Question

1. How does the novel open? A. The narrator assures us that Marley was dead. B. The narrator describes a poor neighborhood in London. C. The narrator compares his own childhood to that of Scrooge’s. D. The narrator asks readers to remember their own favorite Christmas.

Answer 1

The correct answer to how the novel 'A Christmas Carol' opens is with the narrator assuring us of Marley's death, which is option A.

Step-by-step explanation:

The correct answer is option A. The novel, A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, famously opens with the narrator asserting: "Marley was dead: to begin with." This emphatic statement about Jacob Marley's death is essential for establishing the supernatural elements of the story and the transformation of Ebenezer Scrooge.

Instead of focusing on the filth of London or the narrative voice from a child's perspective, Dickens starts his tale with a straightforward confirmation of death that anchors the ghostly events to come.

Descriptive passages detailing London, narrative perspective shifts, or childhood descriptions, while common in Dickens' work, are not how A Christmas Carol begins.

The correct answer is option B. The novel opens with the narrator describing a poor neighborhood in London. The passage paints a vivid picture of the setting, with detailed descriptions of the polluted air and the smoke from iron-foundries.

This sets the stage for the social and economic conditions of the time, which are central to the themes of the novel.