Question
an excerpt from The Crowded House
By Eva Jacob
Characters
Father
Mother
Bartholomew
Tom
Granny
Joseph
Molly
Joan
Meg
Willy
Mary Ann
Martin
Scene 1
SETTING: The only room of John the Carpenter’s cottage.
AT RISE: Everyone is busy and the room crowded. Upstage center, GRANNY is rolling out a pie crust. To left of center stage, MARY ANN is churning butter. Downstage left, MOTHER and MOLLY are winding wool; MOLLY holds the skein while MOTHER winds. Downstage center sits MEG, surrounded by her dolls; she is pouring tea for them out of an imaginary teapot. Downstage right, TOM and JOSEPH are sorting apples from one basket into two others. At right of stage, FATHER is hammering nails into a table he is making; at rise, he gives a few actual hammer blows, then pantomimes, once others start talking. At center of stage, MARTIN and WILLY are playing “wheelbarrow”; MARTIN walks on his hands while WILLY holds his ankles. JOAN is trying to sweep the floor. Throughout the entire scene, the characters pantomime to each other, as if to say: “You’re in my way. Please move aside.”
MEG: (rescuing her dolls, as MARTIN and WILLY'S wheelbarrow approaches) Oh me, oh my! I wish we weren’t so crowded!
WILLY: So do I! There’s not even room for the mice in this house. (MARTIN pads toward butter churn, WILLY following.)
MARY ANN: Shoo, Willy! Martin – scat! How can I churn my butter? (MARTIN pads toward FATHER, WILLY following.)
GRANNY:(Turning around) Mary Ann! Your churn is in my way (GRANNY and MARY ANN gesture protestingly at each other.)
FATHER:(To MARTIN and WILLY) Children, don’t play here. There isn’t any room.
JOAN:(Pausing with broom in front of apple baskets) Joseph! Tom! Please move aside. How can I sweep? (BOYS carrying baskets move angrily toward MEG.)
MEG:(Again rescuing dolls) No, Tom, you mustn’t sit here. You’re right in the middle of my tea party! (MEG, TOM, and JOSEPH pantomime a quarrel. Others all begin talking at once.)
ALL: You’re in my way. Please move over. How can I work? There’s no room in this house! Why must we be so crowded?
FATHER:(At the top of his lungs) Quiet! Be still! (Others are silent. FATHER clutches his head.) Oh my ears and shoe buttons! All this noise! You’ll drive me out of my wits! (A knock is heard at door left.)
MOTHER: Husband, I hear a knock at the door. (Knock is repeated.)
FATHER: Aye, good wife. I hear it. (Loudly) Come in.
BARTHOLOMEW: (Entering. Leans on his staff and bows) Good day to you, my friends.
GRANNY: Why, ‘tis Wise Bartholomew himself!
BARTHOLOMEW: (Bowing again) None other.
MOLLY: Have you come to visit us, good Bartholomew?
BARTHOLOMEW: Nay, my child. I was on my way to the forest, but I heard such a shouting and wailing in this house that I thought there must be some trouble.
MOTHER: (Wiping her eyes with her apron) Alas, good Bartholomew, we have trouble enough and more.
FATHER: We lead a miserable life.
BARTHOLOMEW: Dear me! But what is the matter?
MEG: We’re so crowded.
JOSEPH: We don’t have any room at all.
ALL: He’s in my way. She won’t give me any room. How can I work?
BARTHOLOMEW: (Raising his hand for silence) Say no more. By all the gray hairs in my long gray beard, you really do have a problem.
FATHER: Dear Bartholomew, you are the wisest man in all the village. Can’t you think of some way to help us?
OTHERS: Yes, please help us. There must be some way. Help us.
BARTHOLOMEW: (Again raising his hand for silence) Perhaps I can help you. Tell me this, friend John – do you own any animals?
FATHER: Animals? Yes, we have some animals. We have a goat, six chickens, and a donkey out in the barnyard.
