YuITC/NarrativeQA-Dataset-Restructured huggingface dataset:
Henry Handel Richardson was the pseudonym of Ethel Florence Lindesay Richardson, a writer who was born in 1870 to a reasonably well-off family which later fell on hard times. The author's family lived in various Victorian towns and from the age of 13 to 17 Richardson attended boarding school at the Presbyterian Ladies' College in Melbourne, Victoria. It's this experience that feeds directly into The Getting of Wisdom.
Laura Tweedle Rambotham, the main character, is the eldest child of a country family. She is a clever and highly imaginative child, given to inventing romantic stories for the entertainment of her younger siblings, and an avid reader. She is also both proud and sensitive and her mother finds her difficult to handle. Her mother is the widow of a barrister who supports her family in genteel poverty on her earnings from embroidery. At the age of twelve Laura is sent off to boarding school in Melbourne. Her experiences at school shock and humiliate the unworldly Laura. The girls at the school are generally from rather wealthy families and those, like Laura, who come from less fortunate backgrounds learn very early not to divulge their circumstances for fear of ridicule. From time to time Laura lets little snippets of information about her family slip out, and she suffers for it.
In fact, these seem to be the main forces controlling the action of this book: fear of the judgements of one's peers, the desire to "fit in", embarrassment about one's familyâit is shameful to have a mother who works for a livingâand the desire to "better" oneself by belittling others. None of the girls in the school, nor the teachers for that matter, come across as anything but self-serving and boorish. Even Laura, who starts out so young and strong and idealistic, surrenders to the role expected of her. Essentially, this is a story about the destruction of innocence.
Laura undergoes a form of redemption at the end of the book, convincing herself that cheating in an exam is actually God's will, and then later deciding that while she was wrong to do so, she got away with it and therefore God had no actual hand in the matter or else he would have punished her for the sin. A neat case of self-delusion. At the end, when Laura is walking away from the school for the last time, she is overcome with a desire to run, and the last we see of her is a rapidly diminishing form disappearing through a park. She is free at last: free of the overwhelming constrictions of the school, the teachers' expectations and the other schoolgirls' callous disregard.

Question: What are the main forces controlling the action in this story?
Answer: Fear of judgement, desire to fit in, family embaressment, and the desire to better one's self
Henry Handel Richardson was the pseudonym of Ethel Florence Lindesay Richardson, a writer who was born in 1870 to a reasonably well-off family which later fell on hard times. The author's family lived in various Victorian towns and from the age of 13 to 17 Richardson attended boarding school at the Presbyterian Ladies' College in Melbourne, Victoria. It's this experience that feeds directly into The Getting of Wisdom.
Laura Tweedle Rambotham, the main character, is the eldest child of a country family. She is a clever and highly imaginative child, given to inventing romantic stories for the entertainment of her younger siblings, and an avid reader. She is also both proud and sensitive and her mother finds her difficult to handle. Her mother is the widow of a barrister who supports her family in genteel poverty on her earnings from embroidery. At the age of twelve Laura is sent off to boarding school in Melbourne. Her experiences at school shock and humiliate the unworldly Laura. The girls at the school are generally from rather wealthy families and those, like Laura, who come from less fortunate backgrounds learn very early not to divulge their circumstances for fear of ridicule. From time to time Laura lets little snippets of information about her family slip out, and she suffers for it.
In fact, these seem to be the main forces controlling the action of this book: fear of the judgements of one's peers, the desire to "fit in", embarrassment about one's familyâit is shameful to have a mother who works for a livingâand the desire to "better" oneself by belittling others. None of the girls in the school, nor the teachers for that matter, come across as anything but self-serving and boorish. Even Laura, who starts out so young and strong and idealistic, surrenders to the role expected of her. Essentially, this is a story about the destruction of innocence.
Laura undergoes a form of redemption at the end of the book, convincing herself that cheating in an exam is actually God's will, and then later deciding that while she was wrong to do so, she got away with it and therefore God had no actual hand in the matter or else he would have punished her for the sin. A neat case of self-delusion. At the end, when Laura is walking away from the school for the last time, she is overcome with a desire to run, and the last we see of her is a rapidly diminishing form disappearing through a park. She is free at last: free of the overwhelming constrictions of the school, the teachers' expectations and the other schoolgirls' callous disregard.

