The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, Marie's Pet and Protégée quiz

Questions and answers

1. 1

   Question 1. Where is the little man standing when Marie first notices him?

   • Inside the toy castle that Godpapa Drosselmeier had built for them
   • Correct answer: Beside the tree, once Fritz's hussars moved out of the way
   • Among the picture-books stacked at the end of the table
   • On the window ledge, half hidden behind the curtains

   He had been hidden until Fritz's hussars took ground to the right, away from the tree.

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2. 2

   Question 2. How does Papa show the children what the little man is for?

   • He winds a key in his back so that he marches across the tablecloth
   • He reads them a label pinned to the little man's violet jacket
   • Correct answer: He lifts his cloak so the mouth opens, and Marie drops in a nut
   • He asks Godpapa Drosselmeier to explain how the toy was made

   Lifting the end of the wooden cloak opens the mouth, and the little man bites Marie's nut in two.

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3. 3

   Question 3. Why does Fritz leave his soldiers and join his sisters at the table?

   • He wants to show the girls his new squadron's uniforms
   • Papa calls him over to take his turn cracking nuts
   • Correct answer: He is a little tired after so much drill and maneuvering
   • His hussars have been knocked over by the hem of Louise's skirt

   The text says Fritz was a little tired after so much drill, so he joined his sisters and laughed at the funny little fellow.

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4. 4

   Question 4. When the Nutcracker is hurt, how does Fritz first respond?

   • Correct answer: He scoffs at the toy and demands that Marie hand it back to him
   • He apologizes to Marie and offers to fix the jaw with glue
   • He hides the broken teeth so that Papa will not find out
   • He blames Louise for giving the Nutcracker the hardest nuts

   Fritz calls the toy a poor sort of nutcracker and insists he is as much Fritz's as Marie's.

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5. 5

   Question 5. What does Papa decide when the quarrel reaches him?

   • Each child may use the Nutcracker for one hour every day
   • Correct answer: Marie has full power over the Nutcracker while he needs care
   • The Nutcracker must be locked away in the glass cupboard at once
   • Godpapa Drosselmeier should judge which child keeps him

   Because Papa had put Nutcracker in Marie's special charge and he now needs her care, she alone decides about him.

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6. 6

   Question 6. Which phrase best describes Fritz's mood after Papa's ruling?

   • Furious, so he orders his hussars to attack the Nutcracker
   • Delighted, since he never cared much for the toy at all
   • Tearful, so he runs to his mamma to plead his case again
   • Correct answer: Ashamed, so he drops the matter and returns to his hussars

   Fritz was much ashamed and, troubling himself no further about nutcrackers, crept off to his hussars.

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7. 7

   Question 7. Why does Godpapa Drosselmeier make Marie unusually angry?

   • He tries to take the Nutcracker home to repair it in his own workshop
   • Correct answer: He laughs at her for fussing so much over such an ugly little fellow
   • He says the Nutcracker belongs to Fritz because Fritz is the eldest
   • He refuses to let her show the Nutcracker her new picture-books

   Drosselmeier laughed and kept asking how she could make such a fuss about an ugly little fellow like that.

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8. 8

   Question 8. What does Drosselmeier's red nose at the end of the chapter most likely suggest?

   • He has caught a cold from sitting near the open window
   • He is angry that Papa sided with Marie instead of Fritz
   • He has been laughing so hard that he is out of breath
   • Correct answer: Marie's innocent remark has touched or embarrassed him

   His nose reddens and he laughs less than before, and the narrator hints there was some special reason for it.

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9. 9

   Question 9. Which of these events actually happen in this chapter?

   • Fritz's biggest, hardest nuts knock out three of the Nutcracker's teeth.

     Happened

   • Louise refuses to let the Nutcracker crack any nuts for her.

     Didn't happen

   • Godpapa Drosselmeier takes Fritz's side in the quarrel.

     Happened

   • Papa gives the Nutcracker to Fritz to keep with his soldiers.

     Didn't happen

   • Marie ties a white ribbon from her dress around the Nutcracker's chin.

     Happened

   • Mamma glues the Nutcracker's lost teeth back into his jaw.

     Didn't happen

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10. 10

    Question 10. What does 'unobtrusive' mean as used in: "who was standing there quiet and unobtrusive, as if waiting patiently till it should be his turn to be noticed"?

    • Proud and eager to be admired
    • Stiff and unable to move at all
    • Hidden away inside a wrapped box
    • Correct answer: Not drawing attention to oneself

    Unobtrusive means not noticeable or attention-seeking, which fits a toy waiting patiently to be noticed.

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11. 11

    Question 11. What does 'execution' mean as used in: "I'm surprised that Fritz should expect further service from a man wounded in the execution of his duty."?

    • Correct answer: The carrying out of a task or duty
    • A sentence of death for a crime
    • A skillful display before a crowd
    • The signing of an official paper

    Execution here means performance: the Nutcracker was hurt while doing his job of cracking nuts.

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12. 12

    Question 12. What does 'bivouacking' mean as used in: "his hussars (having established the necessary outposts and videttes) were bivouacking for the night"?

    • Marching in a parade before officers
    • Riding out to scout for the enemy
    • Correct answer: Camping for the night in the open
    • Polishing their swords and boots

    To bivouac is to camp outdoors for the night, as soldiers do in the field.

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