Trifles Exercise : Summary and Question Answers

Full exercise of Trifles : Summary and Question Answers | Literature | Class 11 English Notes SBN ONLINE SCHOOL

Trifles

Understanding the text

Answer the following questions.

a. Do you believe that Mrs. Wright killed her husband? Explain.

Yes, I believed that Mrs. Wright killed her husband. After listening to the conversation of two womens they were comparing Mrs. Wright before marriage life and after marriage life. By this we can understand that Mrs. Wright had very wonderful life before marriage and after marriage, her life was boring. She couldn’t sing talk to anybody, depressed and her bird was killed by her husband. So, in case of revenge she killed her husband.

b. Do you think Mr. Wright’s death would have been uncovered if Mr. Hale hadn’t stopped by the Wrights’ home?

No, I don’t think Mr. Wright’s death would have been uncovered if Mr. Hale hadn’t stopped by the Wright’s home because ifMr. Hale hadn’t stopped by the Wrights’ home, nobody would ever know about Mr. Wright’s death as the location of the house was quite far from the road and the news of his death will remain suppressed.

c. Why does Mrs. h4Hale think that Mrs. Wright’s worries about her preserves indicate her innocence?

Mrs. Hale suggests think that Mrs. Wright’s worries about her preserves indicate her innocence because she did not feel happy and she contrasts Mrs. Ale saying that only an innocent woman would ask for an apron and a shout while worrying about fruit. So because of this, Mrs. Ale thinks that Mrs. Wright’s worries about her preserves indicate her innocent.

d. How does Mrs. Peters’ homesteading experience connect her to Mrs. Wright?

Mrs. Peter end up protecting Minnie Wright by hiding the strangled canary, which could be used as key evidence against her. Although Mrs. Peter’s is the sheriff’s wife and married to the law she comes to the same conclusion as Mrs. Wright and ultimately acting on her behalf. In this way Mrs. Peter’s home steading experience connects her to Mrs. Wright.

e. How do the women’s perspectives on men differ?

The woman’s perspectives on men differ by the fact that the mens are powerful and have become stupid and lazy but the women have no power except that of intelligence, which allows them to manipulate the men.

Reference to the context

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

a. “MRS. PETERS:(glancing around). Seems funny to think of a bird here. But she must have had one, or why would she have a cage? I wonder what happened to it?

MRS. HALE: I s’pose maybe the cat got it.”

i. Who does ‘she’ refer to?

‘She’ refers to Mrs. Wright.

ii. What does the word ‘one’ stand for?

The word ‘one’ stands for a bird.

iii. What is the full form of “s’pose”

The full form of "s’pose" is "suppose."

iv. What do you mean when Mrs. Hale says, “the cat got it”?

When Mrs. Hale says, "the cat got it", I mean "the cat must have caught the bird."

b. “MRS. HALE: Wright was close. …… she used to wear pretty clothes and be lively, when she was Minnie Foster, one of the town girls singing in the choir But that— oh, that was thirty years ago.”

i. Why does Mrs. Hale refer to Mrs. Wright as “Minnie Foster”?

Mrs. Hale refers to Mrs. Wright as "Minnie Foster" because, before her marriage, Mrs. Wright was a very beautiful singer. She was known as Minnie Foster, and she used to dress pretty and sing in the choir.

ii. What does her description tell you about Mrs. Wright?

Mrs. Wright was a beautiful singer before her marriage, according to her description. Her name was Minnie Foster, who used to sing beautifully and wear pretty clothes thirty years ago.

iii. What does Mrs. Hale mean by “that was thirty years ago”?

By "that was thirty years ago", Mrs. Hale refers to the period in Mrs. Wright’s life when she was an unmarried and well-known singer known as Minnie Foster.

c. What is the main theme of the play?

The main themes in Trifles are gender, isolation, and justice.

Gender: The male characters only want to utter evidence of Minnie’s crime, whereas the women came to understand the emotional pain that drove Minnie to murder her husband.

Isolation: Minnie wright is isolated from her famous and family by her controlling abusive husband.