Question: How do the girls and teachers at the school come across?
Answer: As self-serving and boorish
Henry Handel Richardson was the pseudonym of Ethel Florence Lindesay Richardson, a writer who was born in 1870 to a reasonably well-off family which later fell on hard times. The author's family lived in various Victorian towns and from the age of 13 to 17 Richardson attended boarding school at the Presbyterian Ladies' College in Melbourne, Victoria. It's this experience that feeds directly into The Getting of Wisdom.
Laura Tweedle Rambotham, the main character, is the eldest child of a country family. She is a clever and highly imaginative child, given to inventing romantic stories for the entertainment of her younger siblings, and an avid reader. She is also both proud and sensitive and her mother finds her difficult to handle. Her mother is the widow of a barrister who supports her family in genteel poverty on her earnings from embroidery. At the age of twelve Laura is sent off to boarding school in Melbourne. Her experiences at school shock and humiliate the unworldly Laura. The girls at the school are generally from rather wealthy families and those, like Laura, who come from less fortunate backgrounds learn very early not to divulge their circumstances for fear of ridicule. From time to time Laura lets little snippets of information about her family slip out, and she suffers for it.
In fact, these seem to be the main forces controlling the action of this book: fear of the judgements of one's peers, the desire to "fit in", embarrassment about one's familyâit is shameful to have a mother who works for a livingâand the desire to "better" oneself by belittling others. None of the girls in the school, nor the teachers for that matter, come across as anything but self-serving and boorish. Even Laura, who starts out so young and strong and idealistic, surrenders to the role expected of her. Essentially, this is a story about the destruction of innocence.
Laura undergoes a form of redemption at the end of the book, convincing herself that cheating in an exam is actually God's will, and then later deciding that while she was wrong to do so, she got away with it and therefore God had no actual hand in the matter or else he would have punished her for the sin. A neat case of self-delusion. At the end, when Laura is walking away from the school for the last time, she is overcome with a desire to run, and the last we see of her is a rapidly diminishing form disappearing through a park. She is free at last: free of the overwhelming constrictions of the school, the teachers' expectations and the other schoolgirls' callous disregard.

Question: Where is the last place we see Laura?
Answer: Running away from the school through a park
Henry Handel Richardson was the pseudonym of Ethel Florence Lindesay Richardson, a writer who was born in 1870 to a reasonably well-off family which later fell on hard times. The author's family lived in various Victorian towns and from the age of 13 to 17 Richardson attended boarding school at the Presbyterian Ladies' College in Melbourne, Victoria. It's this experience that feeds directly into The Getting of Wisdom.
Laura Tweedle Rambotham, the main character, is the eldest child of a country family. She is a clever and highly imaginative child, given to inventing romantic stories for the entertainment of her younger siblings, and an avid reader. She is also both proud and sensitive and her mother finds her difficult to handle. Her mother is the widow of a barrister who supports her family in genteel poverty on her earnings from embroidery. At the age of twelve Laura is sent off to boarding school in Melbourne. Her experiences at school shock and humiliate the unworldly Laura. The girls at the school are generally from rather wealthy families and those, like Laura, who come from less fortunate backgrounds learn very early not to divulge their circumstances for fear of ridicule. From time to time Laura lets little snippets of information about her family slip out, and she suffers for it.
In fact, these seem to be the main forces controlling the action of this book: fear of the judgements of one's peers, the desire to "fit in", embarrassment about one's familyâit is shameful to have a mother who works for a livingâand the desire to "better" oneself by belittling others. None of the girls in the school, nor the teachers for that matter, come across as anything but self-serving and boorish. Even Laura, who starts out so young and strong and idealistic, surrenders to the role expected of her. Essentially, this is a story about the destruction of innocence.
Laura undergoes a form of redemption at the end of the book, convincing herself that cheating in an exam is actually God's will, and then later deciding that while she was wrong to do so, she got away with it and therefore God had no actual hand in the matter or else he would have punished her for the sin. A neat case of self-delusion. At the end, when Laura is walking away from the school for the last time, she is overcome with a desire to run, and the last we see of her is a rapidly diminishing form disappearing through a park. She is free at last: free of the overwhelming constrictions of the school, the teachers' expectations and the other schoolgirls' callous disregard.

Question: What was the pen name of Ethel Florence Lindesay Richardson?
Answer: Henry Handel Richardson
Henry Handel Richardson was the pseudonym of Ethel Florence Lindesay Richardson, a writer who was born in 1870 to a reasonably well-off family which later fell on hard times. The author's family lived in various Victorian towns and from the age of 13 to 17 Richardson attended boarding school at the Presbyterian Ladies' College in Melbourne, Victoria. It's this experience that feeds directly into The Getting of Wisdom.
Laura Tweedle Rambotham, the main character, is the eldest child of a country family. She is a clever and highly imaginative child, given to inventing romantic stories for the entertainment of her younger siblings, and an avid reader. She is also both proud and sensitive and her mother finds her difficult to handle. Her mother is the widow of a barrister who supports her family in genteel poverty on her earnings from embroidery. At the age of twelve Laura is sent off to boarding school in Melbourne. Her experiences at school shock and humiliate the unworldly Laura. The girls at the school are generally from rather wealthy families and those, like Laura, who come from less fortunate backgrounds learn very early not to divulge their circumstances for fear of ridicule. From time to time Laura lets little snippets of information about her family slip out, and she suffers for it.
In fact, these seem to be the main forces controlling the action of this book: fear of the judgements of one's peers, the desire to "fit in", embarrassment about one's familyâit is shameful to have a mother who works for a livingâand the desire to "better" oneself by belittling others. None of the girls in the school, nor the teachers for that matter, come across as anything but self-serving and boorish. Even Laura, who starts out so young and strong and idealistic, surrenders to the role expected of her. Essentially, this is a story about the destruction of innocence.
Laura undergoes a form of redemption at the end of the book, convincing herself that cheating in an exam is actually God's will, and then later deciding that while she was wrong to do so, she got away with it and therefore God had no actual hand in the matter or else he would have punished her for the sin. A neat case of self-delusion. At the end, when Laura is walking away from the school for the last time, she is overcome with a desire to run, and the last we see of her is a rapidly diminishing form disappearing through a park. She is free at last: free of the overwhelming constrictions of the school, the teachers' expectations and the other schoolgirls' callous disregard.

