare, watch for words whose meanings have changed. "Quality" often means profession or fellow members of a group, not "a characteristic". When a modern meaning seems to fit, test whether an older meaning fits the context better.