Starter quiz
- Which ghost's face appears in Scrooge's door knocker before he encounters it in 'A Christmas Carol'?
- The Ghost of Christmas Past
- Marley's Ghost ✓
- The Ghost of Christmas Present
- The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come
-
- What is the opening line to the novella 'A Christmas Carol'?
- "Oh! but he was a tight-fisted hand at the grindstone!"
- "Come in man, and know me better!"
- "Once upon a time—of all the good days in the year, on Christmas Eve..."
- “A merry Christmas, uncle! God save you!' cried a cheerful voice"
- "Marley was dead: to begin with." ✓
-
- What is the purpose of Marley's Ghost's visit to Scrooge in Stave 1 of 'A Christmas Carol'?
- to show him the consequences of greed and avarice ✓
- to catch up with his old friend, whom he loved dearly
- to warn him that he will be visited by three further ghosts ✓
- to reassure him that his future looks bright
- to haunt him for being a bad friend and not mourning his death
-
- Which sentence uses the word 'privilege' correctly?
- He was tall, with dark hair and a privilege.
- She had grown up on the Upper East side - that was privilege for you! ✓
- She was fraught with privilege about how she was going to accomplish the feat.
- The house was huge, with great privileges connecting lower and middle floors.
-
- What time do the Ghost of Christmas Past and Present both visit Scrooge in 'A Christmas Carol'?
- 12 am
- 1 am ✓
- 2 am
- 3 am
-
- Match the ghosts up with one of the lessons they teach Scrooge in 'A Christmas Carol'.
- Marley's Ghost⇔the consequences of greed and avarice ✓
- The Ghost of Christmas Past⇔the importance of love and human connections ✓
- The Ghost of Christmas Present⇔the importance of joy and charity ✓
- Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come⇔the value of human life ✓
Exit quiz
- In the beginning of 'A Christmas Carol', how did Scrooge view time?
- as useless
- as a resource ✓
- as a burden
-
- Select the quotation that best shows us that Scrooge views time as a resource for making money in the beginning of 'A Christmas Carol'.
- "A poor excuse for picking a man’s pocket every twenty-fifth of December!" ✓
- "tight-fisted hand at the grindstone"
- "You're poor enough!"
- "Because you fell in love', growled Scrooge"
- "warning all human sympathy to keep its distance"
-
- In 'A Christmas Carol', why does Dickens call the last spirit the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come and not The Ghost of Christmas Future?
- The 'future' implies that our fate is sealed and unalterable. ✓
- The Victorians didn't use the word 'future'.
- Dickens felt that 'future' was too positive a word for Scrooge's fate.
-
- Match the vocabulary up to its definition.
- agent⇔someone who acts on its behalf of, or represents something ✓
- fluid⇔does not have a fixed shape or pattern - flows freely ✓
- phenomenon⇔an extraordinary, unusual or abnormal occurrence ✓
- privilege⇔a blessing or an advantage that someone has ✓
- Why is the opening line of the novella 'A Christmas Carol' significant: 'Marley was dead; to begin with.'
- It creates a dark and moody atmosphere.
- It introduces the idea that time cannot be altered.
- It sets us up to understand that time is fluid in the novella. ✓
- It challenges our perceptions of time and how it moves. ✓
- It foreshadows Scrooge's impressive transformation.
-
- What is Dickens' message about time in 'A Christmas Carol'?
- that it is a resource with which to make money
- that it is a gift that should be used productively ✓
- that it is fixed and cannot change or be altered
- that it is guaranteed to all of us so should be used appropriately
- that lots of positive change can be achieved in relatively little time ✓
-
Worksheet
Loading worksheet ...
Presentation
Loading presentation ...
Video
Lesson Details
Key learning points
- Before the spirits’ visits, Scrooge viewed time as a resource that he could use to make money.
- Scrooge learns that time is a privilege and a gift that many in society are not blessed with.
- Scrooge learns that time's fluid and that all aspects of time interact with one another to inform a person's experience.
- The spirits’ visits defy time, but all occur within the course of one evening.
- Dickens illustrates how one person's drastic change in a short space of time can vastly improve the lives of others.
Common misconception
Students think that Scrooge's visit with the Ghost of Christmas Present is limited to Christmas Day.
Scrooge's time with the spirit goes beyond Christmas Day - to the Twelfth Day of Christmas, showing how time is manipulated in the novella.
Keywords
Agent - If someone is the agent of something, it means that they act on its behalf or represent it.
Fluid - Something that is fluid does not have a fixed shape or pattern and flows freely.
Phenomenon - An extraordinary, unusual or abnormal occurrence.
Privilege - A privilege is a blessing or an advantage that someone has.
+