5.

The Victorian Age

TEST 47 FILA A

Charles Dickens
Suggested time: 50 minutes

COMPETENCE: PROVIDING INFORMATION ABOUT AUTHORS AND LITERARY TEXTS

LIFE AND WORKS

1. CHOOSE the correct alternative to complete the text.

Charles Dickens was born in 1812 in (1) Southampton / Portsmouth, on the southern coast of
England. He had (2) a happy / an unhappy childhood and his father was (3) imprisoned /
fined for debt. He began working in (4) a factory / parliament at the age of twelve. He learned
(5) typing / shorthand and became a successful (6) reporter / secretary in the House of (7)
Commons / Lords. His first published work was Sketches by ‘Boz’, a series of (8) short
stories / articles describing London’s people and scenes. His novels highlighted the (9)
romantic adventures / social problems of the poor and (10) working / middle class of his day.

Marks: …… / 5
(0.5 marks for each answer)

2. DECIDE whether the following statements are true or false. Correct the false ones.
1 Dickens’s works were influenced by the Bible and travel tales of the 18th century. [T] [F]
2 The plots of his novels were well organised though sometimes a bit sentimental. [T] [F]
3 He decided against using instalments in magazines for his novels. [T] [F]
4 The London he described was an idealistic version of the city. [T] [F]
5 The aim of his novels was purely to entertain. [T] [F]

Marks: …… / 5
(1 mark for each answer)

3. MAKE notes on the following.

1 General characteristics of Dickens’s characters;
2 the role of children in his novels;
3 his social aim;
4 his use of language.

Marks: …… / 4
(1 mark for each answer)

HARD TIMES

4. MATCH the sentences (1-6) with their ending (A-F).

1 The novel is set in an imaginary
2 Thomas Gradgrind and his partner Bounderby
3 Louisa Gradgrind, Thomas’s daughter, marries a much older man
4 Louisa’s brother, Tom, robs the bank and
5 Book Three of the novel is linked to the symbol of instability
6 Through Gradgrind’s exaggerated teaching methods

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 5. The Victorian Age
TEST 47 FILA A

A so that her brother can get a job in his bank.

B tries to lay the blame on a poor workman.
C Dickens is criticising a particular style of teaching.
D which is no longer the solid ‘ground’ upon which Mr Gradgrind’s system stood.
E represent the Utilitarian philosophy founded on belief in facts.
F industrial town called Coketown.

Marks: …… / 6
(1 mark for each answer)

TEXTS

T33 Mr Gradgrind
5. DO the following activities.
1 The similes used by Mr Gradgrind are meant to
[ ] create a caricature of the speaker.
[ ] impress the reader.
[ ] give further information about the speaker’s appearance.
2 Choose the best adjectives to describe the speaker.
[ ] Rigid.
[ ] Open-minded.
[ ] Respectful.
[ ] Strict.
[ ] Tolerant.
[ ] Sensitive.
[ ] Narrow-minded.
[ ] Helpful.
3 Is the children’s role in the learning process described in the text as active or passive?
4 What are the children compared to?
5 Which of the following sentences reflect the speaker’s view of education?
[ ] Education is rigid and abstract.
[ ] Education favours creativity.
[ ] Education must be repressive.
[ ] Education means escaping from reality.
6 Does the author agree with this opinion of education? Justify your answer.

Marks: …… / 6
(1 mark for each answer)

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5. The Victorian Age
TEST 47 FILA A

T34 Coketown
6. CHOOSE the correct alternative.
1 What is the dominant colour in Coketown?
A Red.
B Grey.
C Black.
2 Machinery in the town is compared to
A an elephant.
B a snake.
C a painted savage.
3 The principal words to describe the town are
A efficiency and interesting architecture.
B public buildings and parks.
C fact and monotony.
4 Where do the workers NOT go on Sundays?
A Church.
B Home.
C Pubs.
5 What does the workers’ drinking habit underline?
A Their happy attitude to life.
B The monotony and feelings of unease with their lives.
C The way they misspend their wages.
6 What features of the town are emphasised in this text?
A The lack of religion.
B The efficiency of the industrial towns of the north of England.
C Its materialism and inhumanity.

Marks: …… / 6
(1 mark for each answer)
WRITING

7. WRITE a paragraph of about 10 lines explaining how effective Dickens was as a

social reformer and how he gave the reading public an idea of the dual reality of
Victorian cities.

Marks: …… / 8

Total marks: …… / 40

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