Soon the boys realised his peevish ways and began to avoid him.

The correct answer is B. unpleasant.

Peevish means irritable or easily annoyed. It is a negative adjective that describes someone who is often in a bad mood and easily angered. The other options are all positive adjectives that describe someone who is pleasant, authoritative, or in control.

Here are some examples of how the word peevish can be used in a sentence:

• The old man was peevish and impatient, and he often snapped at the children.
• The dog was peevish and refused to eat its food.
• The customer was peevish and demanded to speak to the manager.

I hope this helps!