How does Mrs. Reed increase Jane's isolation after the red-room incident?

She gives Jane a small closet to sleep in and makes her eat alone

She sends Jane away to her poor relatives, the Eyre family

She keeps Jane in the drawing-room under her personal supervision

She sends Jane to eat and sleep with the servants in the kitchen

What is Mr. Brocklehurst's role at Lowood School?

He is the school's clergyman and treasurer who runs the institution

He is a wealthy parent whose daughter Augusta is a pupil at the school

He is a visiting Archdeacon who inspects the school for the church

He is the head teacher who gives the girls their daily lessons

How does Jane answer Mr. Brocklehurst's question about what she must do to avoid hell?

She says she must keep in good health and not die

She says she must pray night and morning

She says she must learn the Psalms by heart

She says she must obey Mrs. Reed and be kept humble

What false accusation does Mrs. Reed make about Jane to Mr. Brocklehurst?

That Jane has a tendency to deceit

That Jane steals from the household

That Jane is violent and dangerous

That Jane is lazy and refuses to study

What metaphor does Jane use to describe her experience of vengeance after confronting Mrs. Reed?

Aromatic wine with a metallic and corroding aftertaste

A pit of fire where the wicked burn for ever

A hungry robin chirruping on a frozen bough

A heart of stone exchanged for a heart of flesh

How does Mr. Brocklehurst's description of his daughter Augusta's visit to Lowood reveal his hypocrisy?

Augusta noticed the students looked like poor children while she and her mother wore silk gowns

Augusta reported that the teachers were cruel and kept the students half-starved

Augusta said the girls wore fine ringlets and scarlet sashes, just as she did

Augusta refused to enter the school because it was too luxurious for poor girls

What does Bessie confess to Jane at the end of Chapter IV?

That she is fonder of Jane than of all the other children

That Mrs. Reed has secretly developed an affection for Jane

That she knows Jane's father was a poor clergyman

That she plans to leave Gateshead and go with Jane to Lowood

How does Jane first perceive Mr. Brocklehurst when she enters the breakfast room?

As a black pillar with a face like a carved mask

As a kind grandfather with twinkling grey eyes

As a short, stout man with a red, round face

As an elegant gentleman dressed in fine silks

Which of the following events actually happens in Chapter IV?

Jane strikes John Reed on the nose when he tries to bully her

Mr. Brocklehurst praises Jane for her honesty about the Psalms

Jane runs away from Gateshead before being sent to Lowood

Mrs. Reed physically punishes Jane by locking her in the red room again

Which of these events does NOT occur in Chapter IV?

Jane apologizes to Mrs. Reed after her outburst

Bessie promises not to scold Jane before she leaves for school

Jane is excluded from Christmas and New Year celebrations

Mr. Brocklehurst gives Jane a pamphlet about a child who died for lying

When Mrs. Reed murmurs "sotto voce," she is speaking:

In a quiet voice, so as not to be overheard

In a foreign language, such as Italian

In a trembling voice, full of fear and sorrow

In a commanding voice, for everyone to obey

Jane Eyre, Chapter IV quiz

From Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Jane confronts Mrs. Reed and meets Mr. Brocklehurst in Chapter IV of Jane Eyre. Themes of passion vs. restraint, class, and religious hypocrisy.

