Jeeves Takes Charge

Question

by P. G. Wodehouse

Most of the way down in the train that afternoon, I was wondering what could be up at the other end. I simply couldn’t see what could have happened. Easeby wasn’t one of those country houses you read about in the society novels, where young girls are lured on to play baccarat and then skinned to the bone of their jewellery, and so on. The house-party I had left had consisted entirely of law-abiding birds like myself.

Besides, my uncle wouldn’t have let anything of that kind go on in his house. He was a rather stiff, precise sort of old boy, who liked a quiet life. He was just finishing a history of the family or something, which he had been working on for the last year, and didn’t stir much from the library. He was rather a good instance of what they say about its being a good scheme for a fellow to sow his wild oats. I’d been told that in his youth Uncle Willoughby had been a bit of a rounder. You would never have thought it to look at him now.

"Jeeves Takes Charge" by P. G. Wodehouse

Question
Use the passage to answer the question.

What purpose does social context serve in this passage?

(1 point)
Responses

to characterize the typical behaviors of the wealthy elite
to characterize the typical behaviors of the wealthy elite

to contrast wealthy patrons and the people they employ
to contrast wealthy patrons and the people they employ

to discuss the rules that govern polite society
to discuss the rules that govern polite society

to contrast the narrator with his aging uncle
to contrast the narrator with his aging uncle
Skip to navigation

Answer 1

In the passage, the social context serves primarily to characterize the typical behaviors of the wealthy elite. The narrator reflects on the house-party at Easeby, noting that the attendees were all law-abiding and suggesting that the environment is one of propriety and genteel living. This social setting emphasizes the contrast between the upper-class lifestyle and potentially scandalous activities that might be expected in a more raucous context. Therefore, the best answer is:

to characterize the typical behaviors of the wealthy elite.