AP Prep Work: Due 10/25/13
Read “A Cup of Tea” by Katherine Mansfield, p. 1102-1113.
Answer all questions posed in the margins during the reading. (A-G)
Answer all questions on page 1113.
Diction Analysis: Write a paragraph or two. How does the author’s use of diction develop
Rosemary’s complexity as a character?
5. Figurative Language Analysis: Write a paragraph or two. Explore the symbolism of a cup
of tea throughout the story. What does a cup of tea mean to different characters at
different moments? How then, does the title relate to the story as a whole?
6. Making Inferences: Write a paragraph or two. When the young woman bursts into tears,
it is a “terrible and fascinating moment” for Rosemary. Why? What does this reveal
about Rosemary as a character? What does it reveal about the setting?
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7. Read “The Duchess and the Jeweler” by Virginia Woolf, p. 1114-1125.
8. Answer all questions posed in the margins during the reading. (A-G)
9. Answer all questions on page 1125.
10. Making Inferences: Write a paragraph or two. Does Oliver succeed in the jewelry
business by strictly legitimate means? Cite evidence and explain your interpretation.
Lines 15-39 will be helpful.
11. The Effects of Diction: Identify words used in lines 57-65 that give the reader a strong
sense of the character’s thoughts. Explain the effect they have on character development.
12. The Effects of Diction: Identify concrete words and phrases used in lines 57-65. Explain
the effect they have on the reader.
13. The Effects of Diction: Identify series of parallel phrases used in lines 57-65. Explain the
effect this has on the reader.
14. Figurative Language Analysis: When Oliver pores over the jewels in his safe (lines 8489), he exclaims, “Tears!...Heart’s blood!...Gunpowder!” What do Oliver’s exclamations--and choice of metaphors---reveal about his feelings or psychological state?
15. Tone Analysis: What can be inferred about Woolf’s attitude toward the British class
system in general and her attitude toward aristocrats such as the Duchess in particular?
Cite evidence and explain your interpretation.
16. Complete the Vocabulary in Context activities on page 1126.