Supriyo Roy (7908860265)

Oliver Asks For More

Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:

Oliver Twist was born in a workhouse. His mother, a young woman, lay ill in bed. A doctor

and an old woman stood by her side. She lifted her Let me see the child and die,' she said.

"Oh, you mustn't talk about dying yet," said the doctor

(i) What is a workhouse? What does it say about the setting of the story?

Ans: A workhouse was a place where people who were unable to support themselves,

such as the poor, elderly, and orphaned, were sent to live and work in exchange for basic

necessities like food and shelter. The fact that Oliver Twist was born in a workhouse

suggests that the story takes place in a time and place where poverty and inequality were

significant issues. The setting reflects the pathetic condion of English society back then. It

shows the "other side" (the poor people's perspective) It reflects the poor economic

condition of the people.

(ii)Who were present in the room where Oliver was born? Why?

Ans:There were three people present in the room where Oliver was born: his mother, a

doctor, and an old woman. The fact that Oliver's mother was in a workhouse suggests that she may not
have had access to private medical care or the support of family

members during her pregnancy and birth, so the doctor and an old woman were likely

provided by the workhouse as part of their institutional care.

(iii) What was the Oliver's mother's wish? How did she try to fulfill her wish? What happened

to the young woman soon after that?

Ans:Oliver's mother's final wish was to see her new-born child before she died. She tried

to fulfil her wish by holding the child before she die she is saying "Let me see the child

and die." Unfortunately, the young woman dies soon after giving birth to Oliver. The

doctor pronounces her dead and notes that she was a good-looking girl with no wedding

ring, indicating that she was unmarried.

(iv) What did the old woman tell her about her wish? What did the old woman say about her

to the doctor?

Ans: As her final wish she wants to see her son and then die peacefully. on this old lady

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say "No dear, you are too young to die". The old woman say that the young woman was a

good-looking girl and had no wedding ring she told the doctor that the girl had been

brought their the previous night she had been found lying in the street and seemed to

have walked a long way, and also had holes in them. Nobody knew where she came from

or where she was going.

(v) what evidence is given in the story to say the young woman was poor and not married?

Ans:The evidence that suggests the young woman who gave birth to Oliver was poor and

unmarried includes her worn-out shoes, the absence of a wedding ring, and her physical

appearance. These details imply that she may have been in a difficult financial situation

and lacked the resources to care for her child on her own, which is why she ended up in

the workhouse where she gave birth.

II. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:

The doctor raised the dead woman's left hand.

The usual story," he said. that she has no ring on her finger. She wasn't married.

Good night!

He went home to his dinner. The old woman sat down on a chair in front of the re and

began to dress the baby. She dressed him in the very old

(i) When the doctor raised the young woman's hand, what did he notice? What does this

indicate about the young woman?

Ans:When the doctor raised the young woman's left hand, he noticed that she did not

have a ring on her finger. This indicates that the young woman was not married. In the

context of the story, this detail helps to establish the young woman's social and economic

status, as unmarried women in this time period often faced significant challenges in

supporting themselves and their children.

(ii) what did the older men do after the doctor went home? What does this say about life in

the workhouse?

Ans: After the doctor left for dinner, the old woman said down on a chair in front of the

fire and dress the baby in very old clothes that were used for babies who were born in the

workhouse. This highlights the harsh living conditions and lack of compassion towards

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the less fortunate during that time period.

(iii) who gave the name to the new baby? What logic did he follow while naming the babies?

Ans: Mr. Bumble, an important officer in the town, gave the name to the new baby. He

followed the logic of naming the babies in alphabetical order, from A to Z. He named the

last one Swubble and chose the name. Oliver Twist for the new-born .He explained the the last baby
name will be unwin.

(iv) Oliver was an orphan "born into a world, which had no love or pity for him". Give example from the
extract that Oliver experience, a lack of love.

Ans:One example from the extract that shows Oliver's lack of love is the fact that he and the other
workhouse boys never had enough warm clothes or food. They were given only three meals of thin soup
every day, and on Sundays, they had a small piece of bread. This shows that the workhouse authorities
did not care about providing proper nutrition and warmth to the children in their care, indicating a lack
of love and care toward them.

(v) what was the condition of children in England as shown in the story?

Ans:The story depicts the miserable conditions of children in England, especially those who were born
into poverty and had no families to support them. Children in workhouses were subjected to harsh living
conditions, inadequate food, and little to no care or affection. They were treated as if they had no value
and were forced to work long hours in difficult conditions. The story also highlights the lack of support
and resources available for women who found themselves in difficult circumstances, such as Oliver's
mother.

III. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:

(i)Why was no one able to discover the identity of the baby's parents?

Ans:No one was able to discover the identity of the baby's parents because the child was

an orphan who was born in the workhouse. The mother was unknown and the father was

never mentioned or identified. Mr Bumble, an important officer in the town, invented a

name for the baby and claimed that they name new babies in alphabetical order from A to

Z. This suggests that the workhouse was overcrowded and understated, and the babies

born there were often abandoned or left without anyone to care for them.

(ii) who was Mr bumble? What did you do for the baby?

Ans: Mr Bumble was an important officer in the town, who was in charge of the workhouse where Oliver
Twist was lived. He named the baby 'Oliver Twist'.

(iii) How were the babies named? What does the name Twist allude to?

