The Metamorphosis, Chapter I quiz

Questions and answers

1. 1

   Question 1. What is Gregor Samsa's profession before his transformation?

   • Correct answer: Commercial traveler (traveling salesman)
   • Firm's porter (waits at the station)
   • Office apprentice (learning the business)
   • Chief clerk (manager of the office)

   Gregor is a commercial traveler who sells cloth samples. His work table holds a collection of cloth samples, and he frequently travels by train to visit clients.

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2. 2

   Question 2. What time was Gregor's alarm clock set for, and what time does he actually wake up?

   • Set for 5:30, wakes at 7:30
   • Set for 5:00, wakes at 6:00
   • Correct answer: Set for 4:00, wakes at 6:30
   • Set for 6:00, wakes at 7:00

   The alarm was properly set for four o'clock, but Gregor sleeps through it and discovers it is half-past six when he checks the clock.

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3. 3

   Question 3. Why does Gregor feel trapped in his job?

   • He signed a five-year contract with the chief
   • Correct answer: He must pay off his parents' debt to his employer
   • His father forbids him to look for another job
   • He has no training for any other kind of work

   Gregor's parents owe a debt to his employer, and Gregor estimates it will take another five or six years of work to pay it off. Only then does he plan to quit.

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4. 4

   Question 4. What does the chief clerk insinuate about Gregor during his speech through the door?

   • That Gregor has been lying about his travel expenses
   • That Gregor is planning to quit
   • That Gregor has been stealing company secrets
   • Correct answer: That Gregor may have mishandled entrusted cash payments

   The chief clerk mentions "cash payments that were entrusted to you recently" and says the chief hinted at this as a possible explanation for Gregor's absence.

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5. 5

   Question 5. How does Gregor manage to unlock his bedroom door?

   • Correct answer: He turns the key with his jaws
   • His sister opens it from outside
   • The locksmith arrives to open it
   • He kicks it open with his legs

   Since Gregor has no hands, he grips the key with his strong jaws and turns it, despite having no proper teeth. A brown fluid issues from his mouth during the effort.

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6. 6

   Question 6. What does the father use to drive Gregor back into his room at the end of Chapter I?

   • A rolled-up carpet and his fists
   • A shovel and an umbrella
   • A broom and a chair
   • Correct answer: A walking stick and a newspaper

   The father seizes the walking stick that the chief clerk left behind and a large newspaper from the table, using both to herd Gregor back while hissing "Shoo!"

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7. 7

   Question 7. What building does Gregor see across the street when he opens his door?

   • A warehouse
   • Correct answer: A hospital
   • A factory
   • A church

   Gregor sees "a section of the endlessly long, dark gray building opposite—it was a hospital—abruptly punctuated by its row of regular windows." This detail may foreshadow themes of illness and confinement.

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8. 8

   Question 8. Which of these events actually occur in Chapter I of The Metamorphosis?

   • Gregor's mother faints upon seeing his insect form

     Happened

   • Gregor eats food that his sister leaves outside his door

     Didn't happen

   • The chief clerk flees down the staircase yelling "Ugh!"

     Happened

   • Gregor successfully catches the eight o'clock train

     Didn't happen

   • Gregor snaps his jaws at the sight of streaming coffee

     Happened

   • Grete enters Gregor's room to help him get dressed

     Didn't happen

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9. 9

   Question 9. Which of the following details are true about Gregor's situation in Chapter I?

   • Gregor has not been ill once during five years of employment

     Happened

   • Gregor's room has a picture of a woman in furs on the wall

     Happened

   • Gregor's father reads the newspaper at breakfast every morning

     Happened

   • The family has a live-in maid named Grete

     Didn't happen

   • Gregor's voice remains perfectly normal throughout the chapter

     Didn't happen

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10. 10

    Question 10. What does "malingerers" mean as used in: "the insurance doctor, who of course regarded all mankind as perfectly healthy malingerers"?

    • People with unusual medical conditions
    • People suffering from serious diseases
    • Correct answer: People who fake illness to avoid work
    • People who work too hard and burn out

    A malingerer is someone who pretends to be ill or injured to avoid duty or work. Gregor imagines the insurance doctor would dismiss his condition as faked.

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11. 11

    Question 11. What does "presentiment" mean as used in: "I did have a slight presentiment. I must have showed some sign of it"?

    • A physical symptom of an illness that has already begun
    • Correct answer: A premonition or intuitive feeling about something to come
    • A feeling of lasting resentment toward someone who wronged you
    • A formal presentation or demonstration before an audience

    A presentiment is an intuitive feeling that something, usually unpleasant, is about to happen. Gregor claims he sensed something was wrong the night before his transformation.

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12. 12

    Question 12. What does "entreaty" mean as used in: "No entreaty of Gregor's availed, indeed no entreaty was even understood"?

    • A hostile threat or warning
    • An attempt to enter a room
    • Correct answer: An earnest or humble plea
    • A legal document or contract

    An entreaty is an earnest, often humble request or plea. As the father drives Gregor back to his room, none of Gregor's desperate pleas are understood or heeded.

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13. 13

    Question 13. What is the chief clerk's reaction when he first hears Gregor speak through the door?

    • He sends the servant girl to fetch a locksmith
    • He whispers, "Gregor, open the door, do"
    • He tells Grete, "Go for the doctor, quick"
    • Correct answer: He asks the mother, "Did you understand a word of it?"

    After Gregor's long speech, the chief clerk asks "Did you understand a word of it?" and adds "surely he can't be trying to make fools of us?" He then declares "That was no human voice."

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