UNIT FIVE: "ACT III OF THE SILVER BOX"
By: JOHN GALSWORTHY
MCQs:
1. “Act III of the Silver Box” is written by:
● Oscar Wilde ● John Galsworthy ● Bertrand Russell ● Liaquat Ali Khan
2. John Galsworthy was born in
● 1966 ● 1866 ● 1867 ● 1987
3. John Galsworthy was a distinguished Novelist and:
● dramatist ● historian ● playwright ● poet
4. Galsworthy’s has made a great deal of _______on British Legal System.
● admiration ● salutation ● criticism ● humour
5. Act III of Silver Box is a powerful but bitter:
● story ● novel ● poem ● play
6. Mr. Barthwick was a _______ member of British Parliament.
● democratic ● lower house ● public ● liberal
7. Mr. Barthwick is sitting in the front row with:
● Mr. James Jones ● Roper ● Mrs. James Jones ● Police Constable
8. Mr. Livens’ sister has _______ children of her own.
● 5 ● 2 ● 10 ● 8
9. At Mr. Barthwick’s house, Thomas Marlowe works as a/an:
● gate keeper ● supervisor ● cook ● butler
10. John Barthwick lives at:
● Franklin Park ● New Castle ● Rockingham Street ● 6, Rockingham Gate
11. The name of detective in the X.B Division of the Metropolitan Police was:
● Mr. James Jones ● Roper ● Mrs. James Jones ● Robert Snow
12. The value of the silver box is:
● 5 pounds, ten shillings ● 10 pounds, ten shillings
● 5 pounds, five shillings ● 15 pounds, ten shillings
13.The name of Mrs. Jones’ husband is
● Mr. James Jones ● Mr. Roper ● Mr. Barthwick ● Mr. Jack Barthwick
14.The purse found on Mr. Jones, contained _______ pounds twelve shillings.
● six ● two ● ten ● three
MCQS OF BOARD PAPERS:
The two charges against Mr. Jones were stealing of: a silver cigarette box and an assault on police.
John Galsworthy was described by one of his contemporaries as a: humanitarian and moralist
The value of the silver cigarette box was: five pounds ten shillings
“Act III of the Silver Box” shows in the British Legal System: disparity
Mrs. Jones works at the house of: Mr. Barthwick
“Act III of the Silver Box” is a criticism of: English Legal System
Mrs. James works at the house of Mr. Barthwick as a: char woman
Jack was the son of: Mr. Barthwick
In the lesson, ‘Act III of Silver Box’, Mr. Roper was Jack’s: lawyer
The theme of the ‘Act III of Silver Box’ is: injustice
“Act III of Silver Box” is a play about: injustice
Mr. Barthwick’s son Jack stole a: purse
SHORT-ANSWER QUESTIONS:
Q: 01. What purpose, in your opinion, is served by beginning this act of the play with the case of the Livens girls, which has nothing to do with the main story?
Ans: The Livens Girls case has no direct connection with the actual story but the main purpose served by beginning this act of the play with the case of the Livens girls is to introduce poor and helpless children and the need of help for them from government and rich people. It gives foretaste to the reader of what is going to follow. What Livens were suffering had to suffer by the Jones children when their father will go to prison and mother will become unemployed. The English legal system was faulty and the poor had to put up with a lot of injustice. The magistrate thus shows little interest in the case and he hits on the expedient by sending them on remand of a week hastily.
Q: 02. Why are Mr. Barthwick and his son so anxious that as little as possible should be said in court about the purse and the money that Jones had in his possession?
Ans: Act III of Silver Box is a play about ideas and the behaviour of Society. Mr. Jack Barthwick had snatched or taken the sky-blue purse from somebody when he was drunk. Jones had later taken this purse from Mr. Barthwick’s house. So, as Mr. Barthwick is a respectable member of the society he doesn’t want this incident to be recorded and discussed in the court. This will pull the cat out of the bag. Therefore, he and his son were so anxious that as little as possible should be said in court about the purse and the money that Jones had in his possession.
Q: 03. What function is Mr. Roper discharging in the Magistrate’s court?
Ans: Mr. Roper is solicitor of Mr. Barthwick and his son. He is helping the court and magistrate to understand the situation regarding them, as they want it to be explained.
Q: 04. What facts does Marlowe’s evidence establish?
Ans: Marlow is the manservant of Mr. Barthwick. He mentioned that he had placed the silver cigarette box on the dining table at 6 Rockingham Gate, between 10:45 and 11:00 on the night of Easter Monday and when he went to remove the tray from the table on the next morning , he found the silver box missing. That time Mrs. Jones was in the room. He had reported the loss of the box to the police on Mr. Barthwick’s request.
Q: 05. From the Constable’s evidence we learn that Mrs. Jones was the first to be charged with the theft. Why was this so?
Ans: Mrs. Jones was the first to be charged with the theft because she worked as a charwoman at Mr. Barthwick’s house and she was alone in the dining room when the silver box was found missing. When constable went to her home, he found the silver box lying on the table. Mr. Jones was her husband. She looked responsible for the theft or of bringing her husband there who took the silver box thus she looked involved in the theft.
Q: 06. What led the Constable to arrest and charge Jones as well?
Ans: The constable had arrested and charged Mr. James Jones as well because when he went to arrest Mrs. Jones, he tried to make the police understand that he had taken the box and his wife was innocent which was taken as defensive act to protect his wife by police and at last Mr. Jones attacked the constable and hit him. He himself confessed that he had entered Mr. Barthwick’s house and had stolen the silver box in drunken condition.
Q: 07. Briefly give the probable reasons for the Magistrate’s decision to discharge Mrs. Jones.
