Golden Pants - Vocabulary + Questions

A Short Story by Roger Lemelin _____/ 82 pts ( ____ / 106 total )

(Words are listed in the order they appear in the story.) Name: _________________________

commonplace wisdom
nonsense
perfect proportion
guinea pig
catastrophic
askew
irregularities
height of his excruciating timidity
imprisoned in one of her masterpieces
profited
“the first by whom the new is tried”
new dimensions
remorse
lice-infested weathercock
sacristy
parish church
exemplary
cassocks
church linen
maternal sewing factory
inexhaustible seamstress
It was the black days of 1931.
upholstery
luster
dowdy brown
great gusto
rebrushed
ambitiously
sheen
fate struck
church ornament
month of the Virgin Mary
Holy Saints
appetite
bolsters
agony
pinnacle of my humiliation
fourteenth Station of the Cross
endured the mocking smiles
throbbing
lurked
mounted guard
obliged
refuge
severe
catechism lesson
stuttered
mortal sin
withering
bishop
heretic
deceived
leaden silence
paralyzed
deny
furiously
buttocks
plush
air cushion
phenomenon
redoubled
flailing
unperturbed
persecutor
pity
infuriated
well-scourged backside
wave of admiration
pale with exertion
deep apology
implored me for mercy
fine gesture
charity
dignity
children admire courage
flinching
muscle
I gloried in their admiration
vague feeling of guilt
twittering with admiration
incontestable ruler-proof qualities
sure of myself

Golden Pants
A Short Story by Roger Lemelin. - ___/ 10 pts

Content Quiz /10 marks (one mark each)

Answer briefly. You do not need to write in full sentences. If one or two words will answer the
question, you do not need to write more.

1. When did Roger’s mother master the craft of sewing, according to the author?

2. Where did Roger’s mother acquire most of the fabric for the clothes she made for her
children?

3. Where did Roger’s mother get the fabric for Roger’s golden pants?

4. In which month did Roger’s mother complete sewing his golden pants?

5. For inappropriate act did Roger get blamed?

6. Who lied and told the teacher Roger was the culprit?

7. What was Roger’s punishment, administered by the teacher?

8. What prevented the teacher’s punishment from affecting Roger?

9. How did the teacher discover Roger was innocent?

10. Who decided the punishment or fate of the student who was really guilty of the act?

Golden Pants
A Short Story by Roger Lemelin - _____ / 14 pts

Comprehension Questions and Literary Investigations

1. The first two pages are devoted to describing the sewing creations of Roger’s mother. How
does this detailed description establish setting, time, place and mood in the story?
2. (a) List at least three points of this story that lead you to believe this story is non-fiction, a
memoir?

(b) Choose one anecdote or detail you believe is likely hyperbole.

(c) Does every detail of a work need to be true to be a memoir; explain your response.

3. This story is set in “the black days of 1931". (a) List at least three details that reinforce it is
set in the 1930s.

(b) Could this story be set today? Why or why not? Support your opinion with direct references
to the story.

4. There are many references to Catholicism in the story. Do you think Roger’s religion has
anything to do with his decision to show mercy to Fontaine, his enemy? Support your opinion.
(You may need to discuss some of the references as a class if you do not have knowledge of the
references.)
5. (a) List all the actions of the teacher that show he is not a model for Restorative Practice.

(b) Is the teacher acting in a restorative manner when he Roger if he wants him to beat Fontaine?
Support your opinion by drawing both the story and your knowledge of the principles of
restorative practice.

(c) How realistic is it that a teacher would actually beat a student in front of the class in the
1930s? (You may want to research corporal punishment. Talk to your parents and
grandparents.)

6. (a) Is Roger really a hero because he extends mercy to his enemy? Support your opinion.

(b) What is the source “guilt” Roger expresses when he says: “I glorified in their admiration, but
a vague feeling of guilt began to stir in my heart.”

7. Could the pants be any other colour than “golden” in this story? Why is it appropriate for the
pants to be “golden”? (Think about the associations we typically made with the colour gold and
other colours. Colours do not hold the same significance in all cultures and the significance even
changes over time.)
8. In small groups, role play the story from the point where Roger is wrongly accused.
Substitute the teacher in the story with a teacher who takes a restorative approach to the whole
scenario. You may even come up with more than one role play. There are always many ways to
successfully resolve conflict in a restorative manner. (Note: Do not create a circle. You can
preempt the need for a circle, if the problem is dealt with before the matter gets really out of
hand.)