Question: How does Laura's mother support her family?
Answer: She takes in embroidery jobs
Henry Handel Richardson was the pseudonym of Ethel Florence Lindesay Richardson, a writer who was born in 1870 to a reasonably well-off family which later fell on hard times. The author's family lived in various Victorian towns and from the age of 13 to 17 Richardson attended boarding school at the Presbyterian Ladies' College in Melbourne, Victoria. It's this experience that feeds directly into The Getting of Wisdom.
Laura Tweedle Rambotham, the main character, is the eldest child of a country family. She is a clever and highly imaginative child, given to inventing romantic stories for the entertainment of her younger siblings, and an avid reader. She is also both proud and sensitive and her mother finds her difficult to handle. Her mother is the widow of a barrister who supports her family in genteel poverty on her earnings from embroidery. At the age of twelve Laura is sent off to boarding school in Melbourne. Her experiences at school shock and humiliate the unworldly Laura. The girls at the school are generally from rather wealthy families and those, like Laura, who come from less fortunate backgrounds learn very early not to divulge their circumstances for fear of ridicule. From time to time Laura lets little snippets of information about her family slip out, and she suffers for it.
In fact, these seem to be the main forces controlling the action of this book: fear of the judgements of one's peers, the desire to "fit in", embarrassment about one's familyâit is shameful to have a mother who works for a livingâand the desire to "better" oneself by belittling others. None of the girls in the school, nor the teachers for that matter, come across as anything but self-serving and boorish. Even Laura, who starts out so young and strong and idealistic, surrenders to the role expected of her. Essentially, this is a story about the destruction of innocence.
Laura undergoes a form of redemption at the end of the book, convincing herself that cheating in an exam is actually God's will, and then later deciding that while she was wrong to do so, she got away with it and therefore God had no actual hand in the matter or else he would have punished her for the sin. A neat case of self-delusion. At the end, when Laura is walking away from the school for the last time, she is overcome with a desire to run, and the last we see of her is a rapidly diminishing form disappearing through a park. She is free at last: free of the overwhelming constrictions of the school, the teachers' expectations and the other schoolgirls' callous disregard.

Question: What is one of the controlling factors that cause the girls to act how the way they do?
Answer: being afraid of other's judgement
Henry Handel Richardson was the pseudonym of Ethel Florence Lindesay Richardson, a writer who was born in 1870 to a reasonably well-off family which later fell on hard times. The author's family lived in various Victorian towns and from the age of 13 to 17 Richardson attended boarding school at the Presbyterian Ladies' College in Melbourne, Victoria. It's this experience that feeds directly into The Getting of Wisdom.
Laura Tweedle Rambotham, the main character, is the eldest child of a country family. She is a clever and highly imaginative child, given to inventing romantic stories for the entertainment of her younger siblings, and an avid reader. She is also both proud and sensitive and her mother finds her difficult to handle. Her mother is the widow of a barrister who supports her family in genteel poverty on her earnings from embroidery. At the age of twelve Laura is sent off to boarding school in Melbourne. Her experiences at school shock and humiliate the unworldly Laura. The girls at the school are generally from rather wealthy families and those, like Laura, who come from less fortunate backgrounds learn very early not to divulge their circumstances for fear of ridicule. From time to time Laura lets little snippets of information about her family slip out, and she suffers for it.
In fact, these seem to be the main forces controlling the action of this book: fear of the judgements of one's peers, the desire to "fit in", embarrassment about one's familyâit is shameful to have a mother who works for a livingâand the desire to "better" oneself by belittling others. None of the girls in the school, nor the teachers for that matter, come across as anything but self-serving and boorish. Even Laura, who starts out so young and strong and idealistic, surrenders to the role expected of her. Essentially, this is a story about the destruction of innocence.
Laura undergoes a form of redemption at the end of the book, convincing herself that cheating in an exam is actually God's will, and then later deciding that while she was wrong to do so, she got away with it and therefore God had no actual hand in the matter or else he would have punished her for the sin. A neat case of self-delusion. At the end, when Laura is walking away from the school for the last time, she is overcome with a desire to run, and the last we see of her is a rapidly diminishing form disappearing through a park. She is free at last: free of the overwhelming constrictions of the school, the teachers' expectations and the other schoolgirls' callous disregard.

