“Augustus Does His Bit by George Bernard Shaw” and “Gate A-4” to answer the following.How do BOTH texts explore the theme of adapting to unexpected situations?

Question

A.By showing characters who resist change
B.By depicting characters who encounter new experiences
C.By illustrating the consequences of poor planning
D.By emphasizing the importance of following rules12.
How do the narrators in "Gate A-4" and "Augustus Does His Bit" differ in their approaches to problem-solving?A.The narrator in "Gate A-4" relies on authority, while Augustus uses empathy.
B.The narrator in "Gate A-4" uses communication and kindness, while Augustus relies on rigid rules.
C.Both narrators depend on official procedures to resolve issues.
D.Both narrators ignore the problems they encounter.
13a. This question has two parts. First, answer Part A. Then, answer Part B.How do BOTH texts explore the concept of authority?A.By showing the benefits of strict hierarchical structures.
B.By illustrating the pitfalls of unchecked power.
C.By demonstrating how kindness can be more effective than force.
D.By emphasizing the need for stronger leadership in times of crisis.
13b. Which line from "Augustus Does His Bit" best supports your answer to Part A?
A."I came down here to promise the Mayor a knighthood for his exertions.
"B."Man, man: do you want to see picture shows when the Hun is at the gate?"
C."Do you mean to say, you scoundrel, that an Englishman is capable of selling his country to the enemy for gold?
"D."Beamish, the long and the short of it is, you are no patriot.".