Justice: The man and woman have different conceptions of justice. The man want Minnie to be convicted of murder whereas the woman hide the evidence that would have convicted Minnie out of respect for the years of abuse Minnie suffered.

d. Discuss the symbolism used in the play.

Symbolism is a literary device which is used to represent a concept through symbols or underlying meanings of objects or qualities. Here in this play, we find various things that symbolize varieties of hidden meanings which are as follows:

1. The preservative jars: These jars symbolize the cold and broken marriage relationship between Mrs. Wright and her husband.

2. Singing Canary bird: The singing Canary bird symbolizes the freedom of Mrs. Wright before her marriage.

3. The birdcage: The birdcage symbolizes the trapped life of Mrs. Wright after her marriage.

4. Wrung neck of canary: It symbolizes the concept of revenge in a tit for tat manner. Mr. Wright has also been murdered with a rope around his neck instead of a gun.

5. Knot in a quilt: Mrs. Hale’s dialogue as the knot in a quit symbolizes the murder with a rope. The stitches in the particular quilt even symbolize the nervousness of Mrs. Wright.

e. Discuss the setting of the play. Does it have an impact on the theme of the play?

This play is set in Mr. John Wright’s abandoned farmhouse. The house is a lonesome, gloomy place down in the hollow where the road cannot be seen.

Yes, it have an impact on the theme of the play. The play is set in a rural area, more specifically at an abandoned farmhouse. Being in a rural landscape, the characters are meant to represent real people. And although this is a set in American’s heartland, the relatively larger distance between neighbours in rural farming areas implies a sense of loneliness that parallels Mrs. Wright’s loneliness. In this way, the setting have an impact on the theme of the play.

Reference beyond the text

a. The credibility of a character is determined not only by the character’s thoughts and actions but also by what other characters say and think about him or her. Discuss in relation to the characters of Trifles.

In this play, we all readers are brought towards off-stage main character Mrs. Wright through on stage characters like Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters. Here, these two on-stage characters keep on discussing and informing us about various aspects of Mrs. Wright’s life. Their discussion related to Mrs. Wright while investigating has provided us with various hidden aspects of Mrs. Wright’s life. Thanks to women’s knowledge, we may learn about Mrs. Wright’s life and suffering. Readers are engaged in knowing about their life narrative emotionally. Both ladies and Mrs. Wright’s descriptions seem unbelievable. Their contributions to the play made all readers happy with Mrs. Wright. The work of these two characters, Mrs. Wright was favorably represented in the eyes of all readers. Everybody sympathizes with Mrs. Wright.

b. Dramatic irony occurs when the reader or audience has information that is unknown to the characters in a play; it creates tension and suspense. Analyse the play discussing the author’s use of dramatic irony based on these questions:

(i) What information is crucial to the play Trifles?

Dramatic irony is a literary device that has been created when the audience or reader comes to know the things at first that are hidden. The key information in this play about dramatic irony is that Ms. Wright killed her husband. The readers know the reasons behind the murder via the discussion of Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters, but these facts are not known to the male characters who seem to be concerned with discovering clues.

(ii) How does the playwright use this information to create dramatic irony?

To create dramatic irony, the playwright creates various twists and suspenses. The playwright keeps on presenting information related to murder through predictions and proofs given by the characters during the time of investigation to find the actual murderer.

(iii) What effect does the dramatic irony have on the audience and on the play?

Dramatic irony is very well managed and presented by the playwright. It has put the audience and readers above the leading male characters of the play.It has managed all the readers’ attention, anticipation, hope, fear, curiosity and suspense. Here, the readers have got the actual information before all male characters of the play. Dramatic irony has made this play very interesting and full of twists where facts are disclosed creating curiosity among the readers.

