A Cup of Tea – Class 12 Alternative English AHSEC

Note for Students: Understanding “A Cup of Tea”

Katherine Mansfield’s “A Cup of Tea” is a powerful short story that uses a simple, everyday event to explore complex themes like social class, jealousy, and the superficiality of human kindness. The story critiques the attitudes of the wealthy upper class and reveals how their seemingly generous actions can be driven by selfish motives.

As you read, pay close attention to the main character, Rosemary Fell. Notice how she sees herself versus how the narrator and other characters see her. The story is a brilliant example of psychological fiction, where the character’s inner thoughts and insecurities are more important than the events themselves. The ending is particularly insightful, showing how a moment of insecurity can completely change a person’s intentions. This story encourages us to question the true meaning of charity and the hidden motivations behind our actions.

Lesson 1: Comprehension

A. State whether these sentences are True or False.

1. Miss Smith was a very rich girl.
   • Answer: False.
2. Rosemary was a very compassionate woman.
   • Answer: False. (Her compassion was superficial and motivated by a desire to seem generous, not by genuine kindness).
3. Philip did not want Miss Smith to dine with them.
   • Answer: True.
4. Rosemary had been married for a couple of years.
   • Answer: True.

B. Answer these questions in one or two words.

1. Which Russian author influenced Katherine Mansfield?
   • Answer: Dostoevsky.
2. In which street was Rosemary shopping when she met Miss Smith?
   • Answer: Curzon Street.
3. How many pounds did Rosemary give to Miss Smith?
   • Answer: Three pounds.
4. What is the cost of the enamel box that Rosemary wanted to buy?
   • Answer: Twenty-eight guineas.
5. What is the name of the main character of ‘A Cup of Tea’?
   • Answer: Rosemary Fell.

Short Answer Questions

C. Answer these questions in a few words each.

1. What are the names of the two women characters in the story ‘A Cup of Tea’?
   • Answer: The two women characters are Rosemary Fell, a wealthy upper-class woman, and Miss Smith, a poor young girl.
2. What kind of a relationship do Rosemary and Philip share in ‘A Cup of Tea’?
   • Answer: Rosemary and Philip share a relationship that appears affectionate on the surface but is rooted in materialism and superficiality. Rosemary seeks validation from Philip, and he influences her decisions with his opinions, particularly regarding her appearance and actions.
3. How does Philip react towards Miss Smith?
   • Answer: Philip is shocked and disapproving of Miss Smith’s presence. He finds her “astonishingly pretty” and uses her beauty to make Rosemary jealous, ultimately leading Rosemary to send the girl away.
4. Who was Miss Smith? Why did Rosemary send her back? (AHSEC 2015, 2017, 2019)
   • Answer: Miss Smith was a poor, starving young girl who asked Rosemary for the price of a cup of tea. Rosemary sent her away after her husband, Philip, called Miss Smith “absolutely lovely,” which made Rosemary intensely jealous and insecure about her own beauty.
5. Why did Philip disapprove of Rosemary’s decision to keep Miss Smith with them? (AHSEC 2016, 2018, 2020)
   • Answer: Philip disapproved of Rosemary’s decision because he felt it was a “mad” and impractical idea. He told her, “It simply can’t be done,” reflecting the rigid social boundaries of their class. To get his way, he cleverly provoked Rosemary’s jealousy by commenting on Miss Smith’s beauty.

