Hi Everyone!! This article will share The Quince Tree Questions & Answers.
In my previous posts, I have shared the questions and answers of A Short Monsoon Diary, Tommy’s Missing Dollar and The Hound of The Baskervilles so, you can check these posts as well.
The Quince Tree Questions & Answers
Question 1: Why was Mrs. Betsy Mullen ‘in a bad way about her rent’?
Answer: Mrs. Betsy Mullen was ‘in a bad way about her rent’ because she owed about fifteen weeks of rent, and did not know where the money to pay the rent would come from.
Question 2: How were Vera and Mrs. Cumble’s reactions to Betsy Mullen’s condition different?
Answer: Vera wanted to help Mrs Mullen. She wanted to find a solution to Betsy Mullen’s problem so that she could continue to stay in the cottage with the nice garden. Mrs Cumble, on the other hand, felt Mrs Mullen did not seem to be worried about her rent and was happy to rely on others’ goodwill to help her pay the rent. Mrs Cumble felt that if Betsy Mullen could not afford to pay the rent for such a big cottage, she should move to a smaller and cheaper cottage on the other side of the village.
Question 3: What made Vera come up with the elaborate dtory for her aunt?
Answer: Vera felt sorry for Betsy Mullen. She came up with the elaborate story for her aunt because she knew that Betsy Mullen would hate to leave that house which had a big garden with a jolly quince tree growing in it. She wanted Mrs Cumble to help Betsy Mullen pay her arrears of rent.
Question 4: How did Vera get her aunt interested in the story?
Answer: Vera got her aunt interested in the story by hinting that she knew an important secret about the cottage and that something very valuable was hidden there. To pique her aunt’s curiosity, Vera also said that she felt that she should not divulge the secret to anyone.
Question 5: What effect did the name of Mrs Lamper have on Mrs Cumble?
Answer: Mrs Cumble was surprised to hear the name of Mrs Lamper as the latter had the reputation of being a very conscientious woman and one would not expect her to be involved in hiding stolen jewels. Mrs Cumble wondered how Mrs Lamper could be involved in such a thing as Mrs Lamper must have been aware that those were stolen jewels for anyone who read the papers, even casually, would have been aware of the theft.
The Quince Tree Questions & Answers
Question 6: What was Mrs Cumble’s first reaction to the story and the thought of being ‘entangled’ in it?
Answer: Mrs Cumble felt that she was not ‘entangled’ in the incident. And as she did not intend to protect anybody, she was ready to immediately contact the police, as according to her any theft was a crime, irrespective of who was involved in it. If respectable people chose to involve themselves in hiding stolen goods, Mrs Cumble did not consider them respectable anymore.
Question 7: How did Vera convince Mrs Cumble not to call the police?
Answer: Vera convinced Mrs. Cumble not to call the police by telling her that Cuthbert, who was to marry Mrs. Cumble’s daughter the following year, was involved in the incident. In fact, it had been Cuthbert’s idea to stow the things away in the cottage, and it was his motorcar that had brought the valuables there. When Mrs Cumble realized that her daughter’s happiness was at stake, she decided not to call the police.
Question 8: What did Vera tell her best friend about the ‘mystery’?
Answer: Vera told her friend that the ‘mystery’ was not that of the stolen jewels but where Mrs Mullen’s arrears of rent would come from.
Question 9: Write five adjectives that describe Vera. Give reasons to explain your choice.
Answer:
- Caring – She was worried about Betsy Mullen’s situation.
- Helpful – She went out of her way to help Betsy Mullen.
- Loyal – Even when Mrs. Cumble, Vera’s aunt, spoke ill of Mrs. Mullen, Vera spoke up for her.
- Intelligent – Vera quickly came up with a plan and spun a story to help Mrs. Mullen.
- Untruthful – Vera lied to help Mrs. Mullen.
Question 10: Do you think it was wrong of Vera to play a prank on her aunt? Give reasons to support your view.
Answer: No, it wasn’t wrong of Vera to play this prank on her aunt because she did not do it to be mean to her aunt but to help Betsy Mullen. Since her aunt could afford to help Mrs Mullen with the rent, it was not a bad idea. Also, no one was really hurt by the prank and Mrs Mullen could live a rent-free and worry-free life.
Question 11: Vera’s story had the effect she wanted. How did she ensure that? Explain with examples from the text.
Answer: Vera’s story had the effect she wanted because she ensured that:
- her aunt believed the story. For example – “In Betsy’s cottage? Incredible!”
- her story was based on a real incident that was common knowledge and it was actually her aunt who guessed it: For example – “Not the Dublin…?”
- everyone knew about the stolen jewels. For example – “Anyone who reads the papers, even casually, would have been aware of the theft…”
- people her aunt liked and respected were part of the theft. For example – “Of course I know you think highly of him, and that he’s engaged to marry Beatrice.”
- The manner in which she prevented her aunt from calling the police. For example – “l shall speak to Cuthbert about it – after the wedding,” said Mrs. Bebberly Cumble.”
Question 12: How did the ending effect your understanding of –
(a) Mrs. Cumble
Answer: We can see by the end that Mrs. Cumble was willing to be part of a crime for her personal gain. In this case, she did it to ensure that her daughter’s wedding with Cuthbert went smoothly. All her annoyance with Betsy Mullen disappeared and she actually looked after Betsy Mullen’s needs when she got to know that her daughter’s happiness was at stake.
(b) Vera
Answer: The ending lets us know that Vera had spun a yarn to get her aunt to help Betsy Mullen. She is a smart and helpful girl who is willing to go out of her way to help someone who needs help.
Question 13: How did Mrs. Cumble’s first reaction change with regard to –
(a) the respectable people being involved in the crime?
Answer: Initially, Mrs. Cumble said that ‘respectable people’ ceased to be ‘respectable’ when they committed or where party to a crime. However, her thoughts about ‘respectable people’ who were involved in a crime promptly changed when she got to know that her would-be son-in law, Cuthbert, was also involved in hiding the stolen jewels. She realized that if she reported the matter to the police, then Cuthbert too would have to face the consequences, which could affect her daughter’s life and happiness.
(b) Cuthbert?
Answer: At the first mention that Cuthbert was involved in hiding the stolen goods, Mrs Cumble readily changed her decision to report the matter of the stolen jewels to the police. She did not want her daughter’s wedding to Cuthbert to be hindered. So, she told Vera that she would speak to Cuthbert after the wedding.
(c) Betsy Mullen?
Answer: Initially, Mrs. Cumble seemed to be very annoyed with Betsy Mullen for not paying her rent or even making any effort to arrange money for it. Later, when she realized that the eviction of Betsy Mullen from that cottage could adversely affect her daughter’s happiness, she ensured that Betsy could live rent free, have soup twice a week and she also had her own doctor looking after Betsy.
So, these were The Quince Tree Questions & Answers.