A Sunny Morning Exercise : Summary and Question Answers

Full exercise of A Sunny Morning : Summary and Question Answers | Literature | Class 11 English Notes SBN ONLINE SCHOOL

A Sunny Morning

Characters

Dona Laura, a handsome old lady of 70

Don Gonzalo, an old man of 70

Petra, maid of Laura

Juanito, servant of Gonzalo

Place: A park of Mardid (Spain)

Introduction

The one-act play, “A Sunny Morning – A Comedy of Madrid” is a hilarious comic play written by Serafin and Joaquin Alveraz Quintero, popularly known as the ‘Golden Boys of Madrid Theatre’. The entire play revolves around two major characters Don Gonzalo and Dona Laura, who in their youth were passionate lovers but estranged by the cruelty of the fate. After several years of their separation now in their 70’s both Don Gonzalo and Dona Laura accidentally meet in a park of Madrid but they are not able to recognise each other. As they begin to talk they slowly drifted to recall their past and soon they realise individually that they were passionate lovers of the past. However, they are unwilling to disclose their real identity and introduced themselves as friends of those lovers.

Summary

The play opens in the setting of a park where Dona Laura enters the park with the help of her maid, Petra and finds place to sit on a bench to feed the birds with breadcrumbs. Meanwhile, Don Gonzalo also enters the park with his servant, Juanito and hesitates to sit on other side of the bench, which was already occupied by Dona Laura. He even curses the priests for being occupied his bench on which he usually sits in every sunny morning. He looks negatively at every aspect of his life and goes on complaining whereas Laura expresses her grievances when others disturb her. In the beginning both of them are reluctant at each other but soon they tried to understand each other in the progress of their conversation.

Sharing a pinch of snuff between them softens their tone into friendliness. Soon their conversation stumbles upon reading books. This paves the way for the next level of their story. Dona Laura reads a poem from a book given by Don Gonzalo, which surprises them, that they were the lovers of several decades before and now talking about themselves. However, they do not want to disclose their true identities since they have lost seen each other in early youth. So, they spin fictitious stories where Laura identifies herself as a friend of ‘The Silver Maiden’ Laura Llorente while Don Gonzalo identifies himself as the cousin of Don Gonzalo.

Laura Llorente lived at Maricela in Valencia. She was known as ‘The Silver Maiden’ in her locality. Gonzalo would pass by on his horseback every morning under Laura’s house window and would toss a bouquet of flowers up to her balcony. In the afternoon, while he would return by the same path and catch a bouquet of flowers that she would toss him down. When Laura’s parents wanted to marry her to a merchant a duel was followed and the merchant was badly wounded by Gonzalo. Don Gonzalo fled away fearing of the consequences. Laura waited for days and months and not hearing from him for a long time she left her home one afternoon and went to the beach. While she was engrossed in Don Gonzalo’s thoughts she was washed away by the waves.

Don Gonzalo also tried to spin his version of a story about his supposed cousin. Gonzalo also loved Laura intensely. After injuring the merchant seriously, fearing the consequences, he took refuge in Seville and Madrid. He wrote many letters to her but her parents seized them. As there was no reply, in despair, he joined the army and went to Africa where he died in one of the trenches holding the flag of Spain and muttering the name of his love, Laura.

In reality, after two years of their separation, Laura married someone and settled down in her life. Similarly, Gonzalo disappointed over his lost love, three months later he too married a ballet dancer and settled down in Paris. Though, they were separated, in their hearts the yearning for the romantic love continued. When they met in the park after nearly 50 years both of them were able to recall their intense romantic affair. Although they came to know about each other in reality, they did not want to reveal, as they had lost their charming youth. Thus the play “A Sunny Morning entertains the audience.

Understanding the text

Answer the following questions.

a. What makes Dona Laura think that Don Gonzalo is an ill-natured man? Why do neither Dona Laura nor Don Gonzalo reveal their true identities?

Gonzalo looks at everything negatively. He is reluctant to sit on the bench of Laura and insists that he wants his own bench. When he sees his usual bench occupied by the priests already, he is angry and he curses them. He asks his servant, Juanito to drive them away. Gonzalo scares the pigeons that Laura was feeding. Because of all these reasons, Laura thinks that Gonzalo is an ill-natured man.

They are both ashamed of their failed love affair. Now they have lost their youth and taken different courses in life. That’s why talking about their past relationship directly is meaningless. Exposing their identities simply makes them unhappy and sad. That’s why in order to avoid bitter feelings, they don’t reveal their identity.

b. At what point of time, do you think, Laura and Gonzalo begin to recognise each other?

