Ultimate Quiz On The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty

You might have to read the story a few times to keep track of the jumps between reality and fantasy -- it can get quite confusing! Think about why Walter Mitty spends so much of his time escaping into fantasy worlds.

The correct answer is "uses his imagination to escape from reality." The story of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty revolves around a man named Walter Mitty who often daydreams and creates elaborate fantasies to escape from the monotony of his everyday life. Throughout the story, Mitty's imagination takes him on various adventures and allows him to experience excitement and thrill that he lacks in reality. This is evident in his daydreams where he imagines himself as a heroic figure in different scenarios. Thus, the answer accurately describes Mitty's coping mechanism of using his imagination to escape from the mundane reality.

Think about Walter's daydreams. What kind of qualities does he imagine himself as possessing? What might this say about him?

The writer begins the story with the daydream of Mitty commanding a navy seaplane in a storm because he wants to grab the reader's attention. This opening scene is dramatic and exciting, immediately capturing the reader's interest. It sets the tone for the story and hints at Mitty's desire for adventure and escape from his mundane life. By starting with such an attention-grabbing daydream, the writer ensures that the reader is hooked from the very beginning.

It's true that readers might get a somewhat biased view of the story -- after all, we never see the events from Mrs Mitty's perspective! What's important, though, is that by following Walter's thoughts and daydreams, we as readers understand him better as a character and grow to sympathise with him.

Think about the way characters in Walter's daydreams treat him and the way he's treated by people in his real life (eg. his wife, the parking attendant etc.). Is there a contrast?

Mrs. Mitty's feelings about Walter can be inferred from the fact that she is irritated by his absentmindedness. This suggests that she is frustrated or annoyed with him for being forgetful or not paying attention.

The sentence "Full strength in No. 3 turret!" would not help you understand that Walter Mitty is driving a car because it mentions a turret, which is typically associated with a military vehicle or a ship, not a car.

Most of the story consists of Walter daydreaming. Do you think a story like this could be told from any other point of view?

--> If you're faced with an unfamililar word, it's also helpful to look at prefixes and suffixes. For example, what does "in-" or "un-" at the start of a word normally indicate? What might "-able" at the end of a word indicate?

--> Can you think of a word that contains the same root word as "inscrutable" and means "to examine closely"?

We know what Walter Mitty thinks of himself from his daydreams. It's also important to look at how OTHER characters think of Walter and the way they treat him.

Events in a story often reflect or mirror characters' thoughts, feelings and emotions. What do Walter's daydreams say about the way he views his own life?

Go back and read the text carefully. Try to spot the specific triggers that set off each of Walter's daydreams.

When people dream about a dramatically different life, it can mean that they're in some way unhappy or discontented with the life they do have. Can you think of other books or movies where characters use their imagination to escape reality?

If you got this answer wrong, look up the meaning of "insinuating" in a dictionary or online. Do this every time you come across an unfamiliar word in any of your lessons -- it's a simple way to build your vocabulary.