40 Questions
What is Charles Dickens criticizing in the given passage?
Social class distinctions
Why is the word 'charming' used satirically in the passage?
To criticize the cruelty of bullying
What is the relationship between Noah Claypool and the other boys?
The other boys are richer than Noah
What is the main idea of Charles Dickens' message?
Human nature is shared across all social classes
What is the comparison made by Charles Dickens?
Between the lord and the charity boy
Who is the object or receiver of the action in the passage?
Oliver Twist
What is the phrase 'food for contemplation' similar to?
Something to think about
What is the criticism of the British social class system?
It is unfair and looks down on those beneath them
Why did people go to the workhouse?
Because they had no other option to survive
What was Charles Dickens' intention in portraying the workhouse system?
To shock the reader and criticize the system
What did the board of the workhouse decide to do?
Establish a rule to starve the poor gradually
What was the daily meal provided to the poor in the workhouse?
Three meals of thin gruel a day with an onion twice a week
What was the purpose of the waterworks contract in the workhouse?
To lay on an unlimited supply of water
What was the alternative to being starved gradually in the workhouse?
Being starved quickly outside the workhouse
Who contracted with the corn factor to supply oatmeal?
The board of the workhouse
What was the significance of the workhouse system in the Industrial Revolution?
It highlighted the difficulties faced by the poor during the Industrial Revolution
What was the condition of the table where the beetle and his colleagues were eating?
Full of all kinds of food
What was the beetle's attitude towards Oliver asking for more food?
Angry and dismissive
What was the implied lesson taught to the children in the workhouse?
To be grateful for what they have
What was the consequence of Oliver's request for more food?
He was subjected to physical and mental torture
What was the tone of the narrator's voice in the given passage?
Sarcastic and ironic
What is the literary style of the passage, reflecting the problems of the time?
Realism
What was the purpose of the narrator's statement about Oliver's solitary incarceration?
To defend the workhouse system
What was the narrator's intended audience for the passage?
The critics of the workhouse system
Why does Charles Dickens describe the orphan as 'nameless'?
To highlight the lack of knowledge about his parents
What is the author's intention in portraying Noah Claypool's behavior?
To criticize the idea of class distinction
What is the satirical target of Charles Dickens in this passage?
The idea of class distinction and social hierarchy
What does the phrase 'nameless orphan' convey about the orphan's social status?
That the orphan is deserving of disrespect and humiliation
What is the significance of Noah Claypool's actions towards Oliver Twist?
It demonstrates how bullying can be passed down the social hierarchy
What does the passage suggest about human nature?
Human nature is impartial and unaffected by social status
What is the tone of Charles Dickens' writing in this passage?
Satirical and humorous
What is the purpose of the passage's final sentence?
To emphasize the beauty of human nature
What was Oliver's reaction when Mr. Bumble looked at him harshly?
He began to cry
What did Mr. Bumble call Oliver?
The ungratefulest and worst disposed boy
Why was Oliver crying?
Because he was lonely and everybody hated him
What did Oliver cling to?
The hand which held the well-known cane
How did Mr. Bumble react to Oliver's crying?
With anger and harshness
What did Oliver say he was?
A very little boy
What did Oliver beat upon?
His heart
What happened after Mr. Bumble's reaction?
They walked on in silence
Study Notes
The Workhouse System
- The workhouse system was a last resort for poor people who had no other option but to go there, as they were unable to find a continuous source of income to keep them off the streets.
- Charles Dickens is criticizing the workhouse system, poor laws, and corruption of those who supervised life in workhouses.
The Treatment of Poor People
- The poor people in the workhouse were forced to live in miserable conditions, with thin gruel and limited food options.
- The treatment of poor people was punitive, with the intention of making them feel grateful for the little they received.
- Asking for more was seen as a sign of ingratitude, and therefore, sinful.
Oliver Twist's Experience
- Oliver Twist was placed in solitary confinement and subjected to physical, mental, and psychological torture.
- He was denied the benefits of exercise, society, and religious consolation, but was forced to perform ablutions under the pump in a stone yard.
- Oliver was belittled and humiliated by Noah Claypool, who poured all his frustrations on the poor orphan.
Satirical Commentary on Social Class
- Charles Dickens indirectly attacks the ideas of class distinction and the branding of orphans as deserving of humiliation.
- The passage shows how every social class, including the poor, humiliates and abuses the class beneath it.
- Dickens satirically comments on human nature, stating that it is shared between the finest lord and the dirtiest charity boy, and that bullying is a common trait among all classes.
Mr. Bumble's Treatment of Oliver
- Mr. Bumble reacted harshly to Oliver's tears, looking at him with intense malignity.
- Oliver was terrified of being beaten by Mr. Bumble's cane and clung to his hand, begging to be good.
- Mr. Bumble's response to Oliver's cries of loneliness and despair was to call him ungrateful and worst disposed, without offering any words of comfort.
Quiz about the social consequences of the Industrial Revolution, including the lives of poor people who had to rely on workhouses due to lack of employment opportunities.
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