What item does the stranger carry when he first arrives at the Coach and Horses?
What is A little black portmanteau
In what month and season does the stranger arrive at Iping?
What is Early February, during winter
Why is Mrs. Hall pleased to have the stranger as a guest?
What is Winter guests at Iping are rare, and he doesn't haggle over prices
What word in the dictionary triggers the speaker's memory of the past?
What is Lanyard
What does the speaker compare the effect of finding the word "lanyard" to?
A cookie nibbled by a French novelist (referring to Proust's famous memory trigger)
What does Mrs. Hall notice the stranger wearing on his face when he turns to look at her?
What is Big blue spectacles with sidelights
What does the stranger demand upon arriving at the inn?
What is A fire, a room, and human charity
What does Mrs. Hall notice about the stranger's behavior when she first enters the parlor?
What is He stands with his back to her, staring out the window, lost in thought
Where was the speaker when learning to braid the lanyard?
At a workbench at a camp by a deep Adirondack lake
What literary device is used when the speaker describes "ricocheting slowly off the pale blue walls"?
Metaphor (or personification)
Describe the bandages on the stranger's head and what parts of his face they cover.
What is One bandage covers his forehead above his glasses, another covers his ears, leaving only his pink, peaked nose exposed
Where does the stranger say he has luggage waiting?
What is Bramblehurst station
How does the stranger react when Mrs. Hall offers to dry his hat and coat?
He refuses, saying he prefers to keep them on
What colors were the lanyard the speaker made?
Red and white
How does the poem's structure emphasize the contrast between the mother's gifts and the speaker's gift?
By listing all the mother's sacrifices in detail before mentioning the simple lanyard in comparison
What does the stranger hold over the lower part of his face while eating?
What is white serviette (napkin)
What accident does Mrs. Hall mention happened on the steep road by the down?
What is a carriage was upsettled a year ago, killing a gentleman and his coachman
What does Mrs. Hall observe about the stranger's mouth when she sees him smoking a pipe?
He never loosens the silk muffler around his face to put the pipe to his lips
What does the speaker's mother say she provided, before the speaker mentions the lanyard?
Life, milk from her breasts, nursing care, medicine, cold face-cloths, and teaching to walk and swim
What does the lanyard symbolize in the poem?
The inadequacy of a child's attempt to repay a parent's unconditional love and sacrifice
What specific detail about the stranger's nose remains visible throughout the passage?
What is It is bright, pink, shiny, and peaked
What reason does Mrs. Hall assume explains the stranger's bandaged appearance?
What is She assumes he suffered an accident or mishap
What does Mrs. Hall's attempt to draw the stranger into conversation about the carriage accident reveal about him?
He is not easily drawn into conversation and remains evasive
What is the tone of the speaker when comparing what the mother gave versus what the speaker gave?
Ironic or humorous—the speaker recognizes the imbalance between the mother's sacrifices and the simple lanyard gift
Why does the speaker mention getting "a little help from a counselor" when making the lanyard?
To emphasize that even this simple gift required assistance, further highlighting the contrast with the mother's independent sacrifices