Web+Quest+Answer+Key

A) [|__http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/dickens_charles.shtml__]

1. Why was Dickens’ father place in prison when he was young? A. He was put in prison because of how much debt he was in.

2. What happened to Dickens’ family while his father was in prison? What happened to Charles? A. Dickens' family joined their father while Charles lived on his own and worked in a factory.

3. What two novels of his were based upon this experience in his life? A. Great Expectations and David Copperfield were based in part on his life.

4. How did Charles Dickens begin his career in writing? A. Charles Dickens began his writing career as a journalist.

5. What was Charles Dickens’ last book and who inspired him to write this final story? A. Wilkie Collins was the inspiration for Dickens' final book; The Mystery of Edwin Drood

6. How did Charles Dickens die and where was he buried? A. Dickens died of a stroke and was buried at Westminster Abbey.

B) [|__http://charlesdickenspage.com/family_friends.html__]

1. Why was Dickens so embarrassed by his father? A. Dickens was embarrassed by his father because he constantly sought loans from Dickens' friends and publishers.

2. What character from Dickens’ novels was inspired by his father, John Dickens? A. Mr. Micawber from David Copperfield was inspired by John Dickens.

3. What character was Elizabeth Dickens inspiration for? A. Elizabeth Dickens was the inspiration for the character Mrs. Nickleby in Nicholas Nickleby.

4. What did John Dickens tell his son about Gad’s Hill Place? A. He told young Charles Dickens that with enough hard work, he could live in such a home some day.

5. What did Catherine Dickens tell her daughter to do on her deathbed? Why did she say this? A. Catherine Dickens gave her daughter Kate letters from Charles that she had saved and told her to " Give these to the British Museum, that the world may know he loved me once." She said this because at the time, she and Dickens were separated.

6. Who was Thackery and how did he and Dickens come to meet eachother? A. Thackery was a fellow author. Dickens met him when he applied to be Dickens' new illustrator.

C) [|__http://www.online-literature.com/dickens/__]

1. What reasons does the page list for John Dickens’ financial problems? A. John Dickens was a hospitable, generous and sympathetic man which helped lead to some of his financial troubles.

2. At what age was Charles Dickens sent to work and where was he sent? A. At age 12 he was sent to work in Warren's Blacking Factory.

3. Briefly describe what working in the factory was like and why was Charles upset with his mother after his father’s release from prison? A. Dickens worked long hours under poor conditions for very little pay.

4. How many children did Dickens have and what were their names? A. Dickens had ten children with his wife Catherine. They were: Charles Culliford Boz, Mary, Kate Macready, Walter Landor, Francis Jeffrey, Alfred Tennyson, Sydney Smith, Henry Fielding, Dora Annie, and Edward Bulwer Lytton.

5. What happened during Dickens’ return trip from Paris after his reading tour? A. He was involved in the Staplehurst train crash.

6. What was written upon Charles Dickens’ tomb and who wrote it? A. Thomas Carlyle wrote: "The good, the gentle, high-gifted, ever-friendly, noble Dickens—every inch of him an honest man" upon Dickens' tomb.

D) []

1. What event did Dickens just barely survive? A. The Staplehurst Railway Accident is the event that Dickens barely survived.

2. This accident was caused by what? A. This accident happened because the engineers did not warn the train that there was a gap in the tracks over the bridge.

3. How did Dickens react to the situation immediately afterwards (what did he do)? A. After helping his mistress, Mrs. Ternan, out of his train compartment, Dickens gathered water and brandy and did what he could to help the injured passengers

4. How many casualties were there? A. Ten people were killed in the accident and fifty were injured.

5. What item did Dickens recover from his compartment? A. Dickens returned to his compartment to retrieve his latest chapter of Our Mutual Friend which he had forgotten in his coat.

6. What effect did this have on him mentally? A. Dickens would often suffer from anxiety because of this accident.

E) []

1. When working in the factory, what was Dickens' work schedule? A. Dickens worked in the factory ten hours per day and six days per week.

2. Dickens enjoyed acting, but what made him focus on his writing more? A. Charles Dickens focused on writing because acting was not considered nearly as respectable as a profession and Dickens wanted continue earning a reputation as a gentleman.

3. What type of places did Dickens visit during his time in America? A. While in America, Dickens visited prisons, hospitals, asylums and orphanages.

4. Dickens stated that his time in Lowell was "the most pleasant I spent in the country." List a reason why: A. Dickens stated this because while in Lowell, he visited a new textile factory which had considerably better working conditions than the factories of England.

5. Which series sky-rocketed Dickens'? A. The Pickwick Papers led Dickens to his success.

6. How much money was Dickens paid for his reading tour in America? A. Dickens received twenty-thousand pounds for his reading tour in America.

F) [|__http://charlesdickenspage.com/copperfield.html__]

1. What did Charles Dickens consider his characters to be to him? A. Dickens considers his characters that he has written to be his children.

2. Who was Dickens’ favorite child? A. Dickens stated that David Copperfield was his favorite child.

3. What does David Copperfield do to escape Mr. Murdstone? A. He flees his job at the factory to seek his aunt Betsey who saves him from Murdstone.

4. In what way(s) (career-wise) does David Copperfield’s life parallel Dickens’ own? A. Like Dickens, Copperfield worked at a law firm and eventually becomes an author.

6. What does David come to realize after years of travel and what does he do afterward? A. After traveling for three years, David realizes that he loves Agnes and so he returns to England to marry her.

G) []

1. Who does Pip originally believe is his benefactor?

A. Originally Pip believes Miss Havisham is his anonymous benefactor.

2. Which three people attempt to help Magwitch escape? Do they succeed?

A. Pip, Herbert and Startop attempt to help Magwitch escape. They do not succeed. Magwitch is captured and taken to prison where he dies.

3. What is the original ending to the story?

A. The original ending is that Pip happens to run into Estella on the street and he discovers that she has changed from the meaner, cold-hearted girl she was, but nothing more happens. They each go on their way.

4. Which ending do you prefer and why?

A. (Opinionated answer)

5. What names does the convict go by and for what situations?

A. The convict's real name is Abel Magwitch. He goes by the name "Provis" when he first arrives in London so he can hide his identity. Then he uses the name "Mr. Campbell" after he is discovered to be in London.

6. How is molly connected to Magwitch and Estella? A. Molly was Magwitch's wife and Estella is her (and Magwitch's) daughter.

H) []

1. How did Dickens publish his works? Why did people like his works? A. Dickens published his works as serials in magazines and newspapers. People liked his works because Dickens was able to develop interesting plots and equally interesting characters for his series.

2. What profession did John Dickens hold? A. John Dickens was a clerk for the Naval Office.

3. What pseudonym did Dickens adopt early in his career? A. Charles Dickens used the pseudonym "Boz" early in his writing career.

4. Almost half of the funerals in London were for who? A. Almost half of the funerals in London were for children under the age of ten.

5. What about Oliver Twist shocked Dickens' readers? A. The readers were surprised by Dickens' portrayal of working conditions that children of the time had to suffer through.

6. How did England change from the time when Dickens was born until the time Dickens had died? A. From 1820 to 1870 when Dickens died, fewer and fewer people worked on farms as more and more of them moved to the city to work in factories. Many people lived in slums and performed hard labor in the factories.