Curated set · answers marked
"A Wife in London" by Thomas Hardy — Quiz Question What news does the wife in Thomas Hardy's poem "A Wife in London" receive on the second day (Part II: "The Rejoicing")?
AA telegram telling her that her husband has been wounded in battle
BA letter written by her husband before he died, filled with warm and hopeful plans for their future✓
CAn official notice confirming her husband's death in the war
DA letter from a fellow soldier describing how her husband died heroically
Rationale
The tragic irony at the poem's core lies in the fact that the wife receives a letter her husband wrote before his death — filled with loving, future-oriented sentiments — just after learning through a telegram that he has been killed. This letter, a "dead man's" voice speaking of life and hope, deepens her sorrow and emphasizes the cruel delays of communication in the Victorian era.
"A Wife in London" by Thomas Hardy — Quiz Question What news does the wife in Thomas Hardy's poem "A Wife in London" receive on the second day (Part II: "The Rejoicing")?
AThat her husband has been wounded in battle
BA letter written by her husband before his death, filled with warm and hopeful plans for the future✓
COfficial confirmation of her husband's death from the War Office
DA telegram informing her that her husband is returning home safely
Rationale
In Part II, the wife receives a letter her husband wrote before he was killed, filled with loving and optimistic thoughts about their future together. This dramatic irony heightens the tragedy, as she has already learned of his death in Part I ("The Tragedy") through a telegram.