Question: What kind of personality does the students, teachers, and eventually even Laura have at this school?
Answer: they are selfish and rude
Henry Handel Richardson was the pseudonym of Ethel Florence Lindesay Richardson, a writer who was born in 1870 to a reasonably well-off family which later fell on hard times. The author's family lived in various Victorian towns and from the age of 13 to 17 Richardson attended boarding school at the Presbyterian Ladies' College in Melbourne, Victoria. It's this experience that feeds directly into The Getting of Wisdom.
Laura Tweedle Rambotham, the main character, is the eldest child of a country family. She is a clever and highly imaginative child, given to inventing romantic stories for the entertainment of her younger siblings, and an avid reader. She is also both proud and sensitive and her mother finds her difficult to handle. Her mother is the widow of a barrister who supports her family in genteel poverty on her earnings from embroidery. At the age of twelve Laura is sent off to boarding school in Melbourne. Her experiences at school shock and humiliate the unworldly Laura. The girls at the school are generally from rather wealthy families and those, like Laura, who come from less fortunate backgrounds learn very early not to divulge their circumstances for fear of ridicule. From time to time Laura lets little snippets of information about her family slip out, and she suffers for it.
In fact, these seem to be the main forces controlling the action of this book: fear of the judgements of one's peers, the desire to "fit in", embarrassment about one's familyâit is shameful to have a mother who works for a livingâand the desire to "better" oneself by belittling others. None of the girls in the school, nor the teachers for that matter, come across as anything but self-serving and boorish. Even Laura, who starts out so young and strong and idealistic, surrenders to the role expected of her. Essentially, this is a story about the destruction of innocence.
Laura undergoes a form of redemption at the end of the book, convincing herself that cheating in an exam is actually God's will, and then later deciding that while she was wrong to do so, she got away with it and therefore God had no actual hand in the matter or else he would have punished her for the sin. A neat case of self-delusion. At the end, when Laura is walking away from the school for the last time, she is overcome with a desire to run, and the last we see of her is a rapidly diminishing form disappearing through a park. She is free at last: free of the overwhelming constrictions of the school, the teachers' expectations and the other schoolgirls' callous disregard.

Question: Why does Laura think that cheating on a test is God's will?
Answer: When she doesn't get caught or punished, she decided that God had nothing to do with what she did..
Henry Handel Richardson was the pseudonym of Ethel Florence Lindesay Richardson, a writer who was born in 1870 to a reasonably well-off family which later fell on hard times. The author's family lived in various Victorian towns and from the age of 13 to 17 Richardson attended boarding school at the Presbyterian Ladies' College in Melbourne, Victoria. It's this experience that feeds directly into The Getting of Wisdom.
Laura Tweedle Rambotham, the main character, is the eldest child of a country family. She is a clever and highly imaginative child, given to inventing romantic stories for the entertainment of her younger siblings, and an avid reader. She is also both proud and sensitive and her mother finds her difficult to handle. Her mother is the widow of a barrister who supports her family in genteel poverty on her earnings from embroidery. At the age of twelve Laura is sent off to boarding school in Melbourne. Her experiences at school shock and humiliate the unworldly Laura. The girls at the school are generally from rather wealthy families and those, like Laura, who come from less fortunate backgrounds learn very early not to divulge their circumstances for fear of ridicule. From time to time Laura lets little snippets of information about her family slip out, and she suffers for it.
In fact, these seem to be the main forces controlling the action of this book: fear of the judgements of one's peers, the desire to "fit in", embarrassment about one's familyâit is shameful to have a mother who works for a livingâand the desire to "better" oneself by belittling others. None of the girls in the school, nor the teachers for that matter, come across as anything but self-serving and boorish. Even Laura, who starts out so young and strong and idealistic, surrenders to the role expected of her. Essentially, this is a story about the destruction of innocence.
Laura undergoes a form of redemption at the end of the book, convincing herself that cheating in an exam is actually God's will, and then later deciding that while she was wrong to do so, she got away with it and therefore God had no actual hand in the matter or else he would have punished her for the sin. A neat case of self-delusion. At the end, when Laura is walking away from the school for the last time, she is overcome with a desire to run, and the last we see of her is a rapidly diminishing form disappearing through a park. She is free at last: free of the overwhelming constrictions of the school, the teachers' expectations and the other schoolgirls' callous disregard.

