Q. Who wrote the play The Proposal?
Ans. The Proposal was written by the Russian playwright Anton Chekhov.
Q. Who are the three main characters in The Proposal?
Ans. The three main characters are Ivan Vassilevitch Lomov, Natalya Stepanovna and Stepan Stepanovitch Chubukov.
Q. Why did Lomov visit Chubukov?
Ans. Lomov visited Chubukov to ask for his daughter Natalya's hand in marriage.
Q. How old was Lomov?
Ans. Lomov was thirty-five years old.
Q. How old was Natalya?
Ans. Natalya was twenty-five years old.
Q. Why did Chubukov welcome Lomov warmly?
Ans. Chubukov was delighted because he hoped Lomov had come to propose marriage to Natalya.
Q. What was Lomov wearing when he arrived?
Ans. Lomov arrived dressed formally in evening clothes and wearing gloves.
Q. Why did Lomov want to marry Natalya?
Ans. He wanted to marry because he considered her a suitable match and wished to settle into a peaceful family life.
Q. What were Oxen Meadows?
Ans. Oxen Meadows were disputed pieces of land claimed by both Lomov and the Chubukov family.
Q. Why did Lomov and Natalya quarrel about Oxen Meadows?
Ans. They disagreed about who legally owned the land and each insisted that it belonged to their family.
Q. How did Natalya react when she learned that Lomov had come to propose?
Ans. She became upset that she had argued with him and insisted that he should be brought back immediately.
Q. Who was Chubukov?
Ans. Chubukov was Natalya's father and a landowner who wanted her to marry Lomov.
Q. What were the names of Lomov's and Natalya's dogs?
Ans. Lomov's dog was Guess, and Natalya's dog was Squeezer.
Q. Why did Lomov and Natalya quarrel about their dogs?
Ans. They argued about which dog was better, with Lomov praising Guess and Natalya defending Squeezer.
Q. Why did Lomov suffer from nervous attacks?
Ans. Lomov described suffering from palpitations, trembling and other nervous symptoms, especially during stressful arguments.
Q. What happened to Lomov during the arguments?
Ans. He became extremely agitated, experienced physical distress and eventually collapsed.
Q. Why did Chubukov call Lomov names during the quarrels?
Ans. Chubukov became angry during the disputes and exchanged insults with Lomov.
Q. How was the marriage proposal finally accepted?
Ans. After the misunderstandings were resolved, Chubukov urged the couple to marry, and Lomov and Natalya accepted.
Q. What is ironic about the ending of The Proposal?
Ans. Although the couple becomes engaged, they immediately continue arguing about their dogs.
Q. What is the main theme of The Proposal?
Ans. The play satirises pride, greed, petty quarrels and the foolishness of people who value arguments over relationships.