The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, The Christmas Presents quiz

Questions and answers

1. 1

   Question 1. According to the narrator, why are the children given so many beautiful presents this year?

   • They had helped their parents decorate the tree
   • Correct answer: They had been very good and well-behaved all year
   • They had written polite letters to their godpapa
   • They had finished all their school lessons early

   The narrator says the children had certainly been very, very good and well-behaved all the foregoing year to be thus rewarded.

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2. 2

   Question 2. What color is the mantle of the gentleman who keeps appearing at the castle window?

   • Crimson red
   • Royal blue
   • Correct answer: Emerald green
   • Pale silver

   The figure is described as a gentleman in an emerald green mantle, and Fritz later calls him the green man.

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3. 3

   Question 3. Why does Drosselmeier refuse when Fritz asks him to make the castle children come down?

   • He fears the tiny dancers might break if they move
   • Correct answer: The machinery works one way and cannot be altered
   • He is saving that surprise to show Marie later on
   • The key that winds the castle was left at home

   Drosselmeier says the machinery must work as it is doing now and cannot be altered, so the figures can only repeat their motions.

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4. 4

   Question 4. What does Fritz do right after saying the castle figures are not worth much?

   • He asks his father for a castle of his own
   • He tries to pry open the castle door with a sword
   • He sits down quietly with his new picture books
   • Correct answer: He sends his silver horse trotting and charging

   Fritz makes off to the other table and sets his squadron of silver horse trotting, wheeling and charging to his heart's content.

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5. 5

   Question 5. How does Marie behave when she grows tired of the castle?

   • Correct answer: She slips away softly without showing it
   • She asks her mother to cover the castle
   • She tells Drosselmeier the dancers are dull
   • She begs Fritz to let her ride his horse

   Marie slips away softly; kind and gentle as she is, she does not like to show her boredom as her brother does.

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6. 6

   Question 6. What finally restores Drosselmeier's good temper?

   • Fritz apologizes and asks to see the castle again
   • Marie thanks him warmly for the beautiful castle
   • The father praises the castle's golden towers
   • Correct answer: The mother asks him to show her the machinery

   The mother comes to the rescue by asking to see the clever machinery, and taking it apart and rebuilding it brings back his good humour.

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7. 7

   Question 7. Which statement best captures how the chapter presents Drosselmeier's castle?

   • It is the finest gift and delights the children all night
   • Correct answer: It is clever but dull to children because it never changes
   • It frightens the children so much they will not go near it
   • It is a broken toy that Drosselmeier must hurry to repair

   The castle is dazzling and ingeniously made, but its figures only repeat the same motions, so the children quickly lose interest in it.

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8. 8

   Question 8. What does 'tapers' mean as used in: 'hundreds of little tapers glittered like stars, inviting the children to pluck its flowers and fruit'?

   • Correct answer: Slender candles
   • Glass ornaments
   • Paper streamers
   • Sugared figures

   Tapers are slender candles; here hundreds of them light the Christmas tree and glitter like stars.

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9. 9

   Question 9. What does 'muster' mean as used in: 'and he set to work to muster his new squadron of hussars'?

   • To polish and clean
   • Correct answer: To gather together
   • To paint brightly
   • To trade away

   To muster is to gather troops together, so Fritz assembles his toy cavalry as an officer would.

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10. 10

    Question 10. What does 'ingenious' mean as used in: 'After all, an ingenious piece of mechanism like this is not a matter for children'?

    • Very old and valuable
    • Fragile and easily broken
    • Correct answer: Cleverly designed
    • Noisy and distracting

    Ingenious means cleverly invented or designed; Drosselmeier is proud of the skill that went into his castle.

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11. 11

    Question 11. Which of these events happen in this chapter?

    • Marie admires a silk dress hanging from a branch of the tree.

      Happened

    • Drosselmeier lets Fritz climb inside the castle for a little while.

      Didn't happen

    • A tiny figure of Drosselmeier appears at the castle door.

      Happened

    • Fritz knocks over one of the castle's golden towers.

      Didn't happen

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12. 12

    Question 12. Which of these events happen after Fritz and Marie leave the castle?

    • The mother asks to see how the castle's machinery works.

      Happened

    • Drosselmeier packs the castle into its box and leaves the house.

      Didn't happen

    • The green-mantled gentleman walks about with the other figures.

      Didn't happen

    • Drosselmeier gives the children figures made of ginger cake.

      Happened

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