Question: What happens at school whenever Laura lets anything about their home life and family slip to the other girls at school?
Answer: they are ridiculed
Henry Handel Richardson was the pseudonym of Ethel Florence Lindesay Richardson, a writer who was born in 1870 to a reasonably well-off family which later fell on hard times. The author's family lived in various Victorian towns and from the age of 13 to 17 Richardson attended boarding school at the Presbyterian Ladies' College in Melbourne, Victoria. It's this experience that feeds directly into The Getting of Wisdom.
Laura Tweedle Rambotham, the main character, is the eldest child of a country family. She is a clever and highly imaginative child, given to inventing romantic stories for the entertainment of her younger siblings, and an avid reader. She is also both proud and sensitive and her mother finds her difficult to handle. Her mother is the widow of a barrister who supports her family in genteel poverty on her earnings from embroidery. At the age of twelve Laura is sent off to boarding school in Melbourne. Her experiences at school shock and humiliate the unworldly Laura. The girls at the school are generally from rather wealthy families and those, like Laura, who come from less fortunate backgrounds learn very early not to divulge their circumstances for fear of ridicule. From time to time Laura lets little snippets of information about her family slip out, and she suffers for it.
In fact, these seem to be the main forces controlling the action of this book: fear of the judgements of one's peers, the desire to "fit in", embarrassment about one's familyâit is shameful to have a mother who works for a livingâand the desire to "better" oneself by belittling others. None of the girls in the school, nor the teachers for that matter, come across as anything but self-serving and boorish. Even Laura, who starts out so young and strong and idealistic, surrenders to the role expected of her. Essentially, this is a story about the destruction of innocence.
Laura undergoes a form of redemption at the end of the book, convincing herself that cheating in an exam is actually God's will, and then later deciding that while she was wrong to do so, she got away with it and therefore God had no actual hand in the matter or else he would have punished her for the sin. A neat case of self-delusion. At the end, when Laura is walking away from the school for the last time, she is overcome with a desire to run, and the last we see of her is a rapidly diminishing form disappearing through a park. She is free at last: free of the overwhelming constrictions of the school, the teachers' expectations and the other schoolgirls' callous disregard.

Question: How does Laura entertain her siblings while at home?
Answer: she makes up crazy stories for them
Henry Handel Richardson was the pseudonym of Ethel Florence Lindesay Richardson, a writer who was born in 1870 to a reasonably well-off family which later fell on hard times. The author's family lived in various Victorian towns and from the age of 13 to 17 Richardson attended boarding school at the Presbyterian Ladies' College in Melbourne, Victoria. It's this experience that feeds directly into The Getting of Wisdom.
Laura Tweedle Rambotham, the main character, is the eldest child of a country family. She is a clever and highly imaginative child, given to inventing romantic stories for the entertainment of her younger siblings, and an avid reader. She is also both proud and sensitive and her mother finds her difficult to handle. Her mother is the widow of a barrister who supports her family in genteel poverty on her earnings from embroidery. At the age of twelve Laura is sent off to boarding school in Melbourne. Her experiences at school shock and humiliate the unworldly Laura. The girls at the school are generally from rather wealthy families and those, like Laura, who come from less fortunate backgrounds learn very early not to divulge their circumstances for fear of ridicule. From time to time Laura lets little snippets of information about her family slip out, and she suffers for it.
In fact, these seem to be the main forces controlling the action of this book: fear of the judgements of one's peers, the desire to "fit in", embarrassment about one's familyâit is shameful to have a mother who works for a livingâand the desire to "better" oneself by belittling others. None of the girls in the school, nor the teachers for that matter, come across as anything but self-serving and boorish. Even Laura, who starts out so young and strong and idealistic, surrenders to the role expected of her. Essentially, this is a story about the destruction of innocence.
Laura undergoes a form of redemption at the end of the book, convincing herself that cheating in an exam is actually God's will, and then later deciding that while she was wrong to do so, she got away with it and therefore God had no actual hand in the matter or else he would have punished her for the sin. A neat case of self-delusion. At the end, when Laura is walking away from the school for the last time, she is overcome with a desire to run, and the last we see of her is a rapidly diminishing form disappearing through a park. She is free at last: free of the overwhelming constrictions of the school, the teachers' expectations and the other schoolgirls' callous disregard.

Question: Where does Ethel Richardson attend school?
Answer: Presbyterian Ladies' College
Henry Handel Richardson was the pseudonym of Ethel Florence Lindesay Richardson, a writer who was born in 1870 to a reasonably well-off family which later fell on hard times. The author's family lived in various Victorian towns and from the age of 13 to 17 Richardson attended boarding school at the Presbyterian Ladies' College in Melbourne, Victoria. It's this experience that feeds directly into The Getting of Wisdom.
Laura Tweedle Rambotham, the main character, is the eldest child of a country family. She is a clever and highly imaginative child, given to inventing romantic stories for the entertainment of her younger siblings, and an avid reader. She is also both proud and sensitive and her mother finds her difficult to handle. Her mother is the widow of a barrister who supports her family in genteel poverty on her earnings from embroidery. At the age of twelve Laura is sent off to boarding school in Melbourne. Her experiences at school shock and humiliate the unworldly Laura. The girls at the school are generally from rather wealthy families and those, like Laura, who come from less fortunate backgrounds learn very early not to divulge their circumstances for fear of ridicule. From time to time Laura lets little snippets of information about her family slip out, and she suffers for it.
In fact, these seem to be the main forces controlling the action of this book: fear of the judgements of one's peers, the desire to "fit in", embarrassment about one's familyâit is shameful to have a mother who works for a livingâand the desire to "better" oneself by belittling others. None of the girls in the school, nor the teachers for that matter, come across as anything but self-serving and boorish. Even Laura, who starts out so young and strong and idealistic, surrenders to the role expected of her. Essentially, this is a story about the destruction of innocence.
Laura undergoes a form of redemption at the end of the book, convincing herself that cheating in an exam is actually God's will, and then later deciding that while she was wrong to do so, she got away with it and therefore God had no actual hand in the matter or else he would have punished her for the sin. A neat case of self-delusion. At the end, when Laura is walking away from the school for the last time, she is overcome with a desire to run, and the last we see of her is a rapidly diminishing form disappearing through a park. She is free at last: free of the overwhelming constrictions of the school, the teachers' expectations and the other schoolgirls' callous disregard.

