A CUP OF TEA

A. State whether these statements are True or False.

1. Miss Smith was a very rich girl.

False

2. Rosemary was a very compassionate woman.

True

3. Philip did not want Miss Smith to dine with them.

False

4. Rosemary had been married for a couple of years.

True

B. Answer these questions in one or two words.

1. Which Russian author influenced Katherine Mansfield?

Ans. Fyodor Dostoevsky influenced Katherine Mansfield.

2. In which street was Rosemary shopping when she met Miss Smith?

Ans. Rosemary was shopping in the Curzon street when she met Miss Smith.

3. How many pounds did Rosemary give to Miss Smith?

Ans. Rosemary gave three pounds to Miss Smith.

4. What is the cost of the enamel box that Rosemary wanted to buy?

Ans. Twenty eight guineas is the cost of the enamel box that Rosemary wanted to buy.

5. What is the name of the main character of ‘A Cup of Tea’?

Ans. Rosemary Fell.

C. Answer these questions in a few words each.

1. What are the names of the two women characters in ‘A Cup of Tea’?

Ans. The names of the two women characters in ‘A Cup of Tea’ are Rosemary Fell and Miss Smith.

2. What kind of a relationship do Rosemary and Philip share in ‘A Cup of Tea’?

3. How did Philip react towards Miss Smith?

Ans. First of all Philip disapproved of keeping a stranger in the house and then praised the beauty of
Miss Smith to spur jealousy in Rosemary.

4. Who was Miss Smith? Why did Rosemary send her back?

Ans. Miss Smith was a poor girl who had requested Rosemary for the price of a cup of tea.

Rosemary sent her back as her husband provokes Rosemary’s jealousy by admiring the beauty of the
poor girl.

5. Why did Philip disapprove of Rosemary’s decision to keep Miss Smith with them?

Ans. Philip disapproved of Rosemary’s decision to keep Miss Smith with them as she is a stranger and
belongs to the lower class of society.

D. Answer these questions briefly in your own words.

1. Write a brief character sketch of Rosemary Fell.

Ans. Rosemary Fell is the protagonist of the short story ‘A Cup of Tea’ by Katherine Mansfield. She is a
snobbish upper-class woman. She is described as ‘young, brilliant, extremely modern, exquisitely well
dressed and amazingly well read’. She is not exactly beautiful. She lives a life of extreme comfort, style
and fashion. She has a taste for expensive antique products and often shops in the exclusive stores
located on Curzon Street in London. Once she happens to meet a poor girl in a rainy day who begged her
for the price of a cup of tea. She romanticises Miss Smith’s sufferings as something out of a Dostoevsky’s
novel. She takes the poor girl home not out of genuine kindness but to show off her generosity and gain
recognition from her upper class friends. Philip, her husband disapproved of keeping a stranger in the
house and then praised the beauty of Miss Smith to spur jealousy in Rosemary. She immediately chases
the girl away by offering her a present of money. This exposes the artificial behavior and hypocrisy of
Rosemary and her romantic dreams come into conflict with reality.

2. Describe Rosemary’s encounter with Miss Smith.

OR

Why did Rosemary take Miss Smith home?

Ans. In rainy day Rosemary was out of the antique shop in Curzon Street. A poor girl named Miss Smith
approached her and begged for the price of a cup of tea. This seems to her as something out of
Dostoevsky’s novel. She takes the girl home to show that ‘wonderful things did happen in life’, ‘fairy
godmothers were real’, ‘rich people had hearts’ and ‘women were sisters’. At home, Miss Smith fills
herself with food and tea. When her husband Philip comes home, he disapproved of keeping a stranger
in the house and then praised the beauty of Miss Smith to spur jealousy in Rosemary. She immediately
chases the girl away by offering her a present of money.

3. How does Katherine Mansfield explore the theme of ‘class difference’ in ‘A Cup of Tea’?

Ans. The theme of class difference is very evident in the short story ‘A Cup of Tea’. Katherine Mansfield
throws light on the behaviour of rich people who try to be generous in order to receive gratitude,
admiration and respect from those whom they perceive as inferior to them in society. There is rich
people like Rosemary Fell who spends too much money on materialistic things. On the other hand, there
is Miss Smith who has no money to buy a cup of tea. The stark contrast between Rosemary’s luxurious
lifestyle and Miss Smith’s poverty showcases the class difference in society.

E. Answer these questions in detail.

1. Examine in detail the various themes explored by Katherine Mansfield in the story ‘A Cup of Tea.’

Ans. In ‘A Cup of Tea’ Katherine Mansfield explores various themes including materialism and class
consciousness, the status of women, jealousy and insecurity.

Rosemary’s behavior shows the materialistic attitude of the rich in society. Her desires to have enamel
box a lot shows that her intentions are centered on materialistic things. When she came out of the shop,
she saw a poor girl who begged for the price of a cup of tea. The girl appears to Rosemary a character
from Dostoevsky’s novel. She decided to help Miss Smith to show off her generosity and gain
recognition from her upper class friends. Rosemary took Miss Smith to her house and offered her tea.
But when her husband Philip admired the girl, she got jealous. This exposes the artificial behavior and
hypocrisy of Rosemary and she immediately chases the girl away by offering her a present of money.

Katherine Mansfield throws light on the behavior of the rich people who try to appear generous in order
to receive gratitude, admiration and respect from those whom they perceive as inferior to them in
society.

2. Comment on the significance of the title of the story ‘A Cup of Tea.’

Ans. In the story ‘A Cup of Tea’, Katherine Mansfield reflects on the everyday life and mundane activities
that she often explores in her stories. On the surface, it represents a simple act of hospitality and
kindness when Rosemary invites Miss Smith to join her for tea. However, as the narrative unfolds, the
title takes on a deeper meaning. The cup of tea becomes a metaphorical representation of the social
and emotional barriers that exists between people of different classes. The title also alludes to the idea
of comfort and luxury. For the privileged world of Rosemary, a cup of tea is a luxury and for poor Miss
Smith, where even the simplest pleasures are scarce.

The main plot of the story revolves around a ‘cup of tea’. Rosemary unexpectedly meets a poor young
girl named Miss Smith who is starving and begging for the price of a cup of tea to keep her warm. She
romanticizes Miss Smith’s suffering and imagines her as something out of Dostoevsky’s novel. She takes
the girl home and offers her tea and wants to prove that wonderful things did happen in life, rich people
had hearts and the women were sisters. But the artificial behavior and hypocrisy of Rosemary and her
romantic dreams are shattered coming into conflict with reality.

The title ‘A Cup of Tea’ encapsulates the central themes of class difference, compassion, and the fleeting
nature of comfort and invites to reflect on the deeper implications of a seemingly ordinary act.