This question is based on John Osbourne's Look Back in Anger The couple's marital crisis is aggravated by

Analyze the question: The question is about the central marital crisis in John Osborne's Look Back in Anger (the author's name is spelled Osborne). The couple is Jimmy and Alison Porter. We need to identify who makes their troubled marriage even worse.

Recall the context:

• Jimmy Porter is the angry, bitter husband. He is the main source of the tension, but he is one half of the couple.
• Alison is his upper-middle-class wife, whom he torments because of her background and her family.
• Cliff Lewis is the Welsh lodger and friend who acts as a peacemaker. He tries to calm things down and does not worsen the crisis.
• Helena Charles is Alison's friend. She comes to stay, disapproves of Jimmy, and persuades Alison to leave him and return to her father. She then begins an affair with Jimmy herself. Her arrival and actions deepen the breakdown of the marriage.
• Hugh is Mrs Tanner's son, mentioned only in passing, and plays no real part in the marital conflict.

Solution: Since the question asks about the couple's crisis, Jimmy is part of the couple, so he is not the outside factor that "aggravates" it. Cliff is a mediator. Hugh is peripheral. Helena is the outsider who pushes Alison to leave and then becomes Jimmy's lover, which makes the crisis worse.

Correct answer: C. Helena

Exam tip: When a question says a couple's problem is "aggravated by" someone, look for the third party who intervenes. In Look Back in Anger, that is Helena, the "other woman" figure. Remember: Cliff calms, Helena complicates.