Oliver Asks for More Extract-Based Questions

Read the extracts given below and answer the questions.

Passage 1

(i) Who lived in the workhouse?

Ans. Poor people who had no money and nowhere to live, lived in the workhouse.

(ii) How were the babies born in workhouse named?

Ans. Babies born in the workhouse were named in alphabetical order from A to Z by the workhouse
authorities. The baby before Oliver was named Swubble and the baby after Oliver would be named Unwire.

(iii) Who was present in the room where Oliver was born?
Ans. Oliver’s mother, a doctor, and an old woman were present in the room where Oliver was born.
(iv) The baby’s mother wished for two things. What were they?
Ans. The baby’s mother wished for two things. Her wishes are-
 To see her child (Oliver).
 To die after seeing him.
The doctor reacted to the mother’s wish to die by saying, “Oh, you mustn’t talk about dying yet.” H

(v) How did the doctor react to one of the wishes?

Ans He tried to reassure her and offer hope for her recovery.

Passage 2

(i) Who is ‘she’ referred to in the first line? What wish had she expressed earlier?
Ans. “She” refers to Oliver’s mother. Her wish was to see the child before she died.
(ii) After kissing the baby the woman fell back. What happened to her? What do the words ‘Poor dear’
indicate?
Ans. Oliver’s mother died after kissing her baby. The old woman said the words “Poor dear” indicating
sadness and sympathy for the young woman’s tragic situation
.
(iii) What was the doctor told about the baby’s mother?
Ans. The doctor was told that the mother was brought to the workhouse the night before. She was lying in the
street and had walked a long way.

(iv) Looking at the dead woman’s ringless hand, what did the doctor conclude?
Ans. The doctor concluded that the woman wasn’t married because she had no ring on her finger.
(v) What did the old woman do when the doctor had gone home for dinner?
Ans. After the doctor had gone home for dinner, the old woman dressed the baby in the old clothes used for
workhouse babies.

Passage 3

(i) What were the organisers of the workhouse not able to find out?
Ans. The workers at the workhouse couldn’t find out Oliver’s parents’ identities.
(ii) Who was Mr. Bumble? What did he do for the baby?
Ans. Mr. Bumble was an important officer in the town. He took it upon himself to name the baby. He named
him Oliver Twist.
(iii) Who are ‘we’ mentioned in the passage? How did ‘we’ name new babies?
Ans. “We” refers to the people in charge of naming the workhouse babies, likely officials like Mr. Bumble.
They named the babies in order from A to Z.

(iv) How did Oliver look at the age of nine? Why did he look thin and pale?
Ans. At nine, Oliver was a “pale, thin child.” This suggests he wasn’t healthy. The lack of proper nourishment
and warmth led to his thinness and paleness.

(v) What was the usual food of workhouse boys? What special thing was given to them on Sundays?
Ans. The usual food of the workhouse boys was a bowl of thin soup thrice a day. This suggests a very meager
diet. On Sundays, they received a slight improvement – a “small piece of bread,” which might have been a
special treat compared to their everyday meals.

Passage 4

(i) Why did the master hit Oliver with his spoon?
Ans. Oliver asked for more food and the master reacted harshly, hitting him with the spoon as punishment for
his “daring” request.

(ii) Whom did he call for help? What did that person do?
Ans. The master called for Mr Bumble. Mr. Bumble is an official at the workhouse. He rushed into the room
after being called and was informed about Oliver’s request for more food.

(iii) “He asked for more?” In which tone is this sentence spoken? Why?
Ans. Mr. Bumble’s question, “He asked for more?”, is likely spoken in a tone of disbelief, shock, and possibly
even anger. He finds it outrageous that Oliver dared to ask for more food.

(iv) What did the notice on the gate of the workhouse say?
Ans. The notice offered five pounds to anybody who would take Oliver Twist. This suggests they wanted to
get rid of Oliver and were willing to even pay someone to take him away.
(v) What impression do you form of the working of the workhouse?
Ans. The workhouse seems like a cruel and harsh place. Punishing a nine-year old child for asking for more
food, the disbelief at such a request, and offering money to get rid of a child all point towards a system that
prioritizes control and cost-efficiency over the well-being of the children.

Passage 5
‘ (i) Who is ‘he’ referred to in the first line?
Ans. Here, “he” refers to the doctor.

(ii) What does the absence of ring on the finger show?

Ans. The absence of a ring suggests that the woman wasn’t married.

(iii) When ‘he’ had gone home, what did the old woman do?
Ans. After the doctor had left, the old woman cared for the newborn baby and dressed him in old clothes.
(iv) The newly born baby was dressed in ………… .

Ans. The newly born baby was dressed in very old clothes used for babies who were born in the workhouse.
This implies the workhouse provided basic necessities but didn’t have anything new or special for the children.

(v) What light does the last line throw on the society of that time?
Ans. The last line suggests a cold and uncaring society. It paints a picture of a place where orphans, especially
those born into poverty, received little to no love or compassion.
Passage 6
(i) What had Oliver done that he was put in prison?
Ans. Oliver was put in a dark room because he dared to ask for more soup.

(ii) Why did Mr. Bumble beat Oliver in front of everybody?

Ans. Mr. Bumble beat Oliver in front of everybody as a punishment for requesting more food. He also wanted
to set an example and deter others from doing the same.
(iii) Why could Oliver not sleep at night?

Ans. Oliver couldn’t sleep at night because he felt cold, lonely and frightened. The experience of being locked
up and beaten must have been terrifying for a young child.
(iv) How did Mr Sowerberry earn money for a living?

Ans. Mr. Sowerberry earned his living by making coffins.

(v) What information did Mr Sowerberry give to Mr. Bumble?

Ans. Mr. Sowerberry had prepared coffins for two women who died in the workhouse. This is just informing
Mr. Bumble about his recent work related to the workhouse.

Passage 7

(i) Where were the boys fed?

Ans. The boys were fed in a big hall.
(ii) How was the soup served?
Ans. The soup was served by the master from a large pot at one end of the room.
(iii) How much soup did each boy receive?
Ans. Each boy received one small bowl of soup and no more.
(iv) Why didn’t the bowls need washing?
Ans. The bowls didn’t need washing because the boys cleaned them with their spoons until they shone. This
implies the boys were very hungry and likely scraped every bit of soup from the bowls.

(v) What decision did Oliver and his friends make?

Ans. Oliver and his friends decided that one boy would walk up to the master after supper and ask for more
soup. They chose Oliver for this task.

Passage 8

(i) What were the boys doing after the soup was served?
Ans. The boys were whispering and making signs to Oliver, encouraging him to do something.
(ii) What did Oliver do with his bowl and spoon?
Ans. Oliver stood up from the table and went to the master with his bowl and spoon in his hands.
(iii) What did Oliver say to the master?
Ans. Oliver politely addressed the master with “Please, sir,” and then directly stated his request, “I want some
more.”
(iv) Were the boys well-fed?
Ans. The boys at the workhouse were not well-fed. The soup “disappeared quickly,” implying the boys
received a small portion that wasn’t enough.

(v) What can you infer about the atmosphere at dinner time?
Ans. The boys’ secretive whispers and signs, combined with Oliver’s act of asking for more, suggest a tense
atmosphere where the boys were likely hungry and possibly fearful of asking for more food.