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Copywork
About This Passage
Montgomery's deft thumbnail of Mrs. Rachel uses a balanced, two-part structure: the semicolon first dismisses ordinary busybodies, then sets Mrs. Rachel above them as uniquely capable. Copying it trains students in periodic sentence rhythm and in how an author characterizes through pointed comparison.
There are plenty of people in Avonlea and out of it who can attend closely to their neighbours’ business by dint of neglecting their own; but Mrs. Rachel Lynde was one of those capable creatures who c...
Full copywork activity with handwriting lines available in the complete study guide.
Discussion Questions
Narration Prompt
Retell the chapter as a sequence: how the narrator establishes Mrs. Rachel, the unusual sight that unsettles her, her visit to Marilla, and the news and warnings that follow.
Discussion Questions
- The narrator describes Mrs. Rachel's relentless watching almost admiringly, as a 'capable' woman who manages everyone's business 'into the bargain.' Why might the narrator's half-approving tone make it harder for us to simply dismiss her as a nosy gossip? Use details from the chapter.
- Montgomery filters the whole chapter through Mrs. Rachel's observation, so we meet the Cuthberts only as she pieces them together. Why might the author introduce Matthew and Marilla through the eyes of a curious outsider rather than directly? Use details from the chapter.
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Vocabulary Builder
Item 1
Generally said or believed by many to be true.
Item 2
Existing in large, more-than-enough amounts.
Item 3
A hard ordeal or test one must pass through.
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Critical Thinking
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