BARTHOLOMEW: A goat, six chickens, and a donkey, you say. Ah, excellent. Fine. Very good. Now I’ll tell you what to do.
ALL: Yes, tell us, good Bartholomew. What must we do?
BARTHOLOMEW: (Raising hand for silence) John, you must go out to the barnyard and fetch your goat. Bring him into this room to live with you.
FATHER: What? A goat in this room?
GRANNY: I never heard of such a thing! (Others pantomime surprise).
BARTHOLOMEW: Do as I say, or go your own way. Fiddle-dee-dum, Fiddledee-dee, that’s all the advice you’ll hear from me. (Turns, as if to go)
MOTHER: Please don’t go away, wise Bartholomew. We’ll do as you say.
OTHERS: Yes, we’ll obey. We’ll get the goat.
BARTHOLOMEW: Very well. In seven days and seven nights, I shall come again, to see how you are faring. Good day, my friends. (Exits)
FATHER: I suppose I’d better fetch the goat. (Exits)
MOTHER: A goat in this room!
FATHER: (From offstage) Watch out, everybody! Clear the way. Here comes the goat! (ALL gather up their possessions, prepare to dodge, crying: Ooooh! Watch out! The goat!” etc. GOAT rushes onstage, heading straight for TOM and JOSEPH, who run out of the GOAT’S path. FATHER tries to hold GOAT back by rope, but is pulled along instead.)
ALL: (As GOAT charges around the stage) Help! Watch out! He’s coming this way! Help!
MOTHER: (Clutching head) Oh, dear! Oh, dear! I very much fear that inviting this goat was a bad idea!
MARY ANN: Old Bartholomew is the wisest man in the village. His advice must be good.
Question
Directions: Read "The Crowded House" and answer the question.
Which word best describes Father's character?
Responses
unreliable
unreliable
irresponsible
irresponsible
confident
confident
authoritative
authoritative
By Eva Jacob
Characters
Father
Mother
Bartholomew
Tom
Granny
Joseph
Molly
Joan
Meg
Willy
Mary Ann
Martin
Scene 1
SETTING: The only room of John the Carpenter’s cottage.
AT RISE: Everyone is busy and the room crowded. Upstage center, GRANNY is rolling out a pie crust. To left of center stage, MARY ANN is churning butter. Downstage left, MOTHER and MOLLY are winding wool; MOLLY holds the skein while MOTHER winds. Downstage center sits MEG, surrounded by her dolls; she is pouring tea for them out of an imaginary teapot. Downstage right, TOM and JOSEPH are sorting apples from one basket into two others. At right of stage, FATHER is hammering nails into a table he is making; at rise, he gives a few actual hammer blows, then pantomimes, once others start talking. At center of stage, MARTIN and WILLY are playing “wheelbarrow”; MARTIN walks on his hands while WILLY holds his ankles. JOAN is trying to sweep the floor. Throughout the entire scene, the characters pantomime to each other, as if to say: “You’re in my way. Please move aside.”
MEG: (rescuing her dolls, as MARTIN and WILLY'S wheelbarrow approaches) Oh me, oh my! I wish we weren’t so crowded!
WILLY: So do I! There’s not even room for the mice in this house. (MARTIN pads toward butter churn, WILLY following.)
MARY ANN: Shoo, Willy! Martin – scat! How can I churn my butter? (MARTIN pads toward FATHER, WILLY following.)
GRANNY:(Turning around) Mary Ann! Your churn is in my way (GRANNY and MARY ANN gesture protestingly at each other.)
FATHER:(To MARTIN and WILLY) Children, don’t play here. There isn’t any room.
JOAN:(Pausing with broom in front of apple baskets) Joseph! Tom! Please move aside. How can I sweep? (BOYS carrying baskets move angrily toward MEG.)
MEG:(Again rescuing dolls) No, Tom, you mustn’t sit here. You’re right in the middle of my tea party! (MEG, TOM, and JOSEPH pantomime a quarrel. Others all begin talking at once.)