Question: What ages does Ethel Richardson attend Presbyterian Ladies' College?
Answer: She attended school from the ages of 13 to 17
Henry Handel Richardson was the pseudonym of Ethel Florence Lindesay Richardson, a writer who was born in 1870 to a reasonably well-off family which later fell on hard times. The author's family lived in various Victorian towns and from the age of 13 to 17 Richardson attended boarding school at the Presbyterian Ladies' College in Melbourne, Victoria. It's this experience that feeds directly into The Getting of Wisdom.
Laura Tweedle Rambotham, the main character, is the eldest child of a country family. She is a clever and highly imaginative child, given to inventing romantic stories for the entertainment of her younger siblings, and an avid reader. She is also both proud and sensitive and her mother finds her difficult to handle. Her mother is the widow of a barrister who supports her family in genteel poverty on her earnings from embroidery. At the age of twelve Laura is sent off to boarding school in Melbourne. Her experiences at school shock and humiliate the unworldly Laura. The girls at the school are generally from rather wealthy families and those, like Laura, who come from less fortunate backgrounds learn very early not to divulge their circumstances for fear of ridicule. From time to time Laura lets little snippets of information about her family slip out, and she suffers for it.
In fact, these seem to be the main forces controlling the action of this book: fear of the judgements of one's peers, the desire to "fit in", embarrassment about one's familyâit is shameful to have a mother who works for a livingâand the desire to "better" oneself by belittling others. None of the girls in the school, nor the teachers for that matter, come across as anything but self-serving and boorish. Even Laura, who starts out so young and strong and idealistic, surrenders to the role expected of her. Essentially, this is a story about the destruction of innocence.
Laura undergoes a form of redemption at the end of the book, convincing herself that cheating in an exam is actually God's will, and then later deciding that while she was wrong to do so, she got away with it and therefore God had no actual hand in the matter or else he would have punished her for the sin. A neat case of self-delusion. At the end, when Laura is walking away from the school for the last time, she is overcome with a desire to run, and the last we see of her is a rapidly diminishing form disappearing through a park. She is free at last: free of the overwhelming constrictions of the school, the teachers' expectations and the other schoolgirls' callous disregard.

Question: Why is the ruling theme to this story about the destruction of innocence?
Answer: Laura must get over the shame of her mother working and learn to make fun of others for every little difference.
In 2805, Earth is abandoned and largely contaminated with garbage, with its people evacuating with megacorporation Buy-N-Large's starliners. In place, BnL leaves WALL-E compactors to clean up, however only one survives and gains sentience. One day, WALL-E discovers a healthy seedling. Later, a spaceship deploys an EVE probe from the starliner Axiom to scan Earth. WALL-E is infatuated with the initially hostile EVE, who gradually befriends him. When WALL-E brings EVE to his trailer and shows her the plant, she standbys and encapsulates the plant. WALL-E, confused, unsuccessfully tries to reactivate her. The ship then collects EVE, with WALL-E clinging on, and travels to the nebula-concealed Axiom.
Onboard, the ship's passengers have become obese due to microgravity and reliance on automated crew and hoverchairs. The ship's current captain, McCrea, leaves primary controls under the robotic autopilot, AUTO. WALL-E follows EVE to the captain's bridge, where McCrea learns that by placing the plant in the Holo-Detector to verify, the Axiom will hyperjump back to Earth so the passengers can recolonize it. However, AUTO orders McCrea's robotic assistant GO-4 to steal the plant as part of his own no-return directive A113, which was issued to BnL autopilots after the corporation concluded in 2110 that the planet could not be saved.
EVE is considered faulty and taken to Diagnostics, along with WALL-E for cleaning, mistaking the procedure as torture and accidentally freeing malfunctioning robots. Sentinels target the duo, while EVE evades them and takes WALL-E an escape pod to send him home for safety. However, GO-4 is revealed to have the plant, placing it inside a self-destruct pod, jettisoning it as WALL-E enters. WALL-E escapes with the plant before self-destruction and uses a fire extinguisher to propel himself, where he and EVE reconcile and dance in space.
When the plant is brought to the captain, EVE's recordings of Earth are analyzed and McCrea concludes that they must restore it. However, AUTO reveals his directive and mutinies, severely tasering WALL-E and shutting down EVE but destroying GO-4 accidentally. McCrea activates the ship's Holo-Detector, but AUTO crushes WALL-E by closing it before McCrea, forced to walk, disables him and EVE activates the hyperjump.
Having arrived back on Earth, EVE repairs and reactivates him, with his memory erased and defaulted. Heartbroken, EVE gives WALL-E an electrical farewell kiss, restoring his memory and personality. WALL-E and EVE reunite as the humans and robots of the Axiom restore Earth and its environment.

