Short Story: Next Term, We'll Mash You

Which of the following sentences could not be a statement of this story's theme?

A tough school is the building ground for a strong character.

What is the most important characteristic that Charles' parents look for when choosing a school for him?

An upper-class image or atmosphere

What are Charles's feelings as he rides away from the school at the end of the story?

Dread of returning

What attitude does the headmaster seem to take toward the students?

He views them as annoying nuisances.

Which of the following items is not one of the subjects of this story?

The sportsmanlike values of the cricket field

The basic situation of this story is —

a boy's parents taking him to investigate a school where he might go

Author Penelope Lively first shows the reader that the school is not as fine as it pretends to be when she —

describes "inky tables," "rungless chairs," and a "mangy carpet"

The description of the headmaster is ironic because —

he is really condescending

Margaret Spokes, the headmaster's wife, can be described in one word: —

proper

At the high point of the plot, the title of the story —

suggests Charles's miserable fate at the school