The Verger by Somerset Maugham

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 6

01:14

In the Netherlands .... percent of the population has difficulty reading/writing/doing maths

1. 6
2. 12
3. 18
4. 23

03:24

It is true that the reason why people can't read or write is because they were too lazy or too apathetic

1. TRUE
2. FALSE

04:12

How old were Mary and Martha when they came to the Literacy Center

1. 52
2. 62
3. 72
4. 82

04:44

Why were the sisters so happy?

1. Because they didn't have to eat the food
2. Because it was Labor Day Weekend
3. Because they were able to read the notice they had received
4. Because they would get their meals for free over the weekend

The Verger by Somerset Maugham

Somerset Maugham, in full William Somerset Maugham, (born Jan. 25, 1874, Paris, France—died Dec. 16, 1965, Nice), 

English novelist, playwright, and short-story writer

 whose work is characterized by a clear unadorned 

style, cosmopolitan settings, and a shrewd 

understanding of human nature.

Answer the following questions:

(hand-out)

1. Where was St. Peter's Church located?

1. Where was St. Peter's Church located?

St. Peter's Church was located at Neville Square.

2. What was the name of the verger of St. Peter's Church?

2. What was the name of the verger of St. Peter's Church?

The name of the verger of St. Peter's Church was Albert Edward Foreman.

3. How did the verger treat his gown? 

3. How did the verger treat his gown? 

The verger treated his gowns with much care, pride, and dignity. He wore his gowns with complacency as it was the dignified symbol of his office. He took pains with it, pressed it, and ironed it himself. He even preserved the old worn-out gowns, wrapped neatly up in brown paper, and kept them in the bottom drawers of the wardrobe in his bedroom.

4. Who were in the vestry besides the verger and the vicar?      

4. Who were in the vestry besides the verger and the vicar?      

Besides the verger and the vicar, the two Churchwardens were in the vestry.

5. At what age did the verger begin working?     

5. At what age did the verger begin working?     

At the age of twelve.

6. What impression did the verger have about the new vicar?

6. What impression did the verger have about the new vicar?

The verger did not have a good impression of the new vicar as he was fussy and wanted to have his finger in every pie. The verger could not appreciate the new vicar from East End but felt that he would take some time to fall in with the discreet ways of the fashionable congregation of St. Peter's Church.

7. What was the discovery that astonished the vicar? 

7. What was the discovery that astonished the vicar? 

The discovery that astonished the vicar was that Albert Edward Foreman who served the Prestigious St. Peter's Church could neither read nor write.

8. What was the verger told by the vicar in the vestry? 

8. What was the verger told by the vicar in the vestry? 

In the vestry, the vicar told the verger that he had something unpleasant to say to him. The vicar admitted that the verger had accomplished the duties of the office to the satisfaction of everybody concerned. But he was astonished to find the verger to be an illiterate person. In that case, the verger could not be allowed to continue his job in a prestigious church like St. Peter's. Hence, as the vicar said, the verger must learn to read and write within three months or leave his office.

9. What thoughts came to the verger's mind as he sat in the vestry with the vicar and the churchwardens? How did the verger react to the vicar's announcement?

9. What thoughts came to the verger's mind as he sat in the vestry with the vicar and the churchwardens? How did the verger react to the vicar's announcement?

As the verger sat in the vestry with the vicar and the churchwardens, he wondered with slight uneasiness what could be the matter. He noted that the two churchwardens were sitting at the handsome refectory table and he recalled that the table had been bought by the earlier vicar from Italy. He realized that something was bothering the vicar and the two churchwardens. The troubled look of the two churchwardens led the verger to think that the vicar had been nagging them and might have jockeyed them into doing something they did not like it.

10. What did the verger want to buy while walking in the street?

10. What did the verger want to buy while walking in the street?

While walking on the street the verger wanted to buy a packet of Gold Flake cigarettes.

11. What occupation did the verger take up after resigning from the church?

11. What occupation did the verger take up after resigning from the church?

After resigning from the church, the verger took up the profession of tobacconist and newsagent.

12. "The manager stared at him as though he were a prehistoric monster".

a. Who is the 'he' referred to in the question?

12. "The manager stared at him as though he were a prehistoric monster".

a. Who is the 'he' referred to in the question?

The 'he' referred to here is Albert Edward Foreman who was once the verger of St. Peter's church and is now a successful businessman.

b. Explain what made the manager stare at that person.

b. Explain what made the manager stare at that person.

Being sacked from the job of the verger, Albert Edward Foreman set up a business as a tobacconist and newsagent and in a course of ten years he owned ten shops. He began making money hand over fist. Every Monday he deposited the week's earnings in the bank. One day the manager of the bank advised Foreman to invest the money which was a little over thirty thousand pounds. He even assured that the bank would help Foreman to choose the securities, only he would have to sign the transfer. But when Foreman asked the manager how would he know what he was signing, the manager replied that of course, he could read the papers. Foreman disclosed that he was an illiterate man, neither he could write nor read. Hearing this, the manager was taken aback. He was shocked to know that a man who could a mass fortune of thirty thousand pounds was an illiterate man. That is why the manager stared at Foreman as though he were a prehistoric monster. 

13. In your opinion, what kind of person was the verger?

13. In your opinion, what kind of person was the verger?

In my opinion, Albert Edward, was a very confident man. He was quite sure of himself. Even when the vicar told him that he had to leave the job of verger if he did not learn to read and write within three months, he did not feel shattered. Rather he told him that he would not be able to learn to read and write at this old age and that he happily offered his resignation saying "as soon as they found somebody to take his place".

The verger was also a man of great business acumen and common sense. He decided to open a cigarette shop in a street with a shop selling cigarettes, which made him a successful businessman.