Short Questions on Riders to the Sea

 

Short Questions on Riders to the Sea

1. Where does the play Riders to the Sea open?

2. What is Cathleen busy doing at the beginning of the play?

3. What kind of table is described in the opening stage direction?

4. Where is the spinning wheel placed in the cottage?

5. What is hanging on the pegs above the bench?

6. How many stools are placed round the table?

7. What is Cathleen kneading at the start of the play?

8. Where is the pot hanging in the cottage?

9. Who enters first with turf in her apron?

10. What is Nora’s age in the play?

11. Where has Nora just come from when she enters?

12. What is Nora hiding under her shawl?

13. Who has written the letter that Nora brings?

14. Why does the priest not open the letter himself?

15. Who does Nora want to read the letter?

16. Where is Bartley at the beginning of the play?

17. What is Cathleen’s first reaction to the letter?

18. Why does Nora wait till nightfall to bring the letter?

19. How does Nora describe the fear of her mother if she sees the letter?

20. What does Cathleen do with the letter after receiving it?

21. What are the girls worried about showing to their mother?

22. What does Cathleen tell Nora to do while she kneads the cake?

23. How many sons of Maurya have been drowned in the sea?

24. Who is the last son that has not yet been drowned at the start of the play?

25. What is the main concern of the daughters in the first scene?

26. What sound is heard when Maurya is about to enter?

27. How does Cathleen hide the letter from Maurya?

28. What does Maurya carry in her hands when she enters?

29. Why does Maurya complain about the young priest?

30. How many fine strong sons had Maurya once?

31. Who does Maurya say has been taken by the sea first?

32. How does Maurya describe Patch’s death?

33. What happened to Sheamus in the sea?

34. Which son was found drowned in the far north?

35. Why does Maurya not want Bartley to go to the sea?

36. What animal does Bartley take with him to the fair?

37. Why does Cathleen ask Nora to finish the cake?

38. What colour is the bit of cloth that Maurya recognizes?

39. What is the bundle of clothes meant for?

40. Why is the bundle of clothes sent to the island?

41. Who is Michael in the play?

42. How long has Michael been missing before the play opens?

43. What garment of Michael’s is found first?

44. Where was Michael’s stocking found?

45. Who has sent the clothes of the drowned man?

46. Why do the girls hesitate to show the clothes to Maurya?

47. What kind of feeling dominates the cottage atmosphere?

48. Who is the central tragic figure in the play?

49. What role does the sea play in the lives of the family?

50. Why does Maurya call the sea a “great power”?

51. How does Maurya react when she sees the bundle of clothes?

52. What memories does Maurya recall when looking at the clothes?

53. How does the play show the theme of human helplessness?

54. Who comforts Maurya after the news of her son’s death?

55. What is Bartley’s attitude towards the sea?

56. Why does Maurya insist Bartley should not go fishing?

57. What does the kettle symbolize in the cottage?

58. How does the playwright create suspense in the first act?

59. Who brings news about the missing men in the village?

60. What kind of life does Synge depict in the Aran Islands?

61. How does the sea affect the women of the family differently from the men?

62. Why is Maurya so attached to her remaining son?

63. What is the significance of the window in the cottage?

64. How does the play show the inevitability of fate?

65. What role do the girls play in conveying the family’s sorrow?

66. How does Maurya describe her dead sons’ deaths?

67. Who tries to stop Bartley from going to the sea?

68. What warnings does Maurya give Bartley about the sea?

69. How is silence used in the play to create tension?

70. How does the first act end?

71. What is the mood of the opening scene of Act I?

72. How do the women of the cottage prepare for daily life?

73. What does the bundle of clothes reveal about Michael?

74. How does Maurya show her acceptance of death?

75. Why is the play considered a tragedy?

76. How does Synge depict the harshness of island life?

77. What role does superstition play in the family’s life?

78. How do the girls try to keep Maurya’s spirits up?

79. What is the significance of the fire in the cottage?

80. How does Bartley react to Maurya’s warnings?

Here’s the continuation of short questions without answers from Riders to the Sea (Acts I–III):

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81. How does Maurya describe the deaths of her husband and sons?

82. What does Bartley promise Maurya before going to the sea?

83. How do the girls react to the news of the lost men?

84. What fears does Maurya express about Bartley?

85. How is the theme of loss portrayed through Maurya?

86. How does the sea serve as a character in the play?

87. What emotions dominate Maurya’s conversations with the girls?

88. How does the playwright show the closeness of the family?

89. What warnings are given to fishermen in the play?

90. How does the setting contribute to the play’s tragic mood?

91. What is Bartley’s reason for going to the sea despite the dangers?

92. How does Maurya respond to the inevitability of death?

93. What role does silence play in the dialogue between characters?

94. How does Synge show the difference between men’s and women’s roles?

95. What is the significance of the kerchiefs and clothes in the play?

96. How does the opening scene set the tone for the play?

97. How do the characters deal with grief and mourning?

98. What is the significance of the girls’ conversation about the dead men?

99. How does Synge depict the harshness of nature in Act II?

100. What is the final outcome for Bartley at the end of the play?