ALL: You’re in my way. Please move over. How can I work? There’s no room in this house! Why must we be so crowded?
FATHER:(At the top of his lungs) Quiet! Be still! (Others are silent. FATHER clutches his head.) Oh my ears and shoe buttons! All this noise! You’ll drive me out of my wits! (A knock is heard at door left.)
MOTHER: Husband, I hear a knock at the door. (Knock is repeated.)
FATHER: Aye, good wife. I hear it. (Loudly) Come in.
BARTHOLOMEW: (Entering. Leans on his staff and bows) Good day to you, my friends.
GRANNY: Why, ‘tis Wise Bartholomew himself!
BARTHOLOMEW: (Bowing again) None other.
MOLLY: Have you come to visit us, good Bartholomew?
BARTHOLOMEW: Nay, my child. I was on my way to the forest, but I heard such a shouting and wailing in this house that I thought there must be some trouble.
MOTHER: (Wiping her eyes with her apron) Alas, good Bartholomew, we have trouble enough and more.
FATHER: We lead a miserable life.
BARTHOLOMEW: Dear me! But what is the matter?
MEG: We’re so crowded.
JOSEPH: We don’t have any room at all.
ALL: He’s in my way. She won’t give me any room. How can I work?
BARTHOLOMEW: (Raising his hand for silence) Say no more. By all the gray hairs in my long gray beard, you really do have a problem.
FATHER: Dear Bartholomew, you are the wisest man in all the village. Can’t you think of some way to help us?
OTHERS: Yes, please help us. There must be some way. Help us.
BARTHOLOMEW: (Again raising his hand for silence) Perhaps I can help you. Tell me this, friend John – do you own any animals?
FATHER: Animals? Yes, we have some animals. We have a goat, six chickens, and a donkey out in the barnyard.
BARTHOLOMEW: A goat, six chickens, and a donkey, you say. Ah, excellent. Fine. Very good. Now I’ll tell you what to do.
ALL: Yes, tell us, good Bartholomew. What must we do?
BARTHOLOMEW: (Raising hand for silence) John, you must go out to the barnyard and fetch your goat. Bring him into this room to live with you.
FATHER: What? A goat in this room?
GRANNY: I never heard of such a thing! (Others pantomime surprise).
BARTHOLOMEW: Do as I say, or go your own way. Fiddle-dee-dum, Fiddledee-dee, that’s all the advice you’ll hear from me. (Turns, as if to go)
MOTHER: Please don’t go away, wise Bartholomew. We’ll do as you say.
OTHERS: Yes, we’ll obey. We’ll get the goat.
BARTHOLOMEW: Very well. In seven days and seven nights, I shall come again, to see how you are faring. Good day, my friends. (Exits)
FATHER: I suppose I’d better fetch the goat. (Exits)
MOTHER: A goat in this room!
FATHER: (From offstage) Watch out, everybody! Clear the way. Here comes the goat! (ALL gather up their possessions, prepare to dodge, crying: Ooooh! Watch out! The goat!” etc. GOAT rushes onstage, heading straight for TOM and JOSEPH, who run out of the GOAT’S path. FATHER tries to hold GOAT back by rope, but is pulled along instead.)
ALL: (As GOAT charges around the stage) Help! Watch out! He’s coming this way! Help!
MOTHER: (Clutching head) Oh, dear! Oh, dear! I very much fear that inviting this goat was a bad idea!
MARY ANN: Old Bartholomew is the wisest man in the village. His advice must be good.
Question
Directions: Read "The Crowded House" and answer the question.
Which word best describes Father's character?
Responses
unreliable
unreliable
irresponsible
irresponsible
confident
confident
authoritative
authoritative
Answers
GPT-4o mini
The word that best describes Father's character in "The Crowded House" is **authoritative**. He takes charge by trying to manage the noisy situation and later responds to Bartholomew's advice with seriousness, indicating he is responsible for making decisions in the household. Throughout the scene, he attempts to maintain order and authority among the chaos, especially when he raises his voice to quiet everyone.