"A Christmas Carol" Quiz

1. In Scene 1, SD1 says “The town clock chimes five. Cratchit stands expectantly, clutching his thin coat and hat.”  What can readers infer from these lines? Choose TWO answers.

• A. Cratchit is eager to leave.
• B. Cratchit doesn’t have much money.
• C. Cratchit’s son Tim is in poor health.
• D. Mrs. Cratchit dislikes her husband’s boss.

2. Which best describes Fred’s role in the play?

• A. He resolves the conflict in the story.
• B. He signals shifts in setting.
• C. He causes a change in Scrooge.
• D. He provides a contrast to Scrooge.

3. Which lines support the idea that Scrooge is miserly? Choose TWO answers.

• A. Ghost 1: So much praise for such small things?
• B. Scrooge: And you expect me to pay you for a day when you’re not working?
• C. Scrooge: Spirit, why do you torture me with my past mistakes?
• D. Scrooge: Absolutely not! Coal costs money.

4. In Scene 7, Scrooge orders Cratchit to put more coal on the fire. This detail

• A. helps readers understand how poverty affects the Cratchit family.
• B. reveals that Scrooge spent Christmas with Fred.
• C. suggests that Scrooge is still an unkind boss.
• D. illustrates how much Scrooge’s attitude toward money has changed since the beginning of the play.

5. Which is NOT a theme of the play?

• A. Relationships with others give meaning to life.
• B. It is never too late to change.
• C. Money cannot buy happiness.
• D. Those who work hard find success.

6. Based on information in the imagined interview and the play, Charles Dickens wrote "A Christmas Carol" to

• A. earn enough money to free his father from debtors' prison.
• B. provide a short, entertaining read to relieve people of holiday stress.
• C. draw attention to the injustices of poverty, as well as the dangers of putting money above all else.
• D. give people a glimpse of what city life was like in 19th-century England.

7. Analyze the role the three spirits play in Scrooge’s character development. Support your ideas with text evidence.

8. In the imagined interview, Charles Dickens says “No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of it for anyone else.” What does he mean? How does this idea apply to the play?