1. Point out at least two instances in Great Ambitions that show Dickens's ability to mimic and imitate people. How does this ability relate to Dickens's life and writing?

2. Point out several instances in which Dickens works hard to educate himself.

3. Point out several instances in which Kyle shows just how infatuated Dickens was with Maria Beadnell. Point out several instances that reveal Maria's coquetry.

4. Does Dickens do the honorable thing in ending his relationship with Maria?

5. Towards the end of Great Ambitions, Dickens feels sorry for his crippled nephew. What is significant about Dickens's comment that in one of his stories the crippled boy will get well? To what work is he referring?

6. Kyle is adept at describing London's slums. Pick out several passages in which she captures the reader's imagination with her description.

7. When Great Ambitions ends, Dickens and his family are moving...