Mission Possible: Dickens & A Christmas Carol
an Internet Treasure Hunt on A Christmas Carol
Introduction | The Questions | Internet Resources
Introduction
Your mission is to gather information about the operative, Charles Dickens. Complete your dossier
with vital information on the history of the man and his times. Investigate the further reaches of
cyberspace. Below is a list of questions about Dickens and London in the mid 1800's. Dispatched
teams will rendezvous to surf the Internet links on this page to find answers to the questions. The Big
Question will be answered after the class reading of the novel.
This site will not self destruct in 5 seconds, but your grade may if you do not achieve your mission.
Good luck!
I have endeavoured in this hyper-quest to raise your level of understanding of the life and works of
Dickens and his times.
Questions
1. Describe Dickens's home: How many floors? How many main rooms? When did Dickens live
here?
2. When was the author born? What happened to his father that drastically changes Charles's
life? What was young Dickens first job? Age? What two writing professions did he have before
becoming a novelist? What was his wife's name? How many children did he have? When did
he die? Were his burial wishes fulfilled? (explain)
3. Describe, sketch, or print samples of the clothing for a lady and a gentleman. (Hint: You could
also check library books and photocopy samples of English ladies or gentlemen.)
4. Make a chart of 19th century currency. How many shillings in a pound? How many shillings in
a crown? How many pence in a shilling?
5. Create a currency chart showing the conversion from Great Britain pounds (GBP) to American
dollars. Include various amounts of money.
6. Choose a dollar amount for an item that you might buy (perhaps a CD?). Convert most current
year's money into an 1843 value. Can you convert these amounts to British pounds? How
much would 15 shillings in 1843 be worth today? How much is 1/2 crown worth today?
(Perhaps special agent Dangleis could help you on this one!)
7. Investigate and record 2 or 3 jobs. How much salary was earned for each job? Investigate and
record costs of 2 or 3 items in 1850, 1863, or 1906.
8. When did Dickens write A Christmas Carol? List 3 important world events that occurred
during Dickens's lifetime. Choose 2 important inventions. List one important person from each
category: Writer, Music, Art.
9. What kinds of jobs did the working poor, like Bob Cratchit, have? Describe the economic
growth of the Victoran Age.
10. What is one tradition of plum pudding? Since the 1700's, when is plum pudding usually
served? What 'things' are baked in it? Why?
11. What Christmas traditions began in the 1800's? Are these still popular? What was Tiny Tim's
sickness? Why do you think he was sick?
12. On the map, locate the following places: Bedlam, Royal Exchange, Camden Town. Highlight
these on your dossier map (the one in your packet). Identify them by attaching small labels that
describe what these places are.
13. Who was the sole illustrator of A Christmas Carol? What is an illustrator? Print one illustration
for your dossier.
14. Obtain a 'photo' of the author for your dossier.
The Internet Resources
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The Dickens Museum
The Life of Dickens
Victorian Fashion
English Currency System
The Universal Currency Converter
The Inflation Calculator
Costs & Wages in Great Britain
A Victorian Timeline
A Brief History of Dickens's London
Plum Pudding
Dickens and Christmas
Dickens London Map
A Christmas Carol (Illustrations)
Dickens in Various Ages
The Big Question
How does the story of A Christmas Carol reflect the beliefs of Dickens and the social system of his
day?