Brief and Detailed Answers

D. Answer these questions briefly in your own words.

1. Write a brief character sketch of Rosemary Fell. (AHSEC 2015, 2017, 2019)
   • Answer: Rosemary Fell is a wealthy, “extremely modern,” and fashion-conscious young woman who is not conventionally beautiful but tries to compensate with a stylish and exciting life. She is materialistic, insecure, and deeply concerned with how others perceive her. Her decision to help Miss Smith is not born from genuine kindness but from a selfish desire to feel like a heroine in a story and to have a dramatic tale to tell her friends. This superficiality is exposed when her husband’s praise of the poor girl’s beauty triggers her jealousy, causing her to quickly abandon her charitable act. Her final question to her husband, “Am I pretty?”, reveals that her deepest insecurity is about her own appearance, which ultimately governs her actions.
2. Describe Rosemary’s encounter with Miss Smith.
   • Answer: After leaving an expensive antique shop on Curzon Street on a dreary winter afternoon, Rosemary feels a “strange pang” of sadness. At that moment, a poor, thin young girl named Miss Smith approaches her and asks for the price of a cup of tea. Intrigued by the girl’s simple and sincere voice, Rosemary sees the situation as a thrilling “adventure,” like something out of a Dostoevsky novel. Instead of just giving her money, Rosemary impulsively invites the startled girl home with her, wanting to turn the encounter into a grand, charitable gesture.
3. How does Katherine Mansfield explore the theme of ‘class difference’ in ‘A Cup of Tea’?
   • Answer: Katherine Mansfield explores the theme of class difference by contrasting the lives of Rosemary Fell and Miss Smith. Rosemary lives in extreme wealth, where shopping in Paris is a casual affair and buying expensive flowers is a daily norm. Miss Smith, on the other hand, is so poor she cannot even afford a cup of tea. Rosemary’s attempt to bridge this gap is portrayed as a naive and selfish fantasy. She sees Miss Smith not as a person, but as an object for her charity—a “discovery” or a “little captive.” The story shows that the upper class’s understanding of poverty is limited and that their “generosity” often serves to reinforce their own sense of superiority rather than genuinely helping others.
4. Why did Rosemary take Miss Smith home? (AHSEC 2018, 2020)
   • Answer: Rosemary took Miss Smith home not out of pure compassion, but because she saw the encounter as a romantic and exciting adventure, similar to stories she had read. She was struck by the dramatic potential of the situation and imagined how she could impress her sophisticated friends by telling them, “I simply took her home with me.” She wanted to play the role of a “fairy godmother,” proving that “wonderful things did happen” and that “rich people had hearts.” Her motive was more about staging a dramatic act of charity for her own gratification than about the well-being of Miss Smith.

E. Answer these questions in detail.

1. Examine in detail the various themes explored by Katherine Mansfield in her story ‘A Cup of Tea’.
   • Answer: Katherine Mansfield’s “A Cup of Tea” masterfully explores several interconnected themes:
     • Class Consciousness and Social Division: The story highlights the immense gap between the rich and the poor. Rosemary’s world of luxury is starkly contrasted with Miss Smith’s world of poverty. Rosemary’s inability to comprehend true suffering is evident when she thinks it’s “extraordinary” that someone could have no money at all. Her charity is a performance, revealing the upper class’s detachment from the realities of poverty.
     • Superficiality and Hypocrisy: Rosemary’s kindness is a facade. She is more interested in the idea of being charitable than in actually helping someone. She romanticizes Miss Smith’s poverty, seeing it as an opportunity for a dramatic story. This hypocrisy is exposed when her jealousy overpowers her supposed generosity, and she dismisses the girl with money as soon as she feels threatened.
     • Jealousy and Insecurity: The story’s climax is driven by Rosemary’s deep-seated insecurity about her looks. Though she is rich and modern, the narrator states she is “not exactly beautiful.” When her husband praises Miss Smith’s beauty, Rosemary’s charitable impulse vanishes, replaced by a desperate need for her husband’s validation. Her final question, “Am I pretty?”, shows that her self-worth is tied to her appearance, not her character.
     • Materialism and Consumerism: Rosemary’s life is defined by material possessions. She shops for expensive antiques, and her solution to her emotional turmoil is to buy a costly enamel box. She even treats Miss Smith like a possession—a “pick-up” she has “netted.” The story suggests that for the wealthy, even human relationships and acts of kindness can be commodified.
2. Comment on the significance of the title of the story ‘A Cup of Tea’.
   • Answer: The title “A Cup of Tea” is significant on multiple levels and functions as a central symbol in the story.
     • Symbol of Basic Need vs. Luxury: For Miss Smith, a cup of tea represents a basic, life-sustaining necessity. She is so poor that this simple comfort is beyond her reach. For Rosemary, however, tea is an elaborate social ritual—an “extra-special tea” served in her luxurious home, a symbol of her comfortable and privileged life. The title immediately establishes the vast class difference between the two women.
     • The Catalyst for the Plot: The request for “the price of a cup of tea” is the event that sets the entire story in motion. It is this simple plea that triggers Rosemary’s misguided charitable impulse and brings the two women together, leading to the story’s central conflict.
     • Symbol of Superficial Charity: Ultimately, Rosemary’s offer of help amounts to little more than a literal cup of tea. She provides temporary comfort but fails to offer any real, lasting solution to Miss Smith’s problems. Her charity is as fleeting and insubstantial as a warm drink. When her ego is threatened, she abandons her grand plans and reduces her help to a monetary transaction, effectively sending the girl away. The title, therefore, underscores the superficial and inadequate nature of Rosemary’s generosity.