In this scene, Augustus, a government official, is frustrated by the inefficiency and disarray in a small town during wartime. He expects things to run smoothly but encounters problems like the absence of trains, the internment of a local baker, and the town's struggle to maintain essential services. The Clerk, representing the common man, highlights the contradictions of war, pointing out the impracticality of some government policies and expressing dissatisfaction with his own worsening conditions, culminating in a request for a pay raise despite the war. [...] [50] AUGUSTUS: Can't they take the train? [51] THE CLERK: There ain't no trains now. They've tore up the rails and sent them to the front. [52] AUGUSTUS: Psha! [53] THE CLERK: Well, we have to get about somehow. [54] AUGUSTUS: This is perfectly monstrous. Not in the least what I intended. [55] THE CLERK: Hell— [56] AUGUSTUS: Sir! [57] THE CLERK: [explaining]. Hell, they says, is paved with good intentions. [58] AUGUSTUS: [springing to his feet]. Do you mean to insinuate that hell is paved with MY good intentions—with the good intentions of His Majesty's Government? [59] THE CLERK: I don't mean to insinuate anything until the Defence of the Realm Act is repealed. It ain't safe. [60] AUGUSTUS: They told me that this town had set an example to all England in the matter of economy. I came down here to promise the Mayor a knighthood for his exertions. [61] THE CLERK: The Mayor! Where do I come in? [62] AUGUSTUS: You don't come in. You go out. This is a fool of a place. I'm greatly disappointed. Deeply disappointed. [Flinging himself back into his chair.] Disgusted. [63] THE CLERK: What more can we do? We've shut up everything. The picture gallery is shut. The museum is shut. The theatres and picture shows is shut: I haven't seen a movie picture for six months. [64] AUGUSTUS: Man, man: do you want to see picture shows when the Hun is at the gate1? [65] THE CLERK: [mournfully]. I don't now, though it drove me melancholy mad at first. [66] AUGUSTUS: Why didn't you? [67] THE CLERK: Because a friend advised me against it. That saved my life, though it makes me very poor company in the mornings, as [hiccuping] perhaps you've noticed. [68] AUGUSTUS: Well, upon my soul! You are not ashamed to stand there and confess yourself disgusting. [69] THE CLERK: Well, what of it? We're at war now; and everything's changed. … That's the good of war: it brings out powers in a man that he never suspected himself capable of. You said so yourself in your speech last night. [70] AUGUSTUS: I did not know that I was talking to an imbecile. You ought to be ashamed of yourself. … I'm going to establish a new order of things here. I shall come down every morning before breakfast until things are properly in train. Have a cup of coffee and two rolls for me here every morning at half-past ten. [71] THE CLERK: You can't have no rolls. The only baker that baked rolls was a Hun; and he's been interned. [72] AUGUSTUS: Quite right, too. And was there no Englishman to take his place? [73] THE CLERK: There was. But he was caught spying; and they took him up to London and shot him. [74] AUGUSTUS: Shot an Englishman! [75] THE CLERK: Well, it stands to reason if the Germans wanted to spy they wouldn't employ a German that everybody would suspect, don't it? [76] AUGUSTUS: [rising again]. Do you mean to say, you scoundrel, that an Englishman is capable of selling his country to the enemy for gold? [77] THE CLERK: Not as a general thing I wouldn't say it; but there's men here would sell their own mothers for two coppers if they got the chance. [78] AUGUSTUS: Beamish, it's an ill bird that fouls its own nest. [79] THE CLERK: It wasn't me that let Little Pifflington get foul. I don't belong to the governing classes. I only tell you why you can't have no rolls. [80] AUGUSTUS: [intensely irritated]. Can you tell me where I can find an intelligent being to take my orders? [81] THE CLERK: One of the street sweepers used to teach in the school until it was shut up for the sake of economy. Will he do? [82] AUGUSTUS: What! You mean to tell me that when the lives of the gallant fellows in our trenches, and the fate of the British Empire, depend on our keeping up the supply of shells, you are wasting money on sweeping the streets? [83] THE CLERK: We have to. We dropped it for a while; but the infant death rate went up something frightful. [84] AUGUSTUS: What matters the death rate of Little Pifflington in a moment like this? Think of our gallant soldiers, not of your squalling infants. [85] THE CLERK: If you want soldiers you must have children. You can't buy em in boxes, like toy soldiers. [86] AUGUSTUS: Beamish, the long and the short of it is, you are no patriot. Go downstairs to your office; and have that gas stove taken away and replaced by an ordinary grate. The Board of Trade has urged on me the necessity for economizing gas. [87] THE CLERK: Our orders from the Minister of Munitions is to use gas instead of coal, because it saves material. Which is it to be? [88] AUGUSTUS: [bawling furiously at him]. Both! Don't criticize your orders: obey them. Yours not to reason why: yours but to do and die. That's war. [Cooling down.] Have you anything else to say? [89] THE CLERK: Yes: I want a rise. [90] AUGUSTUS: [reeling against the table in his horror]. A rise! Horatio Floyd Beamish, do you know that we are at war? [91] THE CLERK: [feebly ironical]. I have noticed something about it in the papers. Heard you mention it once or twice, now I come to think of it. [92] AUGUSTUS: Our gallant fellows are dying in the trenches; and you want a rise! [93] THE CLERK: What are they dying for? To keep me alive, ain't it? Well, what's the good of that if I'm dead of hunger by the time they come back? [94] AUGUSTUS: Everybody else is making sacrifices without a thought of self; and you— [95] THE CLERK: Not half, they ain't. Where's the baker's sacrifice? Where's the coal merchant's? Where's the butcher's? Charging me double: that's how they sacrifice themselves. Well, I want to sacrifice myself that way too. Just double next Saturday: double and not a penny less; or no secretary for you [he stiffens himself shakily, and makes resolutely for the door.] [...] 1. Refers to the threat of an enemy invastion or danger looming nearby. Gate A-4By Naomi Shihab Nye2008 1Wandering around the Albuquerque Airport Terminal, after learningmy flight had been delayed four hours, I heard an announcement:“If anyone in the vicinity of Gate A-4 understands any Arabic, pleasecome to the gate immediately.”5Well — one pauses these days. Gate A-4 was my own gate. I went there.An older woman in full traditional Palestinian embroidered dress, justlike my grandma wore, was crumpled to the floor, wailing. “Help,”said the flight agent. “Talk to her. What is her problem? Wetold her the flight was going to be late and she did this.”10I stooped to put my arm around the woman and spoke haltingly.“Shu-dow-a, Shu-bid-uck Habibti? Stani schway, Min fadlick, Shu-bitSe-wee?” The minute she heard any words she knew, however poorlyused, she stopped crying. She thought the flight had been cancelledentirely. She needed to be in El Paso for major medical treatment the15next day. I said, “No, we’re fine, you’ll get there, just later, who ispicking you up? Let’s call him.”We called her son, I spoke with him in English. I told him I wouldstay with his mother till we got on the plane and ride next toher. She talked to him. Then we called her other sons just20for the fun of it. Then we called my dad and he and she spoke for awhile in Arabic and found out of course they had ten shared friends.Then I thought just for the heck of it why not call some Palestinian poets I knowand let them chat with her? This all took up two hours.She was laughing a lot by then. Telling of her life, patting my knee,25answering questions. She had pulled a sack of homemade mamoolcookies — little powdered sugar crumbly mounds stuffed with dates andnuts — from her bag — and was offering them to all the women at the gate.To my amazement, not a single woman declined one. It was like aSacrament. The traveler from Argentina, the mom from California, the30lovely woman from Laredo — we were all covered with the same powderedsugar. And smiling. There is no better cookie.And then the airline broke out free apple juice from huge coolers and twolittle girls from our flight ran around serving it and theywere covered with powdered sugar, too. And I noticed my new best friend —3540by now we were holding hands — had a potted plant poking out of her bag,some medicinal thing, with green furry leaves. Such an old country tradi-tion. Always carry a plant. Always stay rooted to somewhere.And I looked around that gate of late and weary ones and I thought, Thisis the world I want to live in. The shared world. Not a single person in thatgate — once the crying of confusion stopped — seemed apprehensive aboutany other person. They took the cookies. I wanted to hug all those other women, too. This can still happen anywhere. Not everything is lost.

