Question

Answer briefly the questions that the passage follows:

Morell:	(thoughtfully) Hm! Time for him to take another look at Candida before she grows out of his knowledge. (He resigns himself to the inevitable, and goes out). Lexy looks after him with beaming worship. Miss Garnett, not being able to shake Lexy, relieves her feelings by worrying the typewriter.
Lexy:	What a good man! What a thorough loving soul he is! (He takes Morell’s place at the table, making himself very comfortable as he takes out a cigaret).
Proserpine:	(impatiently, pulling the letter she has been working at off the typewriter and folding it) Oh, a man ought to be able to be fond of his wife without making a fool of himself about her.
Lexy:	(shocked) Oh, Miss Prossy!

1. Who is Morell talking about? How does he react when he gets to know about the arrival of this person?     [1]
2. What advice has Morell given Lexy about marriage?     [2]
3. What does Proserpine say further to express her displeasure?     [2]
4. When Lexy expresses unhappiness at Proserpine’s feelings against Candida, how does Prossy defend herself?     [2]
5. Judging by Lexy’s disbelief, how does Proserpine condemn men’s ideas about women?     [2]
6. How does Lexy voice his regret then?     [1]

Answer 1

1. Morell is talking about Eugene Marchbanks. Morell reacts with thoughtful resignation and hospitality; he believes it is time for Eugene to see Candida again before she changes too much, accepting the visit as “inevitable.”
2. Morell has advised Lexy that a man should not marry until he finds a woman who is a “revelation” to him. He suggests that marriage should be based on a deep, spiritual, and intellectual connection rather than mere social convention.
3. Proserpine (Miss Prossy) expresses her irritation by stating that a man ought to be fond of his wife without making a “fool” of himself. She finds Morell’s outward displays of affection and constant talk about Candida to be overly sentimental and unprofessional.
4. When Lexy is shocked by her lack of enthusiasm for Candida, Prossy defends herself by pointing out that she is tired of hearing Candida’s name constantly. She implies that while Candida may be a good woman, the idolization of her by every man in the house is exhausting and repetitive.
5. Proserpine condemns men by suggesting they are easily fooled by a “good” woman’s charms. She believes men like Lexy and Morell are blind to reality because they wrap women in idealistic, sentimental notions, failing to see them as ordinary human beings with flaws.
6. Lexy voices his regret by sighing and remarking on how much Prossy has changed, or by lamenting that her cynical attitude prevents her from appreciating the “loving soul” and goodness that Morell embodies.