After reading "A Journal of the Plague Year, Daniel Defoe"

Question

1. A sexton is

a church official.
an officer of the law.
a prejudice person.
a salesperson.

2. Who is the man the narrator observes while at the pit?

a church official
a man mourning his dead wife
a man dying of the plague
a man mourning his dead child

3. The description of the pit in Finsbury reveals that some burial pits had walls to

prevent people from throwing themselves in.
attempt to organize the pits.
hide the devastating pit sites.
minimize buzzards.

4. How might verisimilitude, regarding the mass burials, effect readers that had experienced the plague?

They could relate to the details of how the dead were handled.
They could recall exact events at the Aldgate pit.
They could distinguish the fictional details regarding burials.
They were stunned by the conditions depicted.

5. The interaction between the watchman and the swimmer indicates that people

were afraid touch others with the plague.
were afraid to swim in the Thames River.
were afraid to ever go near the pits.
were afraid to be related with infected people.

6. What does the narrator want to see when he visits the pit near Aldgate?

the bodies being thrown in the pit
if dirt covers all the bodies
if there is lighting at the pit
how the buriers do their work

7. Londoners are in a state of despair. This is evident because

the speaker hears crying from windows.
people show a lack of concern.
the burial pit is full.
people refuse to wear clothes to signify death.

8. At the time of the plague, London and Londoners can best be described as

filling the streets in mourning.
feeling endangered and concerned.
not talking about reality.
fleeing the city.

9. Why does the narrator believe the swimmer got better?

because he did not have the plague
because the river cures people of the plague
because the river reduces swelling
because the river cooled his fever

10. What does the sexton say regarding his presence at the Aldgate pit?



He has a personal need to be at the pit.
He gets sermon inspiration from the pit.
He is required to give sermons.
As a sexton, it is his duty to be at the pit.

11. Why does the sexton allow the narrator to enter the pit?

The sexton wants sermon inspiration.
He wants to help the narrator understand the plague.
The sexton wants to confuse the narrator.
He wants to teach the narrator a serious lesson.

12. If something is abated, it is

increased in size.
less intense.
less expensive.
misunderstood.

13. The narrator expresses sorrow in his report because

he wants people outside of London to relate to the report.
he feels that people who did not witness first hand the events could never truly imagine it.
he wants to place some responsibility on the churchwardens.
he understands why some people were drove to mad actions.

14. Lamentation means

expression of excitement.
expression of grief.
expression of wonder.
expression of confusion.
15. People's first reactions to the Algate pit indicate

people were use to seeing the size of the pits.
people thought the pits were not big enough.
people underestimated the foreseen tragic events.
people distrusted sextons.

Answer 1

Here are the correct answers based on your questions about "A Journal of the Plague Year" by Daniel Defoe:

1. A sexton is
   a church official.

2. Who is the man the narrator observes while at the pit?
   a man mourning his dead child.

3. The description of the pit in Finsbury reveals that some burial pits had walls to
   prevent people from throwing themselves in.

4. How might verisimilitude, regarding the mass burials, effect readers that had experienced the plague?
   They could relate to the details of how the dead were handled.

5. The interaction between the watchman and the swimmer indicates that people
   were afraid to be related with infected people.

6. What does the narrator want to see when he visits the pit near Aldgate?
   how the buriers do their work.

7. Londoners are in a state of despair. This is evident because
   the speaker hears crying from windows.

8. At the time of the plague, London and Londoners can best be described as
   feeling endangered and concerned.

9. Why does the narrator believe the swimmer got better?
   because the river cooled his fever.

10. What does the sexton say regarding his presence at the Aldgate pit?
    As a sexton, it is his duty to be at the pit.

11. Why does the sexton allow the narrator to enter the pit?
    The sexton wants to help the narrator understand the plague.

12. If something is abated, it is
    less intense.

13. The narrator expresses sorrow in his report because
    he feels that people who did not witness first hand the events could never truly imagine it.

14. Lamentation means
    expression of grief.

15. People's first reactions to the Aldgate pit indicate
    people underestimated the foreseen tragic events.

Feel free to ask if you have any more questions!