A Christmas Carol
Stave 1 Questions:
Answer these questions on your own sheet of paper. Use complete sentences and be sure
to write 6 sentence paragraphs for credit.
1. Explain how Scrooge originally knew Marley.
2. According to the narrator, what about Marley must be distinctly understood?
3. Describe the difficult working conditions that Scrooge’s clerk must endure.
4. Tell how Scrooge responds to each of the following:
a. his nephew’s invitation to dinner
b. the gentlemen’s request for money for the poor
c. the boy who sings a carol through the key hole
5. When Scrooge reaches his house, what does he see in the door knocker and how
does he react to what he sees?
6. Describe Jacob Marley’s Ghost.
7. Why must he travel far and wide and why does he wear a chain?
8. According to Marley’s ghost, why is he visiting Scrooge?
9. Who is the protagonist in this book?
10. What would you say is the conflict?
11. List three things in this chapter that prove the setting is England, 1843.
12. List the other characters in this chapter and explain each character’s relationship
to Scrooge.
13. Explain how Scrooge’s lifestyle is inconsistent with his wealth. (One paragraph)
14. Does Scrooge enjoy life? Use examples for the story to explain your answer.
(One paragraph)
15. Would you have wanted Scrooge to be your friend? Explain. (One paragraph)
16. What was the reason for Marley’s jaw dropping when the bandage was
removed?
17. What is irony? What was ironic about Scrooge’s speech to the ghost?
18. Define allusion. Name one example of allusion used in Stave One.
Vocabulary for Stave One:
executor palpable extinguish ominous facetious garret
incredulous incessant benevolence lamentation solitary caustic
Unhallowed Entreaty multitude intimation congeal lunatic
Trifle covetous impropriety resolute legatee implore