Boys and Girls by Alice Munro

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Questions and Answers

What did the father do to the pelt in the house?

Stretched it inside-out on a long board (correct)

Covered it with a wooden railing

Threw it into the heart of the flames

Rolled it into linoleum

Who suffered from bronchial troubles in the house?

The narrator

The father

Laird

Henry Bailey (correct)

What did the narrator tell Laird lived on the other side of the stairwell?

Foxes and rabbits

Wolves and bears

Ghosts and goblins

Bats and skeletons (correct)

What did the narrator imagine when a man escaped from the county jail?

He let himself in the window and was hiding behind the linoleum (D) Signup and view all the answers

What room was not finished at this time upstairs of their house?

The room where they slept (C) Signup and view all the answers

What type of animals did the father raise on the farm?

Silver foxes (C) Signup and view all the answers

Where were the pelts sold to after the father killed and skinned the foxes?

Hudson's Bay Company or Montreal Fur Traders (A) Signup and view all the answers

What were hung on each side of the kitchen door?

Heroic calendars (D) Signup and view all the answers

What was the mother's opinion about the pelting operation?

She disliked it and wished it did not have to take place in the house (B) Signup and view all the answers

Where were the naked, slippery bodies of the foxes collected and buried?

In the dump (C) Signup and view all the answers

What was the father's primary source of income?

Raising and selling silver foxes (C) Signup and view all the answers

Where were the naked, slippery bodies of the foxes collected and buried?

In the dump (B) Signup and view all the answers

Who did the hired man, Henry Bailey, aim to scare with the sack of fox bodies?

The narrator (A) Signup and view all the answers

What did the mother dislike about the pelting operation?

The smell (A) Signup and view all the answers

What did the father do after removing the pelt inside-out from the body of the fox?

Buried it in the dump (C) Signup and view all the answers

What symbolized the warm, safe, brightly lit downstairs world for the children?

The smell of oranges and pine needles (A) Signup and view all the answers

Which item was part of the things that nobody had any use for anymore in the unfinished upstairs of their house?

All of the above were part of those things (D) Signup and view all the answers

What did the narrator imagine whenever a man escaped from the county jail?

The man had somehow let himself in the window and was hiding behind the linoleum (D) Signup and view all the answers

When were the children safe according to the rules they had in their bedroom-space?

All of the above were times when they were safe (D) Signup and view all the answers

What troubled Henry Bailey's bronchial troubles?

The smell of blood and animal fat (B) Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

The Father's Activities

The father removed the pelt from the fox's body inside-out in the house.

Health Issues

Laird's father suffered from bronchial troubles.
Henry Bailey's bronchial troubles were troubled by dust.

The House

The narrator told Laird that the Crouses lived on the other side of the stairwell.
The upstairs room was not finished at this time.

Farm and Animals

The father raised foxes on the farm.
The pelts were sold to a fur buyer after the father killed and skinned the foxes.

The Kitchen

The pelts were hung on each side of the kitchen door.

Mother's Opinion

The mother disapproved of the pelt operation, finding it repulsive and dirty.
She disliked the smell of the foxes and the mess created by the operation.

Disposal of Fox Bodies

The naked, slippery bodies of the foxes were collected and buried in the woods.

Father's Income

The father's primary source of income was from raising and selling foxes.

Henry Bailey's Actions

Henry Bailey aimed to scare the children with the sack of fox bodies.

Imagination and Safety

The narrator imagined that the escaping man from the county jail would come to their house.
The children felt safe in their bedroom-space when the door was closed and the transom was open.

Upstairs and Symbolism

The unfinished upstairs room contained old, unused items, including a broken trunk.
The downstairs world, with its warm and bright lights, symbolized safety and comfort for the children.