13 questions · about 13 minutes

Read the chapter

Questions and answers

1
Question 1. How does Mrs. Reed increase Jane's isolation after the red-room incident?
- She sends Jane away to her poor relatives, the Eyre family
- Correct answer: She gives Jane a small closet to sleep in and makes her eat alone
- She keeps Jane in the drawing-room under her personal supervision
- She sends Jane to eat and sleep with the servants in the kitchen
Mrs. Reed appoints Jane a small closet to sleep in by herself, condemns her to take meals alone, and confines her to the nursery while the Reed children enjoy the drawing room.
Read the passage
2
Question 2. What is Mr. Brocklehurst's role at Lowood School?
- He is a wealthy parent whose daughter Augusta is a pupil at the school
- He is a visiting Archdeacon who inspects the school for the church
- He is the head teacher who gives the girls their daily lessons
- Correct answer: He is the school's clergyman and treasurer who runs the institution
Mr. Brocklehurst is the clergyman who runs Lowood School. Mrs. Reed has written to him requesting that Jane be admitted as a pupil.
Read the passage
3
Question 3. How does Jane answer Mr. Brocklehurst's question about what she must do to avoid hell?
- She says she must pray night and morning
- She says she must learn the Psalms by heart
- Correct answer: She says she must keep in good health and not die
- She says she must obey Mrs. Reed and be kept humble
Jane gives the practical, literal answer that she must "keep in good health, and not die," showing her independence of thought and subtle wit rather than the pious response Mr. Brocklehurst expects.
Read the passage
4
Question 4. What false accusation does Mrs. Reed make about Jane to Mr. Brocklehurst?
- Correct answer: That Jane has a tendency to deceit
- That Jane steals from the household
- That Jane is violent and dangerous
- That Jane is lazy and refuses to study
Mrs. Reed tells Mr. Brocklehurst that Jane has "not quite the character and disposition I could wish" and warns him to guard against "her worst fault, a tendency to deceit."
Read the passage
5
Question 5. What metaphor does Jane use to describe her experience of vengeance after confronting Mrs. Reed?
- A pit of fire where the wicked burn for ever
- A hungry robin chirruping on a frozen bough
- A heart of stone exchanged for a heart of flesh
- Correct answer: Aromatic wine with a metallic and corroding aftertaste
Jane compares vengeance to tasting "aromatic wine" that seems "warm and racy" at first, but whose "after-flavour, metallic and corroding, gave me a sensation as if I had been poisoned."
Read the passage
6
Question 6. How does Mr. Brocklehurst's description of his daughter Augusta's visit to Lowood reveal his hypocrisy?
- Augusta reported that the teachers were cruel and kept the students half-starved
- Augusta said the girls wore fine ringlets and scarlet sashes, just as she did
- Correct answer: Augusta noticed the students looked like poor children while she and her mother wore silk gowns
- Augusta refused to enter the school because it was too luxurious for poor girls
Augusta remarks that the Lowood girls look "almost like poor people's children" and that they stared at her silk gown, revealing the vast gap between the austerity Brocklehurst imposes on students and the luxury his own family enjoys.
Read the passage
7
Question 7. What does Bessie confess to Jane at the end of Chapter IV?
- Correct answer: That she is fonder of Jane than of all the other children
- That Mrs. Reed has secretly developed an affection for Jane
- That she knows Jane's father was a poor clergyman
- That she plans to leave Gateshead and go with Jane to Lowood
Bessie tells Jane, "I don't dislike you, Miss; I believe I am fonder of you than of all the others," revealing genuine affection that Jane has rarely experienced.
Read the passage
8
Question 8. How does Jane first perceive Mr. Brocklehurst when she enters the breakfast room?
- As a kind grandfather with twinkling grey eyes
- Correct answer: As a black pillar with a face like a carved mask
- As a short, stout man with a red, round face
- As an elegant gentleman dressed in fine silks
Jane describes Mr. Brocklehurst as "a black pillar" with a "grim face" like "a carved mask, placed above the shaft by way of capital," using architectural imagery to emphasize his cold, inhuman rigidity.
Read the passage
9
Question 9. Which of the following events actually happens in Chapter IV?
- Mr. Brocklehurst praises Jane for her honesty about the Psalms
- Jane runs away from Gateshead before being sent to Lowood
- Correct answer: Jane strikes John Reed on the nose when he tries to bully her
- Mrs. Reed physically punishes Jane by locking her in the red room again
When John attempts to bully Jane, she strikes him on the nose, and he retreats to his mother. Mrs. Reed does not lock Jane in the red room again, Mr. Brocklehurst is scandalized by Jane's honesty, and Jane does not run away.
Read the passage
10
Question 10. Which of these events does NOT occur in Chapter IV?
- Correct answer: Jane apologizes to Mrs. Reed after her outburst
- Bessie promises not to scold Jane before she leaves for school
- Jane is excluded from Christmas and New Year celebrations
- Mr. Brocklehurst gives Jane a pamphlet about a child who died for lying
Jane considers apologizing but decides against it, knowing from experience that it would only cause Mrs. Reed to repulse her with "double scorn." All the other events do occur in the chapter.
Read the passage
11
Question 11. In the sentence "her glance expressed an insuperable and rooted aversion," what does "insuperable" mean?
- Slightly annoying
- Well concealed
- Temporary and fleeting
- Correct answer: Impossible to overcome
"Insuperable" means impossible to overcome or surmount. Mrs. Reed's aversion to Jane is described as both insuperable (unconquerable) and rooted (deeply established).
Read the passage
12
Question 12. What does Jane mean when she calls herself a "poltroon"?
- A liar
- Correct answer: A coward
- An orphan
- A troublemaker
A poltroon is a coward or spiritless person. Jane reflects that fear of unjust punishment had made her a "miserable little poltroon," too timid to enter the rooms where Mrs. Reed might be.
Read the passage
13
Question 13. When Mrs. Reed murmurs "sotto voce," she is speaking:
- In a foreign language, such as Italian
- In a trembling voice, full of fear and sorrow
- In a commanding voice, for everyone to obey
- Correct answer: In a quiet voice, so as not to be overheard
"Sotto voce" is an Italian term meaning in a quiet voice or undertone. Mrs. Reed murmurs her intention to send Jane to school soon so that Jane (and others) won't hear her admission of defeat.
Read the passage

Play it live with your class.

Put the code on the screen and students join on whatever they have.

Next: Jane Eyre, Chapter V

Questions and answers

Question 1. How does Mrs. Reed increase Jane's isolation after the red-room incident?

Question 2. What is Mr. Brocklehurst's role at Lowood School?

Question 3. How does Jane answer Mr. Brocklehurst's question about what she must do to avoid hell?

Question 4. What false accusation does Mrs. Reed make about Jane to Mr. Brocklehurst?

Question 5. What metaphor does Jane use to describe her experience of vengeance after confronting Mrs. Reed?

Question 6. How does Mr. Brocklehurst's description of his daughter Augusta's visit to Lowood reveal his hypocrisy?

Question 7. What does Bessie confess to Jane at the end of Chapter IV?

Question 8. How does Jane first perceive Mr. Brocklehurst when she enters the breakfast room?

Question 9. Which of the following events actually happens in Chapter IV?

Question 10. Which of these events does NOT occur in Chapter IV?

Question 11. In the sentence "her glance expressed an insuperable and rooted aversion," what does "insuperable" mean?

Question 12. What does Jane mean when she calls herself a "poltroon"?

Question 13. When Mrs. Reed murmurs "sotto voce," she is speaking: