The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, Christmas Eve quiz
From The Nutcracker and the Mouse King by E.T.A. Hoffmann
Chapter 1 of The Nutcracker and the Mouse King: on Christmas Eve, Fritz and Marie wait in the dark, guessing what Godpapa Drosselmeier has made for them.
12 questions · about 13 minutes
Questions and answers
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Question 1. Which rooms are the Stahlbaum children forbidden to enter on the 24th of December?
- The back parlour and the little nursery where they usually play
- Correct answer: The small drawing-room and the best drawing-room beyond it
- Their father's study and the cellar beneath the house
- The upstairs bedrooms and the long front hallway by the door
The children may not go into the small drawing-room, much less into the best drawing-room into which it opens; they wait in the back parlour instead.
Read the passage -
Question 2. What does Godpapa Drosselmeier put on before he starts work on a clock that has stopped singing?
- A green leather cap
- A pair of spectacles
- Correct answer: A plain blue apron
- A long black smock
He takes off his glass periwig and his little yellow coat and girds himself with a blue apron before he sets to work.
Read the passage -
Question 3. How does Marie feel when she watches Drosselmeier repair a clock?
- Delighted, because the clock always begins to sing at once
- Correct answer: Miserable, because he sticks sharp instruments into the clock
- Bored, because the work keeps him busy the whole afternoon
- Afraid, because the clock might strike him while he works
His sharp-pointed instruments make little Marie quite miserable to witness, though the narrator assures us the clock is not really hurt.
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Question 4. Apart from his special Christmas gift, what does Drosselmeier usually bring in his pockets?
- Sugar plums, gingerbread hearts and little paper twists of sweets
- Tin soldiers, glass marbles and a wooden top painted bright red
- Correct answer: A little man who bows and rolls his eyes, or a box with a bird
- Picture books, colored chalks and a small slate for drawing on
He brings small mechanical toys, such as a little man who rolls his eyes and makes bows, or a box out of which a little bird jumps.
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Question 5. In the garden Marie remembers from Drosselmeier's story, what does the little girl do?
- She rows across the lake in a little golden boat
- She sings to the swans until they fall asleep
- She weaves the gold collars that the swans wear
- Correct answer: She calls the swans to her and feeds them cake
Marie recalls that a lovely little girl comes down to the lake, calls the swans and feeds them with shortbread and cake, which is exactly what Fritz mocks.
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Question 6. What do the children believe the bright gleam of light crossing the wall means?
- Their father is lighting the candles in the next room
- Correct answer: The Child-Christ has sped away on shining wings
- Godpapa Drosselmeier is leaving by the garden door
- A carriage of Christmas guests has arrived outside
The children know that the Child-Christ has sped away, on shining wings, to other happy children, just before the bell rings.
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Question 7. What does the narrator's account of Drosselmeier's clock repairs suggest about him?
- Correct answer: He can bring mechanical things back to life, which makes him seem almost magical
- He is careless with delicate objects and often breaks the family's best clocks
- He would rather mend clocks than spend any of his time with the children
- He charges Dr. Stahlbaum a great deal of money for every repair he makes
Under his hands a silent clock comes to life again and whirrs, sings and strikes, so the gruff-looking clockmaker seems to have an almost magical power.
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Question 8. Which of these events actually happen in this chapter?
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Fritz tells Marie he saw a little man creeping past with a big box.
Happened
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Marie peeks through the keyhole of the drawing-room door.
Didn't happen
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Fritz imagines a fortress whose soldiers fire cannon at attackers.
Happened
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Their mother brings candles into the back parlour at twilight.
Didn't happen
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A silvery bell rings just before the doors fly open.
Happened
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Drosselmeier sits with the children and tells them a story.
Didn't happen
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Question 9. Which of these details about Godpapa Drosselmeier are true in this chapter?
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He wears a patch of black plaister where his right eye should be.
Happened
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He has a thick head of curly grey hair.
Didn't happen
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He knows how to make clocks and watches himself.
Happened
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He usually wears a long red coat when he visits.
Didn't happen
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His Christmas gifts are put away with great care by the parents.
Happened
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Question 10. What does "pretext" mean as used in: "Dr. Stahlbaum's children were not allowed, on any pretext whatever, at any time of all that day, to go into the small drawing-room"?
- A written permission signed by a parent
- Correct answer: A reason given to justify doing something
- A punishment for breaking a household rule
- A disguise worn to avoid being recognized
A pretext is a reason offered to justify an action; no excuse at all would get the children into the drawing-room that day.
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Question 11. What does "pluckily" mean as used in: "the soldiers inside would fire away at them, as pluckily as you please, with cannon"?
- Slowly and with great hesitation
- Carelessly and without taking aim
- Correct answer: Bravely and with lively spirit
- Wildly and with no sense of order
Pluckily means bravely and spiritedly, which suits the courageous defenders Fritz imagines in his toy fortress.
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Question 12. What does "athwart" mean as used in: "a bright gleam of light passed quickly athwart the wall"?
- Correct answer: Across, from one side to the other
- Upward, rising toward the ceiling
- Behind, hidden from direct view
- Downward, sinking toward the floor
Athwart means across; the gleam of light sweeps across the wall of the dark parlour.
Read the passage
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