66 pages 2 hours read

C. S. Lewis

The Great Divorce

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1945

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.

During Reading

Reading Questions & Paired Texts

Reading Check and Short Answer Questions on key points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

CHAPTER 1

Reading Check

1. What is the overall mood of the city in which the narrator finds himself?

2. Where does the narrator turn to break up the monotony of wandering the grey city?

3. What does the narrator wish to avoid with the Tousle-Headed Poet?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What might account for the story’s abrupt beginning, and why might this be appropriate?

2. How does Lewis use the setting and characters to explore base human nature?

3. What is the Tousle-Headed Poet’s complaint about Grey Town, and how does this explain his choice to board the bus?

CHAPTERS 2-3

Reading Check

1. How does the narrator politely decline the poet’s request?

2. What interrupts the narrator’s conversation with the Poet?

3. What does the Intelligent Man believe are the reasons people of Grey Town are so quarrelsome?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What is the plight of the Tousle-Headed Poet, and what does it reveal about humankind in general?

2.