2.8 CORRECTION Questions chap 3 and 4

Death of a Perfect Wife : chap 3 - 4

 

A)  Chap. 3

 

1)  At the beginning of chapter 3 you can read “ the pursuit of perfection ,then, is the pursuit of sweetness and light…”:

a)   How do you call such a sentence at the beginning of a chapter?

 

It is an epigraph.

 

b)  Do you think it applies to the characters? Justify.

 

If we focus on Trixie, the epigraph is ironic as she is not perfect, she is not nice.

Angela is honest, she really attempts (= tries) to be perfect, but she is gullible (naive) so she becomes dependent on Trixie…

But instead of helping her husband, she behaves like his mum; it’s unbearable: the doctor (her husband) cannot stand it any more. So perfection is not a good thing (Angela forbids him to smoke, to eat fattening, let the pets into the house…)

 

 

 

2)  Blair (Hamish’s boss)  thinks that Hamish is “half-witted”:

a)   Can you give a synonym?

Dumb, stupid…

 

b)  When you read about the dinner at Tommel Castle, what can YOU say about Hamish? How does he behave? Why? What happened at the end of chapter 2 which can explain his strange behaviour?

 

Hamish has just kissed Priscilla… so he is still in his own world… That’s why people probably think he looks like an idiot.

 

3)  Why does Trixie visit Hamish?

She would like Hamish to support her new anti-smoking league…

But… she also asks if she can use his toilet…

But she is probably trying to steal something…

 

4)  What has changed in the doctor’s life because of Trixie?

His wife is completely different. Because of Trixie he cannot eat whatever he wants, he cannot drink… his wife is much stricter…

 

5)  Why does Mrs McLean also hate Trixie?

A gossip told her that her husband (Mr MacLean) was seen with Trixie…) so she is jealous and furious…

 

6)  Which animals do Trixie and other women want to protect? Which other character has another reason to dislike Trixie?

They want to protect bats so they prevent Mr Gunn from doing what he wants…

 

7)  In the evening Angela keeps worrying: why? What about the doctor’s behaviour?

 

The doctor is drunk and pretends he has killed Trixie…

 

8)  Where does Trixie force her husband to go?

 

She obliges him to see a dentist…

 

9)  What happens at the end of the chapter?

 

Trixie is dead!

 

B)  Chap. Four

 

1)  Read the very first sentence of chapter 4 again: what do you think about it?

The day is said to be perfect! The clouds, sun , landscapes… are beautiful… Nature is happy! This is called pathetic fallacy: Nature is given human feelings…

 

2)  Which insects can you see? Which insects disturbed the village before?

There are flies and mosquitoes…

 

3)  Which idea does Hamish have to make Angela be herself again?

He is going to make a university send the necessary application papers so that Angela can become a scholar… He thinks she should have a degree;

4)  How did Trixie die?

She was poisoned.

5)  We can see Mrs Kennedy has a peculiar accent: how would YOU write this sentence:

 “ But this wis supposed to be a holiday and I have to dae all the cooking and buy the food, for the polis took everything out of the kitchen. I telt Mr Thomas he wasnae getting any money from me.”

 

It’s written the way she speaks…    (was/ to do/ police/ told/ wasn’t…)