Mrs. Dalloway

Reading Check and Short Answer Questions on key points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

PAGES 1-59

Reading Check

1. Which item does Clarissa purchase for the party?

2. Why did the Whitbreads come to London?

3. What does Clarissa describe as her “only gift”?

4. What visual does the airplane leave in the sky?

5. What does Lucrezia say that she “could stand […] no longer”?

6. What event is Clarissa excluded from?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Compare and contrast how Clarissa views Peter and Richard. What are each of their shortcomings, and how does she view them in relation to the institution of marriage?

2. How does Clarissa feel about the accomplishments of her life? What comments does she make in reference to what she would have liked to change?

3. Describe the scene surrounding the motor car. How does Woolf draw importance to this specific instance through her narrative style?

4. Who is Sally Seton? How did this woman’s presence affect Clarissa’s understanding of love?

5. Summarize Clarissa’s meeting with Peter. How does the conversation go for both characters, and what are their reactions?

6. Describe Peter’s inner monologue after leaving Clarissa’s house.