When both of them start talking about the failed love affair of Laura Llorente and a gallant lover, they slowly recognize each other. However, Laura says that woman was her best friend and Gonzalo says that the lover was his cousin. Both of them know the events in detail. It makes them sure that they were the old lovers.

c. When does Dona Laura realise that Don Gonzalo was her former lover?

When Laura says that the silver maiden was very unfortunate because of her sad love affair, Gonzalo also answers in the same way as if he knows about that affair. It makes Laura clear that Gonzalo was her lover, otherwise he would not have known the personal matters of others.

d. Why do Dona Laura and Don Gonzalo spin fictitious stories about themselves?

They spin fictious stories to prove that they were really serious in their love, but because of providence of destiny, their love could not be successful. They wanted to hide their weaknesses and prove each other really helpless. They do it to collect sympathy.

e. How do Dona Laura and Don Gonzalo feel about each other?

When they know each other as old-time lovers, they feel good. The emotional tides again bind them together. A new friendship starts and they promise to meet again at the park. Someone has rightly said about lover and wine-the older they are the better they taste and feel.

Reference to the context

a. Look at the extract below and answer the questions that follow:

“Yes, you are only twenty. (She sits down on the bench.) Oh, I feel more tired today than usual. (Noticing Petra, who seems impatient.) Go, if you wish to chat with your guard.”

i. Who is the speaker?

Dona Laura is the speaker.

ii. Who does ‘you’ refer to?

‘You’ refers to Dona Laura’s maid Petra.

iii. Who is the ‘guard’ the speaker is talking to?

The ‘guard’ is the ‘park’s guard’ the speaker is talking to.

b. Read the extract dialogue from the play and answer the questions that follow:

DONA LAURA: (Indignantly.) Look out!

DON GONZALO: Are you speaking to me, senora?

DONA LAURA: Yes, to you.

DON GONZALO: What do you wish?

DONA LAURA: You have scared away the birds who were feeding on my crumbs.

DON GONZALO: What do I care about the birds?

DONA LAURA: But I do.

DON GONZALO: This is a public park.

c. Who is Dona addressing by saying “Look out”?

Dona is addressing Don Gonzalo by saying "Look out"

d. What was Dona doing?

Dona was feeding breadcrumbs to pigeons in the park.

e. Who scared the birds? Are they pet birds?

Don Gonzalo scared the birds. No, they aren’t pet birds.

f. Where are the speakers at the time of the conversation?

The speakers are in a park at the time of conversation.

g. What is the effect of flashback in the play when Dona Laura and Don Gonzalo knew that they were the lovers in the past?

The flashback makes the drama more meaningful and effective. That gives clear information to the readers about their unsuccessful love affair of the past. The past memory is still fresh in their minds and that unites them again as new friends. After, flashback, they recognize each other and feel emotionally close. That makes the readers clear that they were separated because of some causes.

h. Discuss how the play is built around humour and irony.

The play is full of irony. Two old time lovers hide their identity and talk to each other as strangers. However, they know that they are old-time lovers. Laura calls herself as the best friend of the Silver Maiden and Gonzalo says that it was his cousin. From inside they are lovers from outside they are strangers. Similarly, that irony creates humour. Laura makes Gonzalo speechless in many situations because of her witty statements. They try to fool each other by fabricating false stories, but from inside they know they are lying. They know they lie too much. but appear as if they don’t know each other personally. When Gonzalo says he had visited America when he was six, Laura says he might have gone with Columbus. Similarly, when Gonzalo cleans shoes with his handkerchief, Laura asks whether he uses his shoe brush as handkerchief. Gonzalo makes up a heroic ending of himself and Laura shows emotional death of the Silver Maiden.

i. How is the title ‘A Sunny Morning’ justifiable? Discuss.

This play is set in a park in Madrid, Spain on a sunny morning. In this setting, the entire play has been presented. A sunny morning has provided an ideal setting for a reunion of two former lovers in their golden years. They argue, know each other, conceal their identities, admire, tell fabricated stories about their deaths, prefer to meet again the next sunny morning, and so on. From start to finish, the entire play continues to make us laugh hysterically while remaining in this setting of a sunny morning. As a result, the title ‘A Sunny Morning’ is quite appropriate, as it depicts a reconciliation of former lovers in a park with great humour.