Ans: Magistrate has seen plenty of life and decided a large number of cases which taught him a lesson that a good judge is expected neither to take side with the complainant nor the accused. He fully realizes that by convicting her he would bring slur upon the character of Mrs. Jones who would for that reason be thrown out of employment and after the proceedings he comes to know that there was no proof against her, she was innocent and on the other hand Mr. Barthwick didn’t want to press charge as to the box considering the poverty of the prisoners so, he decided to discharge Mrs. Jones.
Q: 08. Briefly discuss whether the Magistrate gives Jones a fair trial.
Ans: The Magistrate doesn’t give Jones a fair trial and appeared to be rather strict with Mr. James Jones. Barthwick Junior (Jack Barthwick) is implicated in the crime to some extent and he had also taken the sky-blue purse while he was drunk but evidence against him was suppressed by a liberal use of money. The magistrate is prejudiced against the lower class and therefore, sends Mr. Jones to jail and Barthwick Jr. Scott free by personifying the justice and doesn’t give Jones a fair trial. The contrast between his fate and Jack’s clearly shows us that justice has not been done.
Q: 09. Assuming that Jones has received a fair trial, why does this act of the play leave us with a feeling that injustice has been done?
Q: What does the play “ACT III of the Silver Box” leave us in a feeling of injustice? OR
Q: “Act III of the Silver Box” leaves us with a feeling that injustice has been done. Discuss. OR
Q: Why does the trial of Jones seem to be unfair in “Act III of the Silver Box”? OR
Q: Was the trial of Jones fair? State the reasons. OR
Q: Was justice done to the family of Mr. James Jones? Explain.
Ans: No, rather injustice was done to the family of Mr. James Jones. The Magistrate doesn’t give Jones a fair trial and appeared to be rather strict with Mr. James Jones. Barthwick Junior (Jack Barthwick) is implicated in the crime to some extent and he had also taken the sky-blue purse while he was drunk but evidence against him was suppressed by a liberal use of money and power by his father. The magistrate is prejudiced against the lower class and therefore, sends Mr. Jones to jail and Barthwick Jr. Scott free by personifying the justice and doesn’t give Jones a fair trial. The contrast between his fate and Jack’s clearly shows us that justice has not been done. The magistrate did not do justice.
Q: 10. What do you imagine to be the unspoken plea that Mrs. Jones makes to Mr. Barthwick at the very end?
Ans: Mrs. Jones perhaps wanted to request Mr. Barthwick to speak to the magistrate on her behalf to have her husband excused and be freed. Though it was too late but yet she tried to beg him to help her through her silent gestures.
Q: 11. Write the brief character sketch of Mrs. Jones.
Ans: ACT III of Silver box depicts very short character of Mrs. Jones mentioning the qualities that she posses.
Simple and Honest: Barthwick’s charwoman is a simple lady; she knows very little about the worldly matters as to serve the master’s family has been the only goal of her life. She has kept herself very honest throughout her services and this has helped her to continue her job at master’s house in satisfying way.
Innocent and Hardworking: The statement she gives in the court clearly shows that she was quite innocent. She had served her masters with devotion and honesty. Nothing is artificial in her statement and it is all truth. She tells innocently that she was dreadfully upset to find the silver box in her husband’s pocket.
Unfortunate and Unhappy: It is really her bad luck that her husband was not helping her in any way and she was quite unhappy in her domestic life. Such life itself had no charm in it for her.
Q: 12. Write the brief character sketch of Mr. Jones.
Ans: Mr. Jones’s character has been drawn by Galsworthy in a spirit of realism. He doesn’t point him as a hero or a great man. He is rough and fed up of the treatment he gets at the hand of society. He gets more irritated when he notices that preferential treatment was being shown to Jack, who had committed a similar crime.
As a man: As a man he shows a good deal of courage and has great regard for his own honour and good name of his wife. He loves his children and is worried about their future. He is a poor labourer and is out of employment but has his own tough and crude but upright sense of justice.
His Class: He stands for his class that the poor, hardworking laboureres are looked down upon by the society owing their poverty but are defiant and out to hold their hands unbent.
Q: 13. What is the basic theme or moral of the play “Act III of Silver Box”? OR
Q: What is the message of the play “Act III of the Silver Box”?
Ans: The condition of poor and jobless people, injustice of the English courts of the Writer’s time and the awareness that Government and rich people should step forward to help needy, poor, jobless and sufferings is the theme of the play “Act III of Silver Box.”
Q: 14. On what reasons does the magistrate appear to have been so strict and rude to Mr. Jones?
Ans: The Magistrate appears to have been so strict against Mr. Jones because of his assault to the constable, his rudeness and roughness against the accusation brought against him and for losing temper when he found that preferential treatment was meted out to Jack Barthwick.
Q: 15. What crime had Jones committed in the "ACT III of Silver Box"?
Ans: Mr. James Jones had taken the box and attacked the constable when he had tried to arrest Mrs. Jones. He himself confessed that he had entered Mr. Barthwick’s house and had stolen the silver box in drunken condition.
Q: 16. What is the role of Mr. Barthwick in the play “Act III of the Silver Box”?
Ans: Mr. Barthwick has played the role of a highly respected British parliament member. He belongs to the Liberal party. He has played the role of a powerful politician who uses his power and money for unfair means and to protect his son’s crime at every cost. At the end of the play, he doesn’t hear the silent plea of Mrs. Jones rather walks out of the court letting Jones and his family suffer a long-lasting punishment.
Q: 17. What picture has John Galsworthy presented in the "ACT III of Silver Box"?
Ans: The condition of poor and jobless people, injustice of the English courts of the Writer’s time and the awareness that Government and rich people should step forward to help needy, poor, jobless and sufferings is the picture depicted by John Galsworthy in the play “Act III of Silver Box.”