Read the following excerpt from the story: “After a pause, one half of the children cried in chorus, “Yes, sir!” Upon which the other half, seeing in the gentleman’s face that Yes was wrong, cried out in chorus, “No, sir!”—as the custom is, in these examinations.” Consider the context of this quote (review the larger excerpt if necessary). What is Dickens’ purpose for including this scene in the story? Explain how this scene helps to achieve that purpose.
After a pause, one half of the children cried in chorus, ‘Yes, sir!’ Upon which the other half, seeing in the gentleman’s face that Yes was wrong, cried out in chorus, ‘No, sir!’—as the custom is, in these examinations.