Answer 1

To answer the questions based on the exploration of the theme of adapting to unexpected situations in “Augustus Does His Bit” and “Gate A-4,” let’s consider the key elements presented in both texts and their characters' responses to unforeseen circumstances.

Question 11: How do BOTH texts explore the theme of adapting to unexpected situations?

Correct Answer: B. By depicting characters who encounter new experiences.

In "Augustus Does His Bit," Augustus finds himself in a town that is unprepared for wartime challenges. His expectations clash sharply with the chaotic reality he encounters, prompting him to adapt to the unexpected circumstances he faces, even if poorly. The Clerk represents the common man's resilience and adaptability amidst governmental disarray, as he navigates the challenges of wartime life despite official policies that fail to consider the average person's needs.

In “Gate A-4,” the narrator adapts to a situation of emotional distress, using empathy and communication when they help an older Palestinian woman who is understandably upset by her delayed flight and the misunderstanding about her travel plans. The narrator's actions create a shared connection, illustrating a positive adaptation to a moment of uncertainty and fear.

Question 12: How do the narrators in "Gate A-4" and "Augustus Does His Bit" differ in their approaches to problem-solving?

Correct Answer: B. The narrator in "Gate A-4" uses communication and kindness, while Augustus relies on rigid rules.

In "Gate A-4," the narrator solves the problem by connecting with the woman in distress, demonstrating the effectiveness of kindness and communication in resolving a crisis. They actively engage with the woman and facilitate her comfort amidst the chaos of travel delays.

In contrast, Augustus embodies a strict governmental authority figure who adheres to rigid rules and protocols. His approach to problem-solving is characterized by frustration with inefficiency rather than fostering a collaborative or understanding atmosphere.

Question 13a: How do BOTH texts explore the concept of authority?

Correct Answer: C. By demonstrating how kindness can be more effective than force.

Both texts illustrate different dimensions of authority. "Augustus Does His Bit" critiques the rigidity and ineffectiveness of those in power during wartime, showcasing the disconnect between authority figures and the populace, while "Gate A-4" emphasizes the positive impact of a more empathetic approach to authority. The narrator’s kind intervention contrasts with Augustus’s heavy-handedness, suggesting that authority rooted in kindness fosters better outcomes.

Question 13b: Which line from "Augustus Does His Bit" best supports your answer to Part A?

Correct Answer: C. "Do you mean to say, you scoundrel, that an Englishman is capable of selling his country to the enemy for gold?"

This line exemplifies Augustus's rigid and accusatory approach, representing his authority through force rather than understanding. It underscores the concept of authority as something that may often lack empathy, contrasting with the more nurturing authority demonstrated in "Gate A-4."

In summary, both texts present characters grappling with unexpected situations in different ways, highlighting the importance of adaptability, the varying approaches to problem-solving, and the nature of authority.