A Christmas Carol Close Read Questions
Questions for Page 401
1. What mood is created by lines 1-6? Provide textual evidence to support your claim.
2. What do the stage directions on this page reveal about the mood the play write wants to create?
Questions for Page 402
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
What main conflict is revealed in this scene?
How does Scrooge feel about Christmas? Provide textual evidence to support your claim.
What is Fred’s feeling about Christmas? Provide textual evidence to support your claim.
How does Scrooge react to Fred’s invitation to dinner?
Why is Scrooge disgusted with Christmas?
Draw a graphical representation of the difference in attitudes towards Christmas of Scrooge and Fred.
Questions for Page 404
9. Why does Scrooge feel justified in turning down the Gentleman Visitor’s request for a donation? Provide
textual evidence to support your claim.
10. Which character (Gentleman Visitor or Scrooge) makes a more convincing argument about the situation
of the poor?
11. What message or theme does the dialogue between the Gentleman Visitor and Scrooge suggest?
12. Reread lines 133-134. What does Scrooge mean in these lines?
Questions for Page 406
13. Why do you think the image of Marley appears to Scrooge?
14. Reread lines 44-52. What does Scrooge’s refusal to give his servants money at Christmas reveal about
his priorities?
15. What does Marley’s chain symbolize?
16. What events are foreshadowed by Marley’s message? ( lines 115-129)
17. In what way is Marley being punished?
18. Who, besides Marley, is going to visit Scrooge? When will they visit? (This question will have two
answers.)
19. How does Scrooge react to Marley’s message?
A Christmas Carol Close Read Questions
Questions for Page 409
20. What feelings do you have by reading the description of the little girl with her doll?
21. Is the little girl a sign of hope or despair? Explain your answer.
22. What is confusing about the chiming of the clock to Scrooge? What might this suggest about the
sequence of events to come? (This question will have two answers.)
Questions for Page 410
23. What does Child Scrooge’s choice of reading material reveal about his character?
24. In what ways are young and old characteristics of Scrooge the same? In what ways are they different?
Questions for Page 412
25. Reread lines 67-74. What did money replace in Scrooge’s life?
26. How does Scrooge feel about seeing Fezziwig? Explain.
Questions for Page 413
27. Reread lines 161-176. How does Scrooge’s life change when he chooses money over love?
28. Do you think he would make the same decision again? Explain your answer.
Questions for Page 414
29. If you were Scrooge, would you view a trip into the present more or less frightening than a trip to the
past? Why?
30. What is the significance of the funeral procession of children from the poorhouse following the coffin of
a child?
Question for Page 417
31. In what way are these children (in the scene) a further extension from the children of the funeral
procession?
Questions for Page 418
32. Why does the Spirit of Christmas Yet to Come have no physical features?
33. What does Charwoman mean when she says that Scrooge “ain’t been alive in deed for half his life”?
Question for Page 421
34. What does Scrooge learn about Tiny Tim in this visit to the future? How does Scrooge react? (This
question will have two answers.)
Questions for Page 422
35. Has Scrooge come to understand the true spirit of Christmas? Explain.
36. Describe the changes in Scrooges behavior.
37. What important lessons did Scrooge learn from each of the spirits? (This question will have three
answers.)
Question for Page 424
38. Reread lines 74-92. What has become more important than money to Scrooge?