Act Five

She does not want Eliza to be shocked by seeing her transformed father before she is prepared.

Step 1: Doolittle arrives dressed as a gentleman — brilliantly transformed — and Eliza does not know about his inheritance yet. Step 2: Mrs. Higgins is considerate of Eliza's emotional state and wants her entry to be smooth and controlled. Step 3: She sends Doolittle to the balcony specifically so the shock of seeing her father in a frock-coat does not disturb the meeting. Step 4: Option A is wrong — there is no plan for eavesdropping. Step 5: Option C is wrong — Mrs. Higgins has no such class-based embarrassment; she is practical and protective of Eliza. Option D is wrong — Doolittle does not

She enters sunny and self-possessed, showing she has gained complete control over herself and her emotions.

Step 1: Shaw's stage direction describes Eliza as giving 'a staggeringly convincing exhibition of ease of manner.' Step 2: She greets Higgins with perfect social coolness: 'How do you do, Professor Higgins? Are you quite well?' — turning his own formal manners back on him. Step 3: She carries needlework and sits as if entirely at home — she is in control. Step 4: Option A is wrong — the night was difficult (she nearly went to the river) but by morning she is composed. Step 5: Option C is wrong — she does not cry; her composure is the powerful statement. Option D is wrong — she deliberately avo

He treated her with dignity from the very first day, calling her 'Miss Doolittle' and showing small courtesies that gave her self-respect.

Step 1: Eliza directly tells Pickering what she values: 'You called me Miss Doolittle that day when I first came to Wimpole Street.' Step 2: She lists small gestures — standing up, opening doors, taking off his hat — things he did 'naturally' rather than as a lesson. Step 3: She says these things showed her she was 'worth treating well' — they built her self-respect, not just her manners. Step 4: Option A is wrong — Eliza explicitly says the clothes and money were 'not the things.' Step 5: Option C is wrong — the phonetics and movement were Higgins's work, not Pickering's contribution. Option

She means that a person's class identity is shaped by others' perceptions and treatment, not just by their own behaviour or effort.

Step 1: This is the thematic heart of the play and Act Five's most important line. Step 2: Eliza's point is that she can be a lady with Pickering because he always treats her as one — but she will always be a flower girl to Higgins because he treats her as one. Step 3: The transformation is relational, not purely personal — it depends on how others see and treat you. Step 4: Option A is wrong — Shaw's play critiques class but does not simply call for abolition of all distinctions; the argument is more nuanced. Step 5: Option C is wrong — this speech is not a compliment to Higgins; it is a dist