Study Questions

1. Who tries to prevent Peter from going upstairs to see Clarissa?

2. What does Clarissa try to hide as she hears footsteps upon the stairs?

3. With whom does Peter say he often wished he had gotten along better?

4. To whom is Peter’s beloved already married?

5. Who are the solicitors (lawyers) with whom Peter is arranging Daisy’s divorce?

6. From what college was Peter “sent down” (expelled)?

7. To what sudden and odd conclusion does Clarissa come regarding Richard lunching at Lady Bruton’s?

8. What words are used to describe the way that Clarissa introduces Elizabeth to Peter?

9. To what is the sound of Big Ben striking the half hour compared?

10. What does Peter stuff into his pocket immediately before leaving?

Answers

1. Lucy tries to prevent Peter from going upstairs to see Clarissa.

2. As she hears footsteps upon the stairs, Clarissa tries to hide the dress she is mending.

3. Peter says he often wished he had gotten along better with Clarissa’s father, Justin Parry.

4. Peter’s beloved, Daisy, is already married to a Major in the Indian Army.

5. The lawyers with whom Peter is arranging Daisy’s divorce are Messrs. Hooper and Grateley.

6. The college from which Peter was expelled is Oxford.

7. The sudden and odd conclusion to which Clarissa comes regarding Richard lunching at Lady Bruton’s is that he has left her.

8. The words used to describe the way that Clarissa introduces Elizabeth to Peter are “emotionally” and “histrionically.”

9. The sound of Big Ben striking the half hour is compared to “a young man, strong, inconsiderate, indifferent,” “swinging dumbbells this way and that.”

10. Peter stuffs his handkerchief into his pocket immediately before leaving.