Part III Building the Vocabulary

A. Consult the English-English dictionary for the following words and phrases:

astere (p. 272)

virulent (p. 273)

to defect (p. 273)

impending (p. 275)

namesake (p. 280)

immerse oneself (p. 284)

hover (p. 287)

proximity (p. 287)

mundane (p. 289)

nonchalant (p. 290)

survival (p. 292)

ominious (p. 292)

fatigue (p. 295)

apprehension (p. 299)

fathom (p. 300)

flounder (p. 302)

culprit (p. 302)

untangle (p. 303)

B. Translate the following sentences:

p. 273. … and them glamorous to my moonstruck eyes

p. 275. Joan had been giving me a huge build-up, that by singing the praises of this exotic envoy from literary London ...

p. 275. I had to content myself

p. 275. Couldn't get beyond the first couple of chapters.

p. 278. Not your cup of tea, I suppose.

p. 279. Pretty much on its last legs.

p. 285. … but Jason had the brains.

p. 290. We both get on with her all right.

p. 293. … something to clear my mind of the tired spiral of thoughts.

p. 297. It wouldn't do to let them down. They'll be counting on

Unit X (p. P. 307 - 337) Part I First Reading

A. Thinking about the Chapters

Your personal impressions of Thomas? What features of his character particularly cause disgust? In what key is he depicted by the author?

B. Understanding the Plot

1. What was Thomas's business? Why were his instincts right? What market share did he build up? (p. p. 307 — 309)

2. What did the computarization of the exchange market mean for bankers? Especially for Thomas? What is the role of Margaret Thatcher in this? (p. p. 309 — 311)

3. What was Thomas's idiosyncrasy? (p. p. 311 — 312)

4. Where were Henry and Thomas sitting and what were the main themes of their conversation? What troubled them most? (p. p. 312 — 315)

5. What episode from his past life which took place late spring of 1961 at Twickenham Studios did Thomas recollect? How is it connected with the actor Sid James? (p. p. 315 — 320)

6. What way did Thomas make profit for his bank? Were these ways honest? What way was he looking at people, literally and figuratevely? Whose money was he gambling with? What did the privatization programme mean? What is the takeover business? (p. p. 321 — 323)

7. Why did Michael think that Thomas was an accessory to his father's death? (p. p. 323 — 324)

8. How did Michael spend his evenings with Fiona? What was wrong with her? (p. p. 325 — 326, p. p. 328 — 329)

9. What did you learn about Michael's visit to his parents in Birmingham? What was his mother fond of? (p. p. 326 — 327)

10. What news did Michael get when trying to bring his mind into focus of writing sexual scenes? (p. 332)

11. What was the call about? (p. p. 336 — 337)

Part II Second Reading

A. Exploring Themes

1. How is the bank system presented in the novel? What role did it play in the country? Negative or positive? How is it connected with politics? Was it good for ordinary people?

2. What is 'knighthood' in England?

3. Why did Thomas screen himself from the world?

B. Judging for Yourself

1. What is the significance of the film 'What a Carve Up!' for this chapter?

2. How can you interpret the passage about Thomas's eyes? (p. p. 311 — 312)

3. What can you say about the quizes on TV that Michael's mother watched? Were they useful? Whom and what for? (p. p. 327 — 328) Lexical games?

C. Making Connections

1. When did video-systems appear in Great Britain and in this country? Do you think they are useful? Where can they be used? (p. 308)

2. What do you think about the role of TV in our lives? Is it really sickness of soul and body? How does Michael depict it? (p. 325)

3. What do you think about the role of bank system in Great Britain as compared with this country?

4. What can you say about the life of pensioners in Great Britain as compared with this country?