Small Island - Key Events

Question 1

What are 2 key events of Prologue - Ch.4?

Answer 1

1) Hortense arrives in London, finds out that Gilbert only lives in one room
2) Michael Roberts leaves home - Hortense’s close relationship with him is cut off

Question 2

What are 3 key events of Ch.5 - Ch.9?

Answer 2

1) Hortense meets Gilbert for the first time
2) Hortense leaves for England to meet Gilbert
3) We discover that Queenie is Gilbert’s landlady

Question 3

What are 2 key events of Ch.10 - Ch.14?

Answer 3

1) Gilbert is in the in the RAF and is sent to America

2) Gilbert meets Levi and Jon and feels like he’s made friends, even though they call him “Joe”

Question 4

What are 2 key events of Ch.15 - Ch.19?

Answer 4

1) Queenie and Gilbert meet for the first time

2) Fight at the cinema, Arthur is accidentally killed

Question 5

What is a key event of Ch.20 - Ch.24?

Answer 5

Queenie meets Bernard for the first time. Aunt Dorothy dies. Bernard and Queenie get married

Question 6

What is a key event of Ch.25 - Ch.29?

Answer 6

Bernard joins the RAF overseas. Queenie takes in lodgers, one being Michael Roberts

Question 7

What are 2 key events of Ch.30 - Ch.34?

Answer 7

1) Gilbert receives a torrent of racial abuse from co-workers
2) Hortense and Queenie go shopping. They discover Bernard on their doorstep when they arrive home

Question 8

What are 2 key events of Ch.35 - Ch.39?

Answer 8

1) Bernard becomes friend with Maxi

2) Calcutta massacre

Question 9

What are 5 key events of Ch.40 - Ch.44?

Answer 9

1) Bernard’s basha catches fire
2) We discover that Maxi and 7 others died in the fire
3) Bernard is imprisoned for 2 weeks
4) Bernard and Pierpoint argue about the fire being P’s fault
5) Pierpoint tells Bernard to go to a brothel - B. cheats on Queenie

Question 10

What are 2 key events of Ch.45 - Ch.49

Answer 10

1) Bernard sails home

2) Queenie informs Bernard of Arthur’s death

Question 11

What are 4 key events of Ch.50- Ch.54?

Answer 11

1) Gilbert argues with Bernard about B being in his room
2) Queenie has contractions
3) Baby Michael is born - he is mixed race
4) Bernard assumes that Baby Michael is Gilber’s and he attacks him

Question 12

What are 4 key events of Ch.55 - Ch.59?

Answer 12

1) We find out that Michael is the father of the baby
2) Winston asks Gilbert to be caretaker of rooms to let. Hortense is pleased with the rooms. She invites G to sleep in the bed
3) Queenie aska Hortense and Gilbert to take Baby Michael
4) Hortense and Gilbert take the baby. They move out