SUNRISE SHOOL

II Quarter Study Guide

10th Grade

“An Uncomfortable Bed”

1. What is the THEME of the text?

A: Paranoia can make fools out of people

2. What causes the conflict between the narrator and his friends?
A: The friends' exaggerated merriment and predilection to prank the narrator
make him paranoid when he visits.

3. Reread the following quote from paragraph 6: "I smelled a practical joke in
the air, as a dog scents game." How does this figurative language impact the
tone of the story?
A: The comparison of an animal smelling game to the narrator sniffing out a
practical joke is silly and deluded (since, as a victim of pranks, he is normally
the prey), adding to the comedic tone of the piece.

4. What type of irony did you find in the story?

A: Maupassant uses situational irony. Through the text, the main character
believes he is going to be pranked by his friends, but in trying to prevent this
prank, he ends up pranking himself.

5. Who wrote “An Uncomfortable Bed”

A: Guy de Maupassant

6. Why does the narrator first suspect his friends have planned a practical joke?
A: Because they are being overly attentive to him.

“The Inspiration of Mr. Bud”

The following answers are just an idea you may use your own words on the
test or try to summarize.
1. Who wrote The Inspiration of Mr. Budd?
A: Dorothy Sayers
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II Quarter Study Guide
2. Why was Mr. Budd interested in capturing the murderer? Why did it seem
unlikely that he would able to capture him?
A: He wanted to capture the murderer so that he could get the reward money to
establish a successful barbershop. It seemed unlikely that Mr. Budd would be
able to capture the murderer because he was not as tall and as strong as William
Strickland and would be no match for him in a struggle.

3. Why did Mr. Budd not suspect the man at first? What main discovery
convinced Mr. Budd that the man was the murderer? What other clues were
given?
A: He did not suspect the man at first because the man seemed to be a friendly,
well-to-do gentleman with fiery red hair. The customer's misshapen thumbnail
convinced Mr. Budd that the man was the murderer. Clues included the dyed
hair that was naturally a silver-gray; the straight, healthy teeth; and the gold
upper eyetooth.

4. What was "the inspiration of Mr. Budd"? How was Mr. Budd unlike
Sherlock Holmes?
A: The inspiration of Mr. Budd was to apply a dye that would turn the man's
hair green overnight, so the man could then be easily identified and
apprehended. He was unlike Sherlock Holmes because Mr. Budd was afraid to
confront the murderer, while Holmes would have commanded the man to get up
from his chair and surrender himself to the nearest policeman.

5. What is ironic about the end of the story?

A: The irony is that Mr. Budd's betrayal of the murderer brought him fame and
much business, in contrast to his fear that his notoriety of dyeing a customer's
hair green would mean an end to his business.

6. This question is very important: Divide this story into a beginning, middle
and ending. What details and events occur in each section? What is the
climax of the story?
A: The beginning consists of the description of the wanted murderer and the
offered reward, the tale of Mr. Budd's past monetary problems, Mr. Budd's
thought that he would be no match for this wanted killer, and his near accident
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II Quarter Study Guide
with the bulky customer entering his shop. The middle contains details fo how
Mr. Budd discovers his customer is William Strickland; his realization that the
silver-gray hair, the straight teeth, the gold eyetooth, and the misshapen
fingernail all match the description exactly; and of Mr. Budd's thoughts on how
to capture the man or to warn a policeman. The end includes Mr. Budd telling
his story to the London policeman, and the exciting discovery and capture of
Strickland on the boat, his green hair, and the conclusion where Mr. Budd
receives the L500 reward and becomes a famous and successful businessman.
The climax occurs when the policeman brings Strickland out of the room and
the boy exclaims that Strickland's hair is green.