Edexcel GCSE English Literature

Cousin Kate

Edexcel GCSE English Literature revision on Cousin Kate. Aligned to the Edexcel GCSE English Literature 1ET0 specification. This bank has 15 practice questions on this topic.

About this topic

I was a cottage maiden Hardened by sun and air, Contented with my cottage mates, Not mindful I was fair. Why did a great lord find me out, And praise my flaxen hair? Why did a great lord find me out To fill my heart with care? He lured me to his palace home— Woe's me for joy thereof— To lead a shameless shameful life, His plaything and his love. He wore me like a silken knot, He changed me like a glove; So now I moan, an unclean thing, Who might have been a dove. O Lady Kate, my cousin Kate, You grew more fair than I: He saw you at your father's gate, Chose you, and cast me by. He watched your steps along the lane, Your work among the rye; He lifted you from mean estate To sit with him on high. Because you were so good and pure He bound you with his ring: The neighbours call you good and pure, Call me an outcast thing. Even so I sit and howl in dust, You sit …

Sample questions (3 of 15)

  1. Question 1

    Who says: 'I was a cottage-maiden hard and poor'?

    • A) The narrator
    • B) Cousin Kate
    • C) The Lord
    • D) The narrator's mother
    Show answer

    Answer: The narrator

    The speaker, a simple cottage-maiden, contrasts her humble origins with those of her cousin, Kate. She is the jilted woman narrating her tragic history.

  2. Question 2

    What literary technique is used in: 'He wore me like a glove'?

    • A) Metaphor
    • B) Simile
    • C) Personification
    • D) Hyperbole
    Show answer

    Answer: Simile

    The use of 'like' creates a simile that highlights how the narrator was treated as a disposable accessory by the Lord. It reflects the Victorian power imbalance between the sexes.

  3. Question 3

    What does this line reveal about the Lord: 'He changed me like a glove'?

    • A) He is deeply in love
    • B) He is fickle and treats women as objects
    • C) He is forced to leave by his family
    • D) He is regretful of his actions
    Show answer

    Answer: He is fickle and treats women as objects

    By comparing the narrator to a glove, the Lord demonstrates his view that women are replaceable items. He lacks emotional commitment and discards the speaker once he is bored.

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12 more questions on Cousin Kate — plus mistakes tracking and spaced repetition across the whole English Literature spec.

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