Reference beyond the text

a. What do you predict will happen in the next meeting between Dona Laura and Don Gonzalo? Discuss.

I predict that Dona Laura and Don Gonzalo will be much more excited in the next meeting. They will talk and share their feelings through fake means this time too. Both of them will try to make each other happy. Don Gonzalo will certainly be much frank this time. He will try to show his respect towards her. The readers will get a chance to see their shyness. They will surely get much more fun through their pretentious acts.

b. Was it wise for Dona Laura and Don Gonzalo to keep their identities secret? How might their secrets affect future meetings?

Yes, it was wise for Dona Laura and Don to keep their identities secret. At the age of seventy, they both realized that they were former lovers who separated due to their ill-fate. But, they did a good job of not revealing their real identities. Both of them were quite old with weak physical conditions. They were not happy due to their old looks. At this age, the revelation of their reality would be vain. They thought it better to hide their identities and pretend to be unfamiliar. They chose the best way to enjoy their sweet youthful memories through fake means. Their secrets might affect them in their future meetings if they keep on lying in such a way. There was a high risk of the revelation of secrets due to their old age. If they reveal their realities unknowingly, they won’t get to meet with each other in their upcoming future. Hence, it was wise for them to keep their identities secret.

Refund

Understanding the text

Answer the following questions.

a. Why does Wasserkopf demand a refund of his tuition fees from the school?

Wasserkopf demands a refund of his tuition fees from the school because he claims that he didn’t learn anything from the school and his 18 years education made him nothing but an incompetent ass.

b. Why does Wasserkopf consider himself good for nothing?

Wasserkopf considers himself good for nothing because his school taught him nothing and he becomes failure many times in his life in the matter of getting a job too.

c. What did the teachers decide to do when Wasserkopf asked for a refund?

The teachers approved Wasserkopf’s request for a re-examination and pass him in all subjects, even if his answers were incorrect. They agreed to prove Wasserkopf’s answers to their questions correct.

d. Why did Wasserkopf give ridiculous answers? Why did the teachers accept these answers?

Wasserkopf gave ridiculous answers so that he could fail the exam by any means necessary and receive a refund. Teachers accepted his answers because they wanted him to pass the exam to preserve the school’s reputation.

e. How does the Mathematics Master describe Wasserkopf’s character?

The Mathematics Master describe Wasserkopf’s character as a sly and crafty individual who intends to deliberately fail his exam in order to recoup his tuition fee. He is a unique individual who irritates all of the teachers with his abusive language.

f. How did the teachers outwit Wasserkopf?

He gave wrong and ridiculous answers to fail the test. But the teachers were cleverer than him. After asking Wasserkopf the easy question, the mathematics teacher said that he failed the exam and asked him to calculate the amount the school had to refund. He did it very well. The mathematics teachers said that he solved the difficult question as he was a mathematical genius. The teachers declared that he passed the exam. In this way, they outwitted Wasserkopf.

g. What is the final judgment on Waserkopf’s demand of refund?

At last, he gets nothing on his demand of refund. The principal declares that Wasserkopf has passed the re-examination with distinction in every subject, and has again shown that he is entitled to the certificate they awarded him on his graduation.

Reference to the context

a. Read the extract from the play given below and answer the questions that follow:

“It’s possible I’ve changed. What the hell…! Your class records will show I’ve got a right to come here.”

i. Who is the speaker? Who is he speaking to?

Wasserkopf is the speaker. He’s speaking to the principal of his former school.

ii. Why is the speaker say these words?

The speaker says these words because he is dissatisfied with his educational records from his previous school, which he obtained eighteen years ago.

iii. Where is the speaker at this moment?

The speaker is in the Principal’s office at this moment.

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

“THE STAFF: (bowing, heartily) How do you do?

WASSERKOPF: Who the hell are you? Sit down, you loafers! (He grins, waiting to be thrown out)

THE PRINCIPAL: How dare you –”

i. What is to be the response to ‘How do you do?’

