The chapter unfolds in a rural French setting located in Saint-Agathe in the late 19th century. The narrator, later identified as Francois, recalls his life at a village schoolhouse where his parents were teachers. It's a tranquil life set in a large, red.......
The Boarder - Oxford Reading Circle - Class 8 - English
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Back Questions - The Boarder | Oxford Reading Circle | Literature | English | Class 8
Find two similes in the passage and explain what they are describing.
1. “...like an upturned nest in the fold of her right arm.” The simile compares the hat that the woman was holding tightly to her chest to an upturned nest. It implies that she is holding it carefully and protectively.
2. “...like a bereft and haggard mother hen that had lost a wayward chick from her brood.” The way the woman behaves when she talks about her son is compared to a mother hen who lost her chick. This simile illustrates her worry and sorrow as she is telling her story.
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Find evidence in the text that tells us that Francois is now an adult looking back at his childhood and adolescence.
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Sign up nowLook at the descriptions of Francois’s mother. In your own words, write a brief character sketch. You may use quotes to support your points.
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Sign up nowHow old was Francois
a. When he moved into the house and
b. when the boarder arrived?
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Sign up nowWho is ‘The boarder’? What do you notice about him when he is introduced by the author and when he arrives?
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Sign up nowFind evidence in the passage to show that Francois might have been a bit bored before the arrival of the boarder?
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Sign up nowWhat happened to the boarder’s brother?
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Sign up nowWhat comparison is used to describe the boarder’s mother?
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Sign up nowWhat evidence in the passage creates an air of foreboding about the boarder’s arrival?
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Sign up nowIn what ways does the boarder change Francois’s life? What other change in Francois makes him able to join in with the boarder?
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Sign up nowLook at the final paragraph and explain what impressions the writer’s description (including the metaphor) creates.
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Sign up nowNow she spoke of her son in admiring terms which greatly impressed us.
a. Who is being described here, and who is ‘she’ talking about?
b. What was it that ‘greatly impressed’ them?
c. Where should her son be, and where is he?
d. How is her son different from Francois?
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Sign up nowThat was the way we often passed our Sundays in winter.
a. What do Francois, his mother and his father do on Sundays in winter?
b. Where else in the text do we get the impression that Francois is not as close to his mother as he is to his father?
c. Apart from the arrival of The Boarder, what does Fracois remember about ‘that particular Sunday’?
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Sign up nowExtra Questions - The Boarder | Oxford Reading Circle | Literature | English | Class 8
Someone came down, walked through the kitchen, appeared in the doorway of the dining-room, and stood there in the dusk.
Someone came down, walked through the kitchen, appeared in the doorway of the dining-room, and stood there in the dusk.
a. Who is this ‘someone’?
b. How is their entrance described in the text? What atmosphere does this create?
c. How do the characters in the room react to their arrival?
a. The ‘someone’ is a tall youth, about seventeen years old, referred to as Augustin.
b. Their entrance is described in a rather dramatic and mysterious way. They are referred to vaguely as "someone", and their movements through the house are cautiously described, painting a picture of an ambiguous yet notable figure. This person only becomes known once they are in the doorway of the dining room, and even then, they only stand there in the dusk. This creates an atmosphere of mystery, intrigue and suspense, emphasised by the fact that their identity is only revealed by their voice, not by their appearance.
c. Upon the character’s arrival, everyone in the room is startled and apprehensive. Millie, the narrator's mother, hears the noise and thinks it's her son, François, who has come home. When the mysterious person appears in the doorway, they are met with silence and anxious anticipation from the room's occupants. All three of them are on their feet, with beating hearts. The characters react with a sense of suspense and uncertainty, indicative of the mysterious nature of the newcomer's entrance.
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“He held out a little wheel of blackened wood wound about with frayed fuses – the ‘sun’ or perhaps the ‘moon’ of last July’s display.”
a. What does this object symbolize in the story?
b. How does Francois react to Meaulne's show and tell?
c. What does this interaction tell us about the relationship between Meaulnes and Francois?
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Sign up nowWhat are some of the daily routines described in the story, and how do they reflect the characters’ way of life?
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Sign up nowQuiz - The Boarder | Oxford Reading Circle | Class 8 Literature | English
About the Author - The Boarder | Oxford Reading Circle | Class 8 Literature | English
Alain-Fournier, whose real name was Henri-Alban Fournier, was a French author known for his single, stand-out novel ‘Le Grand Meaulnes’ (1913), which has been translated into English variously as ‘The Lost Estate’ and ‘The Wanderer’. Born on October 3, 1886, in La Chapelle-d'Angillon, France, he studied at the École Alsacienne in Paris, where he met the love of his life, Yvonne de Quiévrecourt, who inspired his famous novel. His writing often reflected themes of lost innocence and nostalgia for childhood. Alain-Fournier’s promising literary career was cut short when he was killed in action during World War I in 1914 at the age of 27. Despite his brief career, his influence on French literature is significant, and his novel is considered a classic.
Summary - The Boarder | Oxford Reading Circle | Class 8 Literature | English
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Themes - The Boarder | Oxford Reading Circle | Class 8 Literature | English
1. The End of Innocence and the Advent of Adolescence: Francois's tranquil and solitary life takes a dramatic turn with the arrival of Augustin Meaulnes. This turning point symbolizes the end of his innocent childhood and the.....
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Unlock now 🔓Plot - The Boarder | Oxford Reading Circle | Class 8 Literature | English
1. Introduction and Setting the Scene: The chapter begins with the narrator, Francois, describing his life in a rural French schoolhouse where his.....
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Unlock now 🔓Important Lines - The Boarder | Oxford Reading Circle | Class 8 Literature | English
1. "We lived in the apartments of the upper school of Saint-Agathe." This line sets the stage for the story, providing the readers with a location and context.
2. "Such is the simple description .......
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Unlock now 🔓Vocabulary - The Boarder | Oxford Reading Circle | Class 8 Literature | English
Saint-Agathe: (pronounced sahnt agat) an area in France
Saint-Agathe is a beautiful area in France.Seurel: pronounced: sur-el
The correct pronunciation of Seurel is sur-el.
Commune: the smallest French territorial division for administrative purposes
A commune is .........................
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