Question: Why were the ship'spassenger's obese?
Answer: Microgravity, and relying on automated crew and hoverchairs, caused them to be obese.
In 2805, Earth is abandoned and largely contaminated with garbage, with its people evacuating with megacorporation Buy-N-Large's starliners. In place, BnL leaves WALL-E compactors to clean up, however only one survives and gains sentience. One day, WALL-E discovers a healthy seedling. Later, a spaceship deploys an EVE probe from the starliner Axiom to scan Earth. WALL-E is infatuated with the initially hostile EVE, who gradually befriends him. When WALL-E brings EVE to his trailer and shows her the plant, she standbys and encapsulates the plant. WALL-E, confused, unsuccessfully tries to reactivate her. The ship then collects EVE, with WALL-E clinging on, and travels to the nebula-concealed Axiom.
Onboard, the ship's passengers have become obese due to microgravity and reliance on automated crew and hoverchairs. The ship's current captain, McCrea, leaves primary controls under the robotic autopilot, AUTO. WALL-E follows EVE to the captain's bridge, where McCrea learns that by placing the plant in the Holo-Detector to verify, the Axiom will hyperjump back to Earth so the passengers can recolonize it. However, AUTO orders McCrea's robotic assistant GO-4 to steal the plant as part of his own no-return directive A113, which was issued to BnL autopilots after the corporation concluded in 2110 that the planet could not be saved.
EVE is considered faulty and taken to Diagnostics, along with WALL-E for cleaning, mistaking the procedure as torture and accidentally freeing malfunctioning robots. Sentinels target the duo, while EVE evades them and takes WALL-E an escape pod to send him home for safety. However, GO-4 is revealed to have the plant, placing it inside a self-destruct pod, jettisoning it as WALL-E enters. WALL-E escapes with the plant before self-destruction and uses a fire extinguisher to propel himself, where he and EVE reconcile and dance in space.
When the plant is brought to the captain, EVE's recordings of Earth are analyzed and McCrea concludes that they must restore it. However, AUTO reveals his directive and mutinies, severely tasering WALL-E and shutting down EVE but destroying GO-4 accidentally. McCrea activates the ship's Holo-Detector, but AUTO crushes WALL-E by closing it before McCrea, forced to walk, disables him and EVE activates the hyperjump.
Having arrived back on Earth, EVE repairs and reactivates him, with his memory erased and defaulted. Heartbroken, EVE gives WALL-E an electrical farewell kiss, restoring his memory and personality. WALL-E and EVE reunite as the humans and robots of the Axiom restore Earth and its environment.

Question: What is the name of the lone surviving compacter left behind to clean up?
Answer: WALL-E
In 2805, Earth is abandoned and largely contaminated with garbage, with its people evacuating with megacorporation Buy-N-Large's starliners. In place, BnL leaves WALL-E compactors to clean up, however only one survives and gains sentience. One day, WALL-E discovers a healthy seedling. Later, a spaceship deploys an EVE probe from the starliner Axiom to scan Earth. WALL-E is infatuated with the initially hostile EVE, who gradually befriends him. When WALL-E brings EVE to his trailer and shows her the plant, she standbys and encapsulates the plant. WALL-E, confused, unsuccessfully tries to reactivate her. The ship then collects EVE, with WALL-E clinging on, and travels to the nebula-concealed Axiom.
Onboard, the ship's passengers have become obese due to microgravity and reliance on automated crew and hoverchairs. The ship's current captain, McCrea, leaves primary controls under the robotic autopilot, AUTO. WALL-E follows EVE to the captain's bridge, where McCrea learns that by placing the plant in the Holo-Detector to verify, the Axiom will hyperjump back to Earth so the passengers can recolonize it. However, AUTO orders McCrea's robotic assistant GO-4 to steal the plant as part of his own no-return directive A113, which was issued to BnL autopilots after the corporation concluded in 2110 that the planet could not be saved.
EVE is considered faulty and taken to Diagnostics, along with WALL-E for cleaning, mistaking the procedure as torture and accidentally freeing malfunctioning robots. Sentinels target the duo, while EVE evades them and takes WALL-E an escape pod to send him home for safety. However, GO-4 is revealed to have the plant, placing it inside a self-destruct pod, jettisoning it as WALL-E enters. WALL-E escapes with the plant before self-destruction and uses a fire extinguisher to propel himself, where he and EVE reconcile and dance in space.
When the plant is brought to the captain, EVE's recordings of Earth are analyzed and McCrea concludes that they must restore it. However, AUTO reveals his directive and mutinies, severely tasering WALL-E and shutting down EVE but destroying GO-4 accidentally. McCrea activates the ship's Holo-Detector, but AUTO crushes WALL-E by closing it before McCrea, forced to walk, disables him and EVE activates the hyperjump.
Having arrived back on Earth, EVE repairs and reactivates him, with his memory erased and defaulted. Heartbroken, EVE gives WALL-E an electrical farewell kiss, restoring his memory and personality. WALL-E and EVE reunite as the humans and robots of the Axiom restore Earth and its environment.

