Christmas Carol Questions and Answers

Comprehension Identify the choice that best answers the question. FIRST READ: 1. NAME:________________________ Which of the following pieces of information does Jacob Marley reveal about Ebenezer Scrooge at the opening of A Christmas Carol: Scrooge and Marley, Act I? Scrooge often gives money to the poor. b. Scrooge was a good friend to Marley. c. Scrooge likes cold, dark winter days. d. Scrooge is a solitary, miserly man. a. 2. According to Act I of A Christmas Carol: Scrooge and Marley, why does Scrooge object to having people enjoy Christmas? He believes that Christmas is for children and that adults should not celebrate it. b. He cares only for making money and considers Christmas an interruption. c. He feels sad at Christmas because Marley died on Christmas Eve. d. He actually enjoys Christmas and only pretends to dislike it. a. 3. When Scrooge goes home from work in Act I of A Christmas Carol: Scrooge and Marley, which actions show that he is uneasy? Choose three options. a. b. c. d. e. f. 4. He checks each of the rooms. He trims his candle as he walks. He looks under the sofa and table. He eats only a bowl of gruel for his dinner. He thinks he sees Marley’s face in the pictures. He threatens a boy who is singing a Christmas song. Near the end of Act I of A Christmas Carol: Scrooge and Marley, Scrooge sees himself as a child at school. What is revealed about his childhood in this scene? He was alone and lonely. b. He was terrified of ghosts. c. He cared only about money. d. He was his teacher’s favorite student. a. Why does Marley visit Scrooge in his rooms in Act I of A Christmas Carol: Scrooge and Marley? Choose two options. 5. a. b. c. d. e. to ask Scrooge what has been happening at Scrooge and Marley’s to see Scrooge again and have a nice chat about old times to inform Scrooge that the Three Spirits will haunt him to beg Scrooge to help save Marley from his doom to rescue Scrooge from sharing Marley’s own fate Concept Vocabulary Identify the choice that best answers the question. FIRST READ: 6. Which of the following words best describes the mood of a person who feels morose? bored b. gloomy c. cheerful d. thoughtful a. 7. Which of the following is the best example of covetous behavior? Jorge cheered when Caleb won an award for the best science essay in the class. b. Ling gazed out the window and daydreamed about traveling to exotic places. c. Alissa desperately wanted a guitar like the one that Jordan always played. d. Jonathan baked a pie and invited all his friends over to have a slice. a. 8. Which phrase best describes someone who is resolute? timid and shy b. daring and bold c. firm and unwavering d. hesitant and uncertain a. Analyze the Text Identify the choice that best answers the question. CLOSE READ: 9. In Act I of A Christmas Carol: Scrooge and Marley, Scrooge’s nephew calls Scrooge “impossible” for behaving in a cold and unkind manner. Bob Cratchit replies, “Oh, mind him not, sir. He’s getting on in years, and he’s alone. He’s noticed your visit. I’ll wager your visit has warmed him.” What does this comment most likely suggest about Cratchit? He fears Scrooge and plans to find a new job. b. He understands Scrooge and feels sorry for him. c. He cares for the elderly Scrooge so he will inherit Scrooge’s firm. d. He defends Scrooge’s behavior, hoping that Scrooge will pay him more. a. 10. Read the following speech from Act 1 of A Christmas Carol: Scrooge and Marley. Marley. I wear the chain I forged in life. I made it link by link, and yard by yard. Is its pattern strange to you? Or would you know, you, Scrooge, the weight and length of the strong coil you bear yourself? It was full as heavy and long as this, seven Christmas Eves ago. You have labored on it, since. It is a ponderous chain. Which of the following best explains Marley’s meaning? He means that Scrooge always carries his money around on his person. b. He means that Scrooge’s obsession with profit has ruined his character. c. He means that Scrooge deserves to be in prison for illegal business practices. d. He means that Scrooge’s oppression of people who owe him money is an unfair burden. a. 11. The following question has two parts. Answer Part A first, and then Part B. Part A Which statement most accurately summarizes what the audience learns about Scrooge after his four visions with the Ghost of Christmas Past? Scrooge was not a grumpy miser his entire life. b. Scrooge had a close relationship with his family. c. From an early age, Scrooge isolated himself from others. d. Even as a child, Scrooge had an obsession with money. a. Part B Which quotation from Act I of A Christmas Carol: Scrooge and Marley best supports the answer to Part A? Past. The schoolroom is not quite deserted. A solitary child, neglected by his friends, is left there still. b. Fan. He spoke so gently to me one dear night when I was going to bed that I was not afraid to ask him once more if you might come home. c. Scrooge. If ever I own a firm of my own, I shall treat my apprentices with the same dignity and the same grace. d. Scrooge. There is nothing on which it is so hard as poverty; and there is nothing it professes to condemn with such severity as the pursuit of wealth! a. 12. The following question has two parts. Answer Part A first, and then Part B. _____ Part A In Act I of A Christmas Carol: Scrooge and Marley, how does Scrooge feel after revisiting the Fezziwigs’ Christmas party? He resents Past for making him relive a painful memory. b. He puzzles over Past’s reasons for showing him the party. c. He is sorry that he has been ungenerous toward Bob Cratchit. d. He wonders what became of Dick Wilkins, his fellow apprentice. a. Part B Which of the following quotations best supports the answer to Part A? Scrooge. Why, it’s old Fezziwig! Bless his heart; it’s Fezziwig, alive again! b. (Ebenezer dances with all three of the daughters, as does Dick. They compete for the daughters, happily, in the dance.) c. (Scrooge and the Ghost of Christmas Past stand alone now. The music is gone.) d. Scrooge. I should like to be able to say a word or two to my clerk just now! That’s all! a. Analyze Craft and Structure Identify the choice that best answers the question. CLOSE READ: 13. The following question has two parts. Answer Part A first, and then Part B. Part A In Act I of A Christmas Carol: Scrooge and Marley, two men visit Scrooge to ask for donations. Which statement best describes the impression that Scrooge makes on the men through their dialogue? They find Scrooge hardhearted and cruel. b. They find Scrooge brisk and professional. c. They find Scrooge solemn and sorrowful. d. They find Scrooge distracted and upset. a. Part B Which of the following lines of dialogue best supports the answer to Part A? Scrooge. You’re quite a powerful speaker, sir. I wonder you don’t go into Parliament. b. Scrooge. Oh, fine, a perfection, just fine … to see the perfect pair of you … talking about a Merry Christmas! c. Scrooge. Mr. Marley has been dead these seven years. He died seven years ago this very night. d. Scrooge. I help to support the establishments that I have mentioned: they cost enough: and those who are badly off must go there. a. 14. In Act I of A Christmas Carol: Scrooge and Marley, Scrooge’s nephew stops by to wish Scrooge a merry Christmas and to invite him to dinner. What does their dialogue in this scene reveal about them? They have different ideas about the meaning of the word humbug. b. They have different ideas about the importance of Christmas. c. They have different ideas about the value of youth and age. d. They have different ideas about how to run a business. a. 15. Near the end of Act I of A Christmas Carol: Scrooge and Marley, the young Scrooge’s beloved ends their relationship. She tells him, “Have I not seen your nobler aspirations fall off one by one, until the master-passion, Gain, engrosses you?” Which statement best explains how this dialogue helps to develop a main conflict in the play? a. It shows that Scrooge has occasionally sacrificed his own goals in order to please others. b. It shows that Scrooge has generally been uninterested in relationships with others. c. It shows that Scrooge has allowed his love of money to negatively affect his life. d. It shows that Scrooge has been rude and unkind throughout his life.