Question

purpose for reading: the following passage is the opening scene of bernard shaws play pygmalion, which explores themes of social class and gender norms in england during the early 1900s. pay close attention to the dialogue between characters and consider the question: how does the setting amplify the characters frustrations and societal differences?
act i
excerpt from pygmalion, by bernard shaw
covent garden at 11.15 p.m. torrents of heavy summer rain. cab whistles blowing frantically in all directions. pedestrians running for shelter into the market and under the portico of st. pauls church, where there are already several people, among them a lady and her daughter in evening dress. they are all peering out gloomily at the rain, except one man with his back turned to the rest, who seems wholly preoccupied with a notebook in which he is writing busily.
the church clock strikes the first quarter.
how does the mother react to freddys failure to find a cab?
she grabs the umbrella and decides to go find a cab herself.
she expresses disbelief and insists he didnt try hard enough.
she praises his effort and shows appreciation to him.
she ignores the situation because she is too busy socializing.

Explanation:

The question is about analyzing a character's reaction in a literary context. In the play Pygmalion, the mother's reaction to Freddy's failure to find a cab is analyzed through her dialogue. When Freddy fails, she expresses disbelief and insists he didn't try hard enough. This shows her lack of empathy and her adherence to certain expectations (maybe related to class or gender norms as the play explores such themes).

Answer:

She expresses disbelief and insists he didn't try hard enough.