Answer: The babies in the workhouse were named in alphabetical order from A to Z. The

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name 'Twist' might allude to the unexpected and challenging twists and turns that Oliver's

life would take.

(iv) Why did Oliver look thin and pale? How do you think the other boys looked?

Answer: Oliver looked thin and pale because he was undernourished and ill-treated in the

workhouse. The other boys probably looked similar to Oliver, being underfed and under-

clothed.

(v) What was the normal food given to the boys? What was the extra food given to them on

Sundays? What does it reflect about the inmates of the workhouse?

Answer: The boys were given thin soup thrice a day. On Sundays, they received an extra

small piece of bread. This reflects the poor and inhumane conditions of the workhouse,

where the inmates were barely given enough food to survive.

Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:

One day Oliver and his friends decided that one boy would walk up to the master after

supper and ask for more soup. Oliver was chosen. In the evening, the boys sat down

at the tables. The master stood by the pot, and the soup was served. It disappeared

quickly. The boys whispered and made signs to Oliver. He stood up from the table and

went to the master, with his bowl and spoon in his hands. Please, Sir,

' he said, I want

some more.

' The master was a fat, healthy man, but he went very pale.

(i) What is said about the physical appearance of the master? Why was he surprised?

Answer: The master is described as a fat, healthy man. He was surprised because it was

audacious and unexpected for a boy like Oliver to ask for more food, given the strict and

harsh conditions of the workhouse.

(ii) Why was Oliver hit with the master's spoon? What was Oliver's asking for more food

seen as?

Answer: Oliver was hit with the master's spoon because his request for more food was seen

as an act of defiance and audacity. Asking for more food was seen as a challenge to the

authority of the master and the established system of the workhouse.

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(iii) Whom did the master call for help? What did that person say against Oliver?

Answer: The master called for Mr. Bumble for help. Mr. Bumble expressed his disbelief at

Oliver's request and predicted that Oliver would end up being hanged one day for his

audacious behaviour.

(iv) How did he punish Oliver? Was the punishment proportionate to the offence?

Answer: Oliver was hit by the master, seized, and later locked up in a cold, dark room for a

week. He was also beaten by Mr. Bumble. The punishment was not proportionate to the

offence; it was excessive and cruel for a simple request for more food.

(v) What are your feelings for young helpless Oliver?

Answer: I feel immense sympathy and sadness for young Oliver. It's heart-breaking to see a

child treated with such cruelty and neglect, especially when his only "crime" was expressing

hunger and asking for more food.

Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:

Oliver was a prisoner in that cold, dark room for a whole week. Every morning he was

taken outside to wash, and Mr Bumble beat him with a stick. Then he was taken into

the large hall where the boys had their soup. Mr Bumble beat him in from of

everybody. He cried all day. When night came he tried to sleep, but he was cold, lonely

and frightened.

(i) Who shut Oliver the cold dark room? Where was Oliver imprisoned for a whole week and

why?

Answer: Mr. Bumble shut Oliver in the cold dark room. Oliver was imprisoned in the

workhouse for asking for more food.

(ii) What forced Oliver to make that offence? Why was he chosen to commit that offence?

Answer: Oliver was forced to ask for more food due to perpetual hunger. He was chosen by

the other boys to commit that offence because he was probably the youngest or the weakest.

(iii) Was it proper for Mr Bumble to beat Oliver in front of everyone? Why did he do so?

Answer: No, it was not proper for Mr Bumble to beat Oliver in front of everyone. He did so

to set an example and deter the other boys from defying authority.

(iv) What are your feelings for Mr Bumble and the workhouse culture of Victorian Times?

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Answer: Mr Bumble represents the cruel and heartless authority figures of Victorian times.

The workhouse culture of the Victorian era was harsh, treating the impoverished without

compassion or kindness.

(v) Why could Oliver not sleep at night? What does it show about the condition of children in

Victorian England?

Answer: Oliver could not sleep at night because he was cold, lonely, and frightened. This

shows that the children in Victorian England, especially in workhouses, endured harsh and

inhumane conditions.

Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:

But one day, outside the high workhouse gate, Mr Bumble met Mr Sowerberry. Mr

Sowerberry was a tall, thin man who wore black clothes and made coffins. Many of his

coffins were for the poor people who died in the workhouse.

(i) Who was Mr Sowerberry? Describe his appearance.

Answer: Mr. Sowerberry was a coffin maker. He was a tall, thin man who wore black clothes.

(ii) What do you think, his black clothes signify? What was the notice at the gate? What did

the notice state?

Answer: His black clothes signify mourning or his association with death. The notice at the

gate was about a reward for anyone who would take Oliver in. The notice stated that the

person would get a reward of five pounds.

(iii) Why did Mr Bumble say that he would be rich one day?

Answer: Mr Bumble said he would be rich one day, probably hinting at the many deaths in

the workhouse and the resulting business for the coffin maker.

(iv) Which theme of the story is reflected in the extract? Explain it briefly.

Answer: The theme reflected in the extract is the harsh conditions and treatment of the

poor in Victorian England. The workhouse residents, many of whom were old or infirm,

often died, reflecting the terrible conditions they lived under.

(v) What does the notice reflect about the treatment of children in Victorian Time.

Answer: The notice reflects the cruelty and lack of compassion towards children in Victorian

Times, showing them as commodities rather than human beings.