A Wagner Matinée Quizzes

A Wagner Matinée Quiz: "A Wagner Matinée"

1 Who sent Clark the letter at the start of the story?
Clark's friend

Uncle Howard

Aunt Georgiana

Clark's mother
2 Why was Aunt Georgiana coming to Boston?
She wanted to visit Clark.

She wanted to connect with some former colleagues at the Boston Conservatory.

She had been left a legacy by a bachelor relative and had to settle the estate.

She wanted to get away from Nebraska for a little while.
3 When was Aunt Georgiana due to arrive?
The very next day

Two weeks from when Clark received the letter

The day prior

In one year
4 How does Uncle Howard's letter make Clark feel?
Overcome by memories

Angry

Sad

Excited
5 How did Aunt Georgiana travel from Nebraska to Boston?
Boat

Day coach

Plane

Horse-drawn wagon
6 What happened to Aunt Georgiana on the train ride?
She made friends with a fellow passenger.

She decided to not return to Nebraska.

She fell asleep and missed her stop.

Her clothes became black with soot and dust.
7 What did Aunt Georgiana do immediately upon arriving at Clark's boarding house?
Take a nap

Ask him about his life in Boston

Cry

Listen to music
8 What had been Aunt Georgiana's occupation before marriage?
A conductor at the Boston Symphony Orchestra

A dressmaker

A farmhand in Nebraska

A music teacher at the Boston Conservatory
9 Where did Aunt Georgiana first meet Howard Carpenter?
In Nebraska

In a village in the Green Mountains, Vermont

In the audience of the Boston Symphony Orchestra

At the Boston Conservatory
10 How does Clark describe the love between Aunt Georgiana and Uncle Howard?
Regretful

Inspiring

Star-crossed

Inexplicable
11 Where did Aunt Howard buy a homestead?
Douglas County, Nebraska

Fenway, Boston

Red Willow County, Nebraska

The Green Mountains, Vermont
12 How long had Aunt Georgiana lived on the Nebraska homestead before visiting Clark in Boston?
One year

A decade

Five years

Thirty years
13 What does Clark consider the most striking aspect of his aunt's appearance?
The poor quality of her dress

Her ill-fitting false teeth

The disorder that caused the twitching of her eyebrows and mouth

Her yellow skin
14 How did Clark feel about his aunt as a boy?
Reverential and affectionate

Friendly

Disgusted and afraid

Resentful
15 What did Aunt Georgiana teach Clark as a boy on the Nebraska prairie?
Music scales and exercises

How to play an accordian

How to husk corn

How to cook
16 How did Aunt Georgiana feel about religion?
She adopted the religion of her husband.

She hated religion.

She was pious and martyr-like.

She grew up religious but didn't pay it much mind.
17 What outing did Clark plan for Aunt Georgiana's visit?
A matinée performance of the Boston Symphony Orchestra

A tour of the Boston Conservatory

A walk on the Boston Common

A fine meal at a restaurant
18 What was Aunt Georgiana preoccupied with when she arrived in Boston?
Anticipation about being back in Boston

Eagerness to hear about Clark's studies

Concern over the estate she was in Boston to settle

Concern over the chores she had left behind in Nebraska
19 What was Clark afraid of as he and his aunt entered the concert hall?
She would embarrass him.

He had wasted his money.

She would feel embarrassed or out of place.

She would hate the music.
20 Who was in the audience at the concert hall?
Mostly women in beautiful dresses

A mix of ages, races, and professions

Mostly Conservatory students

Mostly families with young children
21 What was Aunt Georgiana's physical reaction when the concert started?
She began to cry.

She clutched Clark's coat sleeve.

She got up and left.

She closed her eyes.
22 What did Clark think about during the concert?
He was grateful for his music studies.

He watched his aunt, trying to deduce her feelings.

He remembered his childhood.

He was overcome with emotion himself.
23 What did Aunt Georgiana do with her hands as the concert continued?
Smoothed her hair

Played a phantom piano

Held Clark's hands

Knotted them in her lap
24 When did Aunt Georgiana begin crying?
When the concert ended

During the prelude to Tristan and Isolde

During the second half of the concert

During the "Prize Song"
25 What did Clark learn about his aunt by the end of the concert?
She hated music now.

She missed him very much.

She loved her life in Nebraska.

She did not wish to return to Nebraska.

Study Guide for A Wagner Matinée

A Wagner Matinée study guide contains a biography of Willa Cather, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

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A Wagner Matinée

by Willa Cather

A Wagner Matinée Quiz: "A Wagner Matinée"

A Wagner Matinée Questions and Answers

Study Guide for A Wagner Matinée

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