“The Ant and the Grasshopper”
By W. Somerset Maugham

1. What was the author’s reason for reciting the original story of the ant and the grasshopper?
2. Describe George Ramsay. Use examples from the story to support your answer.
3. What does the phrase, “ Why, then go and dance.”? (pg.487 ¶ 4) mean?
4. What is a “black sheep” (pg. 488 ¶ 7) in the context of this story?
5. Why was Tom considered both charming and unscrupulous?  Use examples from the story to support  both aspects of your answer.
6. Explain the “Cronshaw episode”.
7. On what grounds did Tom successfully blackmail his brother?
8. Why does the narrator “Burst out in laughter” at the end of the story?
9. How did Somerset Maugham set the story up to use situational irony as an effective literary device?
10. What other literary devices did Maugham use in creating this story?

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