1. First, go into this site: http://www.allthetests.com/quiz29/quiz/1305962385/Mr-Know-All-content-quiz and do the quiz on Mr. Know All. Use a dictionary for words you don't know.
2. Now, read the following summary and analysis of Mr. Know All.
An analysis of Mr Know All written by William Somerset Maugham
The story takes place in international waters on an ocean going liner sailing from San Fracisco, U.S.A to Yokohama, Japan on the Pacific ocean. As the war had just ended, it was difficult to get accomodations. Therefore, the narrator had to share a cabin with a total stranger, but he expected him to be one of his own countrymen. Instead, he was deeply shocked to realize it was a chatty Levantine of oriental origin, Mr. Max Kelada, who was not British, but a native of one of the British colonies (he did have a British passport). Although his origin isn't stated precisely, his name suggests Spanish, Portugese, Syrian or even Jewish origin. The narrator mentions Mr. Kelada's "hooked nose", which might imply an antisemitic remark against Jews.
The narrator was prepared to dislike Mr. Kelada even before he saw him. When he first entered the cabin, he saw Mr. Kelada's luggage and toilet things that had already been unpacked. The man's name and the sight of his things aroused a strong repulsion in him since he was prejudiced against all non- Britons, feeling superior to them. The irony of the story lies in the fact that the list of Mr. Kelada's "negative" traits presented in the beginning of the story shows an orderly, neat and tidy gentleman.
When the narrator met Mr. Kelada, his hatred got even stronger. He abhorred the cultural differences between Kelada and himself. He both detested and despised Mr. Kelada's gestures. Therefore, the description of Kelada is negative and biased. The narrator's prejudice is based on several cultural differences