Mrs. Dalloway

How does Clarissa Dalloway believe she resembles the people she thinks about near the end of the selection from Mrs. Dalloway?

• She is as foolish in her persistent love of life as they are.

• She feels as frustrated by the daily life of London as they do.

• She waits to hear Big Ben strike just as the others do.

• She is just as much a “frump” and “dejected” as other people are.

In the selection from Mrs. Dalloway, what feeling does Clarissa Dalloway have about Big Ben, the tower clock that she hears ringing every hour?

• She feels that its noise makes her heart condition worse.

• She feels sad because it reminds her of the passage of time.

• She feels annoyed that it rings every hour of the day and night.

• She feels a sense of solemn anticipation before it strikes the hour.

Which of the following statements about Clarissa Dalloway reflect the way she is portrayed in the selection from Mrs. Dalloway? Choose three options.

• She is a gardener who grows vegetables.

• She is a woman in her fifties who has had a serious illness.

• She is a well-to-do woman who has a pleasant lifestyle.

• She is living in the Westminster section of London.

• She is uninterested in her neighbors and avoids them.

Which sentence best summarizes Clarissa Dalloway’s feelings about London, as revealed in the selection from Mrs. Dalloway?

• She pities the poor and miserable-looking people she sees in the city.

• She ignores people in the city who are not of her social class because she is a snob.

• She loves London’s people, vehicles, noise, and movement.

• She believes that London is too noisy and crowded for her taste.

What situation would be the most likely to call for solemnity?

• a graduation party

• a funeral

• a school play

• a trip to an organic farm

Which of the following statements most accurately defines Clarissa Dalloway’s status in London society, as suggested in the selection from Mrs. Dalloway?

• She is a wealthy woman who can afford a nice house, a servant, and catering.

• She is a working-class woman who lives in a rundown neighborhood.

• She is a poor woman who has to sell flowers on the street.

• She is a lower-class woman who must shop for her employer.

If a person’s footsteps are leaden, which of the following must be true?

• The footsteps sound quick and light.

• The footsteps sound increasingly louder.

• The footsteps sound sharp and metallic.

• The footsteps sound slow and heavy.

Which details in this excerpt from Mrs. Dalloway seem to convey Clarissa Dalloway’s thoughts and perceptions most directly, rather than giving the reader a description of them? Choose two options.

For having lived in Westminster—how many years now? over twenty—one feels even in the midst of the traffic, or waking at night, Clarissa was positive, a particular hush, or solemnity; an indescribable pause; a suspense (but that might be her heart, affected, they said, by influenza) before Big Ben strikes. There! Out it boomed. First a warning, musical; then the hour, irrevocable. The leaden circles dissolved in the air. Such fools we are, she thought, crossing Victoria Street. For Heaven only knows why one loves it so. . . .

• how many years now? over twenty

• For having lived in Westminster

• one feels even in the midst of traffic . . . Clarissa was positive, a particular hush. . . .

• (but that might be her heart, affected, they said, by influenza) . .

• There! Out it boomed.

Which of the following statements most accurately defines Clarissa Dalloway’s status in London society, as suggested in the selection from Mrs. Dalloway?

• She is a poor woman who has to sell flowers on the street.

• She is a lower-class woman who must shop for her employer.

• She is a wealthy woman who can afford a nice house, a servant, and catering.

• She is a working-class woman who lives in a rundown neighborhood.

In the selection from Mrs. Dalloway, what is the most likely reason that Clarissa Dalloway recalls Peter Walsh so clearly?

• He was once an important person in her life whom she knew well.

• He died shortly after the conversation she is remembering.

• His sayings about life are so true she can’t forget them.

• He is the most boring person she has ever known.