Question: What does GO-4 put the plant in and jettison it to try and destroy it?
Answer: A self-destruct pod.
In 2805, Earth is abandoned and largely contaminated with garbage, with its people evacuating with megacorporation Buy-N-Large's starliners. In place, BnL leaves WALL-E compactors to clean up, however only one survives and gains sentience. One day, WALL-E discovers a healthy seedling. Later, a spaceship deploys an EVE probe from the starliner Axiom to scan Earth. WALL-E is infatuated with the initially hostile EVE, who gradually befriends him. When WALL-E brings EVE to his trailer and shows her the plant, she standbys and encapsulates the plant. WALL-E, confused, unsuccessfully tries to reactivate her. The ship then collects EVE, with WALL-E clinging on, and travels to the nebula-concealed Axiom.
Onboard, the ship's passengers have become obese due to microgravity and reliance on automated crew and hoverchairs. The ship's current captain, McCrea, leaves primary controls under the robotic autopilot, AUTO. WALL-E follows EVE to the captain's bridge, where McCrea learns that by placing the plant in the Holo-Detector to verify, the Axiom will hyperjump back to Earth so the passengers can recolonize it. However, AUTO orders McCrea's robotic assistant GO-4 to steal the plant as part of his own no-return directive A113, which was issued to BnL autopilots after the corporation concluded in 2110 that the planet could not be saved.
EVE is considered faulty and taken to Diagnostics, along with WALL-E for cleaning, mistaking the procedure as torture and accidentally freeing malfunctioning robots. Sentinels target the duo, while EVE evades them and takes WALL-E an escape pod to send him home for safety. However, GO-4 is revealed to have the plant, placing it inside a self-destruct pod, jettisoning it as WALL-E enters. WALL-E escapes with the plant before self-destruction and uses a fire extinguisher to propel himself, where he and EVE reconcile and dance in space.
When the plant is brought to the captain, EVE's recordings of Earth are analyzed and McCrea concludes that they must restore it. However, AUTO reveals his directive and mutinies, severely tasering WALL-E and shutting down EVE but destroying GO-4 accidentally. McCrea activates the ship's Holo-Detector, but AUTO crushes WALL-E by closing it before McCrea, forced to walk, disables him and EVE activates the hyperjump.
Having arrived back on Earth, EVE repairs and reactivates him, with his memory erased and defaulted. Heartbroken, EVE gives WALL-E an electrical farewell kiss, restoring his memory and personality. WALL-E and EVE reunite as the humans and robots of the Axiom restore Earth and its environment.

Question: Who makes the evacuation starliners?
Answer: Buy-N-Large
In 2805, Earth is abandoned and largely contaminated with garbage, with its people evacuating with megacorporation Buy-N-Large's starliners. In place, BnL leaves WALL-E compactors to clean up, however only one survives and gains sentience. One day, WALL-E discovers a healthy seedling. Later, a spaceship deploys an EVE probe from the starliner Axiom to scan Earth. WALL-E is infatuated with the initially hostile EVE, who gradually befriends him. When WALL-E brings EVE to his trailer and shows her the plant, she standbys and encapsulates the plant. WALL-E, confused, unsuccessfully tries to reactivate her. The ship then collects EVE, with WALL-E clinging on, and travels to the nebula-concealed Axiom.
Onboard, the ship's passengers have become obese due to microgravity and reliance on automated crew and hoverchairs. The ship's current captain, McCrea, leaves primary controls under the robotic autopilot, AUTO. WALL-E follows EVE to the captain's bridge, where McCrea learns that by placing the plant in the Holo-Detector to verify, the Axiom will hyperjump back to Earth so the passengers can recolonize it. However, AUTO orders McCrea's robotic assistant GO-4 to steal the plant as part of his own no-return directive A113, which was issued to BnL autopilots after the corporation concluded in 2110 that the planet could not be saved.
EVE is considered faulty and taken to Diagnostics, along with WALL-E for cleaning, mistaking the procedure as torture and accidentally freeing malfunctioning robots. Sentinels target the duo, while EVE evades them and takes WALL-E an escape pod to send him home for safety. However, GO-4 is revealed to have the plant, placing it inside a self-destruct pod, jettisoning it as WALL-E enters. WALL-E escapes with the plant before self-destruction and uses a fire extinguisher to propel himself, where he and EVE reconcile and dance in space.
When the plant is brought to the captain, EVE's recordings of Earth are analyzed and McCrea concludes that they must restore it. However, AUTO reveals his directive and mutinies, severely tasering WALL-E and shutting down EVE but destroying GO-4 accidentally. McCrea activates the ship's Holo-Detector, but AUTO crushes WALL-E by closing it before McCrea, forced to walk, disables him and EVE activates the hyperjump.
Having arrived back on Earth, EVE repairs and reactivates him, with his memory erased and defaulted. Heartbroken, EVE gives WALL-E an electrical farewell kiss, restoring his memory and personality. WALL-E and EVE reunite as the humans and robots of the Axiom restore Earth and its environment.

Question: What is Axiom concealed by? 
Answer: A nebula.