Quick Review Flashcards - Click to flip and test your knowledge!
Question
What is the primary setting for the beginning of 'Oliver Twist'?
Answer
A workhouse in an English town.
Question
In the context of the story, what was a 'workhouse'?
Answer
A place for poor people who had no money and nowhere to live.
Question
Where was Oliver Twist born?
Answer
In a workhouse.
Question
What happened to Oliver's mother immediately after she gave birth?
Answer
She died.
Question
How did the doctor determine that Oliver's mother was not married?
Answer
She had no ring on her finger.
Question
According to the old woman, where was Oliver's mother found the night before she died?
Answer
Lying in the street.
Question
What physical evidence suggested that Oliver's mother had walked a long way?
Answer
Her shoes had holes in them.
Question
Why was Oliver considered an orphan from birth?
Answer
His mother died at birth and no one knew his father's identity.
Question
Who was the 'important officer' responsible for naming the babies in the workhouse?
Answer
Mr Bumble.
Question
What system did Mr Bumble use to choose names for the orphans?
Answer
He named them in alphabetical order from A to Z.
Question
According to the workhouse naming system, what was the surname of the child named before Oliver?
Answer
Swubble.
Question
What surname did Mr Bumble intend to give the child born after Oliver?
Answer
Unwin.
Question
At the age of nine, how is Oliver's physical appearance described?
Answer
A pale, thin child.
Question
How many meals were the workhouse boys typically given each day?
Answer
Three meals of thin soup.
Question
What additional food did the boys receive on Sundays?
Answer
A small piece of bread.
Question
Why did the boys' soup bowls never require washing?
Answer
The boys cleaned them with their spoons until they shone.
Question
What extreme threat did the 'tall boy' make if he was not given more gruel?
Answer
He threatened to eat the boy who slept next to him.
Question
How was Oliver selected to ask the master for more soup?
Answer
The boys held a council and he was chosen.
Question
At what specific time did Oliver approach the master for more food?
Answer
In the evening, after supper was served.
Question
What were the exact words Oliver used to ask for more food?
Answer
"Please, sir, I want some more."
Question
Describe the physical appearance of the workhouse master.
Answer
A fat, healthy man.
Question
What was the master's immediate physical response to Oliver's request?
Answer
He hit Oliver with his spoon.
Question
What dire prediction did Mr Bumble make regarding Oliver's future?
Answer
That he would be hung one day.
Question
Where was Oliver confined as a prisoner for a whole week after asking for more?
Answer
A cold, dark room.
Question
What was the daily routine for Oliver while he was imprisoned in the dark room?
Answer
He was taken outside to wash and then beaten with a stick by Mr Bumble.
Question
How did Mr Bumble punish Oliver in front of the other boys?
Answer
He beat him in the large hall during mealtime.
Question
What sum of money was offered to anyone who would take Oliver off the workhouse's hands?
Answer
Five pounds (£5).
Question
Who was Mr Sowerberry?
Answer
An undertaker who took Oliver as an apprentice.
Question
Describe the physical appearance of Mr Sowerberry.
Answer
A tall, thin man who wore black clothes.
Question
What did Mr Sowerberry do for a living?
Answer
He made coffins.
Question
Who were the coffins Mr Sowerberry prepared for the night he met Mr Bumble?
Answer
Two women who had died in the workhouse.
Question
Oliver Twist was apprenticed to an ____.
Answer
undertaker
Question
In what historical era is 'Oliver Twist' set?
Answer
Mid-19th century Industrial Age England.
Question
What social issue does 'Oliver Twist' primarily expose?
Answer
The cruel treatment of orphans in London.
Question
Which Victorian writer and social critic wrote 'Oliver Twist'?
Answer
Charles Dickens.
Question
According to the 'About the Author' section, what quality does Dickens infuse into Oliver despite his hardships?
Answer
Gentility and empathy.
Question
The master went ____ when Oliver asked for more gruel.
Answer
very pale
Question
How did the boys communicate with Oliver just before he asked for more?
Answer
They whispered and made signs to him.
Question
What was the doctor's general attitude toward the mother's death?
Answer
Indifferent and dismissive.
Question
What was the old woman's role in the workhouse birth?
Answer
She assisted the doctor and later dressed the baby.
Question
Oliver was born into a world that had no _____ or _____ for him.
Answer
love; pity
Question
What was the primary diet of the workhouse boys?
Answer
Thin soup.
Question
The boys cleaned their bowls until they ____.
Answer
shone
Question
Why did the master cry for help after Oliver's request?
Answer
He was shocked by Oliver's rebellion against the rules.
Question
Where was the notice regarding Oliver posted?
Answer
On the workhouse gate.
Question
What is the relationship between the master's physique and the boys' physique?
Answer
The master was fat and healthy, while the boys were pale and starving.
Question
What did Mr Bumble use to beat Oliver?
Answer
A stick.
Question
Mr Bumble told Mr Sowerberry that he would be _____ one day.
Answer
rich
Question
How did Oliver feel while imprisoned at night?
Answer
Cold, lonely, and frightened.
Question
The story of Oliver's mother was described by the doctor as 'the ____ story'.
Answer
usual
Question
Term: Pathos
Answer
Definition: A quality that evokes pity or sadness.
Question
Term: Apprentice
Answer
Definition: A person learning a trade from a skilled employer.
Question
What did the old woman do to the baby right after the mother died?
Answer
Dressed him in old workhouse clothes used for babies.
Question
Why could no one discover Oliver's father's name?
Answer
No one knew who the father was or what the mother's name was.
Question
What was Mr Bumble's reaction to the news that Oliver asked for more?
Answer
He claimed he could not believe it.