Question

At the beginning of the story, what are Scrooge’s interpersonal relationship skills like? As the story progresses, do they change? At the end of the novella?

a) Scrooge's interpersonal skills are good, and they stay the same throughout the story.
b) Scrooge's interpersonal skills are poor, and they improve as the story progresses.
c) Scrooge's interpersonal skills are poor, and they remain unchanged.
d) Scrooge's interpersonal skills are good, but they deteriorate as the story progresses.

Answer 1

Ebenezer Scrooge's interpersonal skills are initially poor but improve significantly by the end of 'A Christmas Carol' as he transforms into a kind and generous person. The correct answer is b) Scrooge's interpersonal skills are poor, and they improve as the story progresses.

Step-by-step explanation:

At the beginning of Charles Dickens's novella A Christmas Carol, the protagonist, Ebenezer Scrooge, has very poor interpersonal relationship skills. He is depicted as a miserly and cold-hearted old man who despises Christmas and is rude and dismissive to those around him. His nephew invites him to Christmas dinner, to which Scrooge responds with disdain, and he refuses to donate to charity when solicitors approach him. As the story progresses, through various supernatural visits by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come, Scrooge undergoes a profound transformation. By the end of the novella, Scrooge's interpersonal skills have notably improved. He becomes kind, generous, and compassionate, for example, by giving a large donation to the solicitors he previously rebuffed and by attending his nephew's Christmas dinner with a genuine desire to participate in the festivities and connect with his family.

Therefore, the correct answer to the question is: b) Scrooge's interpersonal skills are poor, and they improve as the story progresses.