Hi Everyone!! This article will share The Canterville Ghost Questions & Answers.
This story is written by Oscar Wilde. In my previous posts, I have shared the questions & answers of How Daddy Decided What He Wanted to Be, The White Elephant and The Helpful Young Man so, you can check these posts as well.
The Canterville Ghost Questions & Answers
Question 1: Who are the people in the story who believe that ghosts exist?
Answer: Lord Canterville, the former owner of Canterville Chase, and Mrs. Umney the housekeeper believe that the ghost exists.
Question 2: Do you think Mrs. Umney really fainted? Why do you think so?
Answer: It does not seem as though Mrs. Umney really fainted. She might have very frightened and her mind might have gone blank. But she recovered too quickly for it to have been an actual fainting spell.
Question 3: Who are the people that don’t believe it?
Answer: Mr. Otis and his family – Mrs. Otis, his son Washington, daughter Virginia and the twins do not believe in the ghost.
Question 4: What does Mr. Otis offer the ghost?
Answer: Mr. Otis offers oil for the ghost’s chains.
The Canterville Ghost Questions & Answers
Question 5: Read the lines and answer the questions:
(a) Does Mr Otis offer the oil because he is sorry for the ghost or because he can’t sleep for the noise?
Answer: Mr. Otis offers the oil because he cannot sleep. The creaking of the chains disturbs him.
(b) How does he think the oil will help the situation?
Answer: The oil would make the rings of the chain move smoothly and so Mr. Otis would not be disturbed by its clanking sound.
(c) Do you think that the chains were creaking just because they were rusty?
Answer: The chains were creaking because they were rusty and old. At the same time, the ghost made sure that they clanked more, so as to frighten the Otis family and announce his arrival.
Question 6: What is the plan that the twins come up with?
Answer: The twins decide to camp out in the library at night and wait for the ghost. Clark would sleep by the door and Lewis would sleep on the desk so that he could jump on the ghost and trap him.
Question 7: What makes the ghost swear to take his revenge?
Answer: The ghost feels insulted because no one is frightened by his appearance. Mr. Otis offers him oil for his chains and the twins throw a pillow at him. This had never happened to him before. This angers the ghost and he swears revenge. Â
The Canterville Ghost Questions & Answers
Question 8: Read the lines and answer the questions:
(a) Why was the ghost so angry?
Answer: The ghost was angry because he felt insulted. Mr. Otis offered him oil and the twins threw a pillow at him. People had always been frightened of him. It was an exceptional situation with the Otis family because they did not believe in ghosts.
(b) Why does the ghost think that the Otis family behaves this way?
Answer: The ghost thinks that the Otis family is ignorant and unaware of the furore that he can create. He has always created chaos with his fearful appearances. The Otis family has seen none of that.
(c) How do you think the ghost was treated in the past by the Canterville family?
Answer: The ghost was treated with fear and reverence by the Canterville family. No one in the Canterville mansion had ever dared mock his appearance or presence.
Question 9: What is the atmosphere like when the ghost first appears before Mr. Otis and what is it like after? Why is there a change?
Answer: The atmosphere is calm before the ghost arrives. The arrival of the ghost is heard along with the clanking sound of metals. The ghost casts a green light about him and fills the air with groans after he leaves. But after Mr. Otis goes back to his room, the ghost is very angry. He plans to take revenge at the end. Till now, the ghost was only trying to make his presence felt and was trying to scare the newcomers but now, in his rage, he plans to truly terrify them and disrupt their lives.
Question 10: In the beginning of the play, there is a scene where we see something that happened many years ago. What do we see in that scene?
Answer: The Duchess of Bolton, Lord Canterville’s grand-aunt, is terrified at the Canterville Ghost’s appearance. She is seen being lead to a chair by the butler and the housekeeper. They give her a drink of water. The duchess narrates that she has felt the icy touch of bony hands on herself. At first, she dismissed it as cold draught. But then she noticed a pair of skeleton hands.
Question 11: Compare and contrast the reactions of the Otis family and Mrs. Umney to the bloodstain in the library.
Answer: The Otis family is not frightened by the bloodstains. Mrs. Otis wants it removed because it looks ugly. Washington takes out a small stick and rubs it over the stain. On the other hand, Mrs. Umney regards the blood satin with fear and speaks about it in a hushed tone. She tells the Otis family that it is the blood of Lady Eleanore de Canterville, who was murdered by her husband, Sir Simon de Canterville. Sir Canterille disappeared for nine years and his body was never found.Â
So, these were The Canterville Ghost Questions & Answers.