"snowball has done this thing! in sheer malignity, thinking to set back our plans and avenge himself for his ignominious expulsion, this traitor has crept here under cover of night and destroyed our work of nearly a year." what is the best meaning of the word malignity as it is used in this context? 1. anger 2.cruelty 3.envy 4.hatred

hatred

The right answer is the 4. Hatred.

Explanation: Just to elaborate a little on the answer, in this excerpt from George Orwell's Animal Farm Napoleon is addressing the other animals and blindly and fiercely blaming Snowball for the destruction of the windmill. The word he uses to describe his action is "sheer malignity," since he presumably did it in an attempt to "avenge himself" after having expelled. A malignant or a malevolent act is one that usually arises from spite or hatred, and this is how, in Napoleon's eyes, Snowball acted.        

it's like watching a fable, it's not really about the animals but rather it has a meaning that is understood by us and that is implicit, not explicitly said. implicit ideas are common and are used in almost all works of art, from writing to painting to sculpting.