Jane Eyre, Chapter V quiz

Questions and answers

1. 1

   Question 1. How does Jane respond when Bessie asks if she will say goodbye to Mrs. Reed?

   • Correct answer: She refuses, saying Mrs. Reed told her not to disturb her
   • She thanks Mrs. Reed for always having been her best friend
   • She asks Bessie to deliver her farewells to her cousins
   • She goes in and bids Mrs. Reed a polite farewell

   Jane tells Bessie that Mrs. Reed came to her crib the night before and said she need not disturb her in the morning. Jane then declares that Mrs. Reed has been her foe, not her friend.

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2. 2

   Question 2. How far does Jane travel from Gateshead to Lowood Institution?

   • One hundred miles
   • Twenty miles
   • Thirty miles
   • Correct answer: Fifty miles

   When the porter's wife asks how far Jane is going, Bessie answers "Fifty miles."

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3. 3

   Question 3. What does Miss Temple do when the students cannot eat the burnt porridge?

   • She tells the students they must eat what is served and give thanks
   • Correct answer: She orders bread and cheese for all students at her own responsibility
   • She dismisses the students to the garden for an early recreation
   • She scolds the cook and orders fresh porridge for the whole school

   Miss Temple announces that she has ordered bread and cheese for all students, adding to the surprised teachers, "It is to be done on my responsibility."

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4. 4

   Question 4. What book is Helen Burns reading when Jane first speaks to her in the garden?

   • The Bible
   • Pilgrim's Progress
   • Correct answer: Rasselas
   • Gulliver's Travels

   Helen is reading Rasselas by Samuel Johnson. Jane finds the title "strange, and consequently attractive" but thinks the contents are dull.

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5. 5

   Question 5. How many girls share each washbasin at Lowood?

   • Eight
   • Two
   • Four
   • Correct answer: Six

   Jane notes that "there was but one basin to six girls, on the stands down the middle of the room," illustrating the inadequate facilities at the school.

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6. 6

   Question 6. What is Miss Temple's full first name?

   • Mary
   • Correct answer: Maria
   • Martha
   • Margaret

   Jane later learns her full name is Maria Temple, seeing it "written in a prayer-book intrusted to me to carry to church."

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7. 7

   Question 7. According to Helen Burns, how much do the students pay per year at Lowood?

   • Correct answer: Fifteen pounds
   • Twenty pounds
   • Nothing; it is entirely free
   • Ten pounds

   Helen explains, "We pay, or our friends pay, fifteen pounds a year for each," and that the remaining cost is covered by charitable subscriptions.

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8. 8

   Question 8. How does Helen Burns react when she is publicly punished by Miss Scatcherd?

   • She weeps and begs Miss Scatcherd for forgiveness
   • She argues with Miss Scatcherd and protests her sentence
   • Correct answer: She stands composed and grave, without weeping or blushing
   • She hides her face, wishing the earth would swallow her

   Jane is surprised that Helen "neither wept nor blushed" but stood as "the central mark of all eyes" with calm composure, her thoughts seemingly turned inward.

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9. 9

   Question 9. Which of these events actually happened in this chapter?

   • Jane eats a full breakfast of porridge on her first morning at Lowood.

     Didn't happen

     The porridge is burnt and inedible. Jane manages "a spoonful or two" before realizing it is a "nauseous mess." Bronte writes, "Breakfast was over, and none had breakfasted."

   • Jane shares a bed with Miss Miller on her first night at Lowood.

     Happened

     Jane notes, "To-night I was to be Miss Miller's bed-fellow; she helped me to undress." Each bed at Lowood was "quickly filled with two occupants."

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10. 10

    Question 10. What does the word "inanition" mean as used in: "I was now nearly sick from inanition"?

    • Correct answer: Exhaustion from lack of food
    • Silliness or emptiness of mind
    • Sickness caused by overeating
    • Boredom from lack of activity

    Inanition means exhaustion or weakness caused by lack of nourishment. Jane uses it to describe her extreme hunger after eating almost nothing since leaving Gateshead.

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11. 11

    Question 11. In the sentence "The punishment seemed to me in a high degree ignominious," what does "ignominious" mean?

    • Honourable and worthy of praise
    • Physically painful and exhausting
    • Unfairly given and undeserved
    • Correct answer: Publicly disgraceful and humiliating

    Ignominious means deserving or causing public disgrace or shame. Jane considers the punishment humiliating, especially for a girl of Helen's age.

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12. 12

    Question 12. What does "redolent" mean in: "a strong steam redolent of rancid fat"?

    • Free from; lacking in
    • Correct answer: Strongly smelling of
    • Slightly resembling
    • Disguised or hidden by

    Redolent means strongly smelling of or suggestive of something. Here it describes the unpleasant smell of rancid fat rising from the dinner.

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