‘I am fine’ is to be the response to ‘How do you do’.

ii. Is Wasserkopf’s response polite enough to the staff?

No, Wasserkopf’s response to the staff isn’t polite enough. He uses derogatory language against them.

iii. How does Wasserkopf rebuke the staff?

Wasserkopf rebukes the staff, calling them "loafers" and asking, "Who the hell are you?"

iv. What does the principal mean by ‘How dare you -’?

The Principal is referring to Wasserkopf’s dare to make abusive remarks about masters when he says, ‘How dare you?’

c. Explain the following line of the play:

“Because I didn’t get my money’s worth, that’s why!”

This line was spoken by the main character of the play, Wasserkopf. In this line, Wasserkopf explains his reason for his arrival and demand a refund to the school’s principal. According to him, his education from school did provide him nothing. He is fired from the job and is in financial crisis. Wasserkopf is, therefore, justified in claiming for a refund. He adds that a re-examination will prove that his demand is valid.

d. What is the theme of the play?

This play is a satire on today’s educational system, which has failed to prepare students for life. This play showcases teachers’ wit in the face of an ill-natured old pupil Wasserkopf who returns to his old school with an absurd demand of a refund as he has got nothing reading there.

e. Sketch the character of Wasserkopf.

Wasserkopf is a forty-year-old poor and greedy man who was born in Hungary. He is a short-tempered man who has been fired several times for his bad manners and rude behaviour. Wasserkopf seems to be the type of person who does not do his duty and blames others. While at school, he just wanted to pass and did not study well. He does not even know about foreign exchange. That is why he did not get a good job. He himself says he is good for nothing. Wasserkopf also sounds like an undisciplined man with no good manners. He does not respect his teachers and uses bad words and derogatory language with them. He thinks that he is clever enough to get the refund but because of his foolishness and stupidity, he falls in his Mathematics teachers’ trap.

Reference beyond the text

a. The play is a satire on the present day education system. Do you think that our education system does not prepare students for life? Discuss.

Yes, I believe that our educational system does not adequately prepare students for life. I think that our education system does not prepare students for life. Our education system is based on memorization. Students hardly learn skills useful for real life. But today’s students also do not care about real knowledge. They just want to pass the exams with good marks rather than learning. Courses are more theoretical than practical. Our curriculum doesn’t prepare us for our future struggle and survival. For example, we are taught the things which are useless in our real life. It makes students dull and less creative in practical life. Hence, sadly it is true that our education system does not prepare us for life.

b. Our education system focuses on memorisation rather than creative thinking. Do you think the knowledge imparted by education may not have practical relevance in one’s day-to-day life? Who do you blame for this?

Yes, I believe that the knowledge imparted by education may not be practical in daily life. Our education system is more based on memorization then on learning the skills useful for real life. I think that our government is mainly responsible for the cause. The government should make curriculum more practical than theoretical so that the students can learn the thing practically rather than from writing into the papers. Students are focused on remembering than in doing the things creatively. Creativity has no place in their lives. They just want to pass the exams with good marks rather than learning. Students too are responsible for this because they are doing the things blindly whatever they are said and taught without focusing on learning things practically. They are doing their job as an elephant in a circus. Thus I blame the government and the students for this.

c. Most of the students want to learn just for examination rather than knowledge. Do you think that certificate will help them in their future career?

It’s true that most of the students want to learn just for examination rather than knowledge. They want to get higher marks only by hook or crook. But that certificate won’t help them in their future career. Students who only prepare for exams won’t enjoy credentials throughout their future careers. They’re far from the concept of knowledge, but they trust quick solutions to pass your exams. The method they have chosen doesn’t benefit their future. Since certificates never demonstrate genuine knowledge or skills, true knowledge will certainly be lacking in the future. Many certificate holders don’t get proper job due to insufficient skill and hence they are forced to do manual jobs in foreign countries although they have degree in Nepal. By this we can say that the certificate is just a piece of paper and gaining certificate by memorizing rather than learning would lead a person to a dead end.