Page 9 - The Vocabulary Expander US Grades 6-8

Inference and Relationships | RL1 Key Ideas and Details: Textual evidence and inference

B In the play, The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde, Lady Bracknell is
introduced to Jack, her potential son-in-law. What can you infer about Lady Bracknell’s
attitude toward Jack from the evidence in the text?

Jack: I don’t actually know who I am by birth. I was … well, I was found.
Lady Bracknell: Found? …

Jack: In a handbag.
Lady Bracknell: [closes eyes briefly] A handbag?
Jack: Yes, Lady Bracknell, I was in a handbag. A somewhat large … black … leather
handbag with handles … to it. [pause]
Lady Bracknell: An ordinary handbag.

Lady Bracknell: And where did this Mr. James … or, Thomas Cardew come across this
ordinary handbag?
Jack: The cloak room at Victoria Station. It was given to him in mistake for his own …
Lady Bracknell: [Shocked] The cloak room at Victoria Station?
Jack: Yes. The Brighton line. …

Lady Bracknell: Mr. Worthing. I must confess that I feel somewhat bewildered by what
you have just told me. To be born, or at any rate bred in a handbag, whether it have handles
or not, seems to me to display a contempt for the ordinary decencies of family life …’
The Importance of Being Earnest – Oscar Wilde

1. Do you think Lady Bracknell will approve the marriage between her daughter and Jack?
Yes / No

2. Select the abstract nouns which you feel best describe her attitude toward him. Choose 3.

warmth disgust fear pity coldness

love tolerance contempt kindness nervousness

3. How many times does Lady Bracknell repeat/echo Jack’s words?

once twice three times four times

4. Her reaction is revealed in her questions, repetition, stage directions and
comments. Find one quotation as evidence for each. Remember quotation marks.

questions

repetition

stage directions

comments

5. Jack gives his answers in a straightforward, matter-of-fact way, just answering questions.
What does this suggest about his attitude to his background and Lady Bracknell?

The way Jack speaks suggests:

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