Short-Answer Quizzes: Book Two: Old and Young
Study Questions
1. Why does Bulstrode mention Tyke in discussing the new fever hospital with Lydgate?
2. What is Farebrother's rationale for disliking Bulstrode?
3. Explain Bulstrode's reluctance to write the letter Featherstone requested.
4. How are Lydgate and Farebrother alike?
5. What need is there for Farebrother to play whist and billiards?
6. Why is Lydgate determined to avoid romantic attachments?
7. What are Mary's objections to marrying Fred?
8. What are Lydgate's reasons for voting for Tyke?
9. How would you summarize the debate about coroners at Vincy's dinner party?
10. As a mother, what does Mrs. Farebrother have to say about her son?
Answers
1. Bulstrode mentions Tyke because the new hospital is to be located in Farebrother's parish. Bulstrode wants no other spiritual guide than Tyke to have the chaplaincy of the hospital.
2. Farebrother thinks Bulstrode dislikes him due to their being of different parties. Bulstrode and his cronies adopt a "holier-than-thou" attitude towards those not of their party.
3. Bulstrode thinks Fred borrowed money on the promise of Featherstone's inheritance, as Mrs. Waule reported. Bulstrode thinks it will curb his nephew's extravagance and strengthen his character if he doesn't write the letter.
4. Lydgate and Farebrother both enjoy scientific pursuits; they both enjoy the entomological collection. They also both knew Trawley, who shared an apartment in Paris with Lydgate and was a correspondent of Farebrother's.
5. Farebrother is a vicar of the church. This means he is paid a stipend. He doesn't share in the tithes. This leaves him with very little money. By gambling and winning at cards and billiards, he earns the rest of the money necessary to support himself, his sister, his aunt, and his mother.
6. When Lydgate was studying medicine in Paris, he fell in love with a married actress who murdered her husband during a death scene onstage. When he proposed, she admitted her guilt and refused his offer. He decided not to become involved with women after that.
7. Fred's father sent him to school to become a clergyman, an expense Vincy really couldn't afford. Not wanting to be a clergyman, Fred failed his exams rather than graduate and be forced into the profession. Now he hunts and gambles and idles away the day. Mary doesn't want him to hypocritically become a clergyman, but she doesn't want a gambling loafer for a husband, either.
8. Lydgate votes for Tyke for a number of reasons: Bulstrode expects him to cooperate in the vote, Farebrother explained he would not be offended by Lydgate's choice, and he was simply not certain which of the two clergymen was the right choice.
9. The traditional view of the issue, held by Chichely (who was his Majesty's coroner) and Vincy, is that coroners should be lawyers who recognize evidence and do postmortems. Lydgate adheres to the view that a doctor as coroner can make medical decisions about the cause of death.
10. Mrs. Farebrother thinks her son undervalues himself. This is unacceptable, because he is then undervaluing God, who made him the man he is. She also thinks her son is an excellent preacher.
Get Ahead with eNotes
Start your 48-hour free trial to access everything you need to rise to the top of the class. Enjoy expert answers and study guides ad-free and take your learning to the next level.
Already a member? Log in here.