Over the years, Carson told his favorite jokes to all of his friends. He had no problem repeating the jokes, but his friends began to feel that Carson’s comedic ability was becoming stagnant. Carson had not come up with anything new in a long while. Therefore, his friends balked at listening to those same jokes again. So, Carson found himself interrupted by his friends when he started a joke. He was completely puzzled by their behavior. 1
Based on the context of the passage, the meaning of the word balked is
A.
refused to deal with something.
B.
were stopped by an obstacle.
C.
stopped short and not proceed.
D.
prevented a plan from happening.