Flora and Goals
What does Flora Poste plan to do when she arrives at Cold Comfort Farm? (Answer concisely.)
She intends to “civilize” the family and improve the farm.
Who is the matriarch of the family? (Use the correct vocabulary word.)
matriarch = Aunt Ada Doom
Fill-in: The farmhouse was in complete ______ (word for a filthy, neglected state).
squalor
What device is used when a character is exaggerated for comic effect? (name it)
caricature
Name one concrete change Flora makes to the household to “civilize” it early in the story.
Example: reorganizing meals/cleaning rooms/introducing routines.
Which character is described as “instinctive” and in what way? (One example from the text.)
Adam or Seth as “instinctive” regarding animals; e.g., Adam cares for cows without thinking.
Which vocabulary word fits: “After the storm, the barn looked ______,” meaning in disrepair.
dilapidated
Give an example from the novel of irony (brief explanation).
Irony example: Flora’s “civilizing” sometimes reveals her own silly character traits.
Describe Flora’s main motivation for wanting to change the Starkadders (one sentence).
She is motivated by boredom, practicality, and social ideals.
Identify a character who is reclusive and explain how the text shows this.
Aunt Ada Doom is reclusive (she spends her time in her locked room).
Choose the best word: “Her portrait of the neighbor exaggerated his features for comic effect.” (Which vocab term fits?)
caricature
Identify a passage that creates a dreary mood and name two words that contribute to that tone.
Example: “mud,” “cobwebs” — create dreary mood.
Which scene best shows Flora trying to impose social order (give the event and its effect)?
Example: reorganizing household chores and insisting on manners; effect: initial resistance but gradual improvements.
Which character acts in a tyrannical way and give a specific action that supports this description.
Aunt Ada acts tyrannical in controlling family decisions from isolation.
Sentence: Use the word “skepticism” in one original sentence about Flora’s project to civilize her cousins.
Student's answer, must use skepticism correctly.
How does the author use caricature to comment on rural life?
Caricature highlights absurdities of tradition, making critique humorous.
Explain how Flora’s goals reveal a contrast between modernity and the farm’s traditions (two-sentence explanation).
Example: modern ideas vs. rural habits; Flora’s order challenges superstition and chaos.
Pick one Starkadder and write two traits (from the word bank) that describe them and cite a brief textual example for each trait.
Example: Adam — unkempt and devoted; evidence: his rough appearance and loyalty to livestock.
Provide synonyms (two) for “melancholy”.
synonyms: sadness, gloom
Analyze how setting functions as a character in Cold Comfort Farm. How does it affect the characters in the novel?
Setting becomes a character by shaping behavior, reflecting stagnation, and resisting change; it influences plot choices and character growth.