Comparing and Contrasting Two Versions of The War of the Worlds — Unit test
Question 11 • DBN LA 8-CR
Read the excerpt from Act I of The Importance of Being Earnest.Algernon. Well, we might trot round to the Empire at ten?Jack. Oh, no! I can’t bear looking at things. It is so silly.Algernon. Well, what shall we do?Jack. Nothing!Algernon. It is awfully hard work doing nothing. However, I don’t mind hard work where there is no definite object of any kind.
Answer
A
It causes the reader to think about the multiple meanings of the word bear in the play.
B
It causes the reader to think about how doing nothing should be easy, but in fact can be quite hard.
C
It causes the reader to realize that doing nothing is never hard work and that Algernon is wrong.
D
It causes the reader to realize that Jack thinks doing something is always better than doing nothing.
Explanation
Algernon says that “doing nothing” is hard work, which is a playful contradiction: people usually expect doing nothing to be easy. His next remark adds to the joke by saying he does not mind hard work when it has no definite purpose. The dialogue draws attention to the idea that doing nothing can be surprisingly difficult, matching choice B.
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