Jane Eyre, Chapter XVI quiz

Questions and answers

1. 1

   Question 1. What is Grace Poole doing when Jane finds her in Rochester's room the morning after the fire?

   • Washing the wet bed linens
   • Polishing the smoke-dimmed windows
   • Correct answer: Sewing rings onto new curtains
   • Stripping the hangings from the bed

   Passing the room on her way to dinner, Jane finds Grace Poole sitting by the bedside, calmly "sewing rings to new curtains" as if nothing had happened.

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2. 2

   Question 2. What explanation does Grace Poole give Jane for the fire?

   • Sparks from the fireplace ignited the bed-curtains
   • Pilot overturned the candle left in the gallery
   • A lamp overturned by a careless servant at night
   • Correct answer: Rochester fell asleep reading with his candle lit

   Grace tells Jane that the master "fell asleep with his candle lit, and the curtains got on fire," and woke in time to quench the flames.

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3. 3

   Question 3. Where has Rochester gone when Jane expects to see him in the evening?

   • London on business
   • Correct answer: The Leas, Mr. Eshton's estate
   • His other property in the West Indies
   • A hunting expedition with Colonel Dent

   Mrs. Fairfax reveals that Rochester left right after breakfast: "He is gone to the Leas, Mr. Eshton's place, ten miles on the other side Millcote."

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4. 4

   Question 4. According to Mrs. Fairfax, what was Blanche Ingram's role at the Christmas ball at Thornfield?

   • Correct answer: She was considered the belle of the evening
   • She organized the servants' entertainment
   • She recited poetry to the assembled company
   • She was the hostess who welcomed the guests

   Recalling the Christmas ball Rochester gave, Mrs. Fairfax says that among fifty guests "Miss Ingram was considered the belle of the evening."

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5. 5

   Question 5. What does Jane label her self-portrait in the exercise she resolves to complete?

   • "An indigent and insignificant plebeian"
   • "Jane Eyre, Governess at Thornfield Hall"
   • Correct answer: "Portrait of a Governess, disconnected, poor, and plain"
   • "Blanche, an accomplished lady of rank"

   Jane orders herself to draw her own face in chalk, without flattery, and to write under it "Portrait of a Governess, disconnected, poor, and plain."

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6. 6

   Question 6. What musical talent of Rochester's does Mrs. Fairfax reveal in this chapter?

   • Correct answer: He has a fine bass voice and excellent taste for music
   • He taught Blanche Ingram to sing and play
   • He conducts the Millcote choir with great ability
   • He plays the violin with real skill and composes his own music

   When Jane is surprised that Rochester sang a duet with Blanche, Mrs. Fairfax explains that "he has a fine bass voice, and an excellent taste for music."

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7. 7

   Question 7. Why has Blanche Ingram not yet married, according to Mrs. Fairfax?

   • Old Lord Ingram forbade his daughters to marry before thirty
   • She is waiting for Rochester to propose, despite their difference in age
   • She has rejected every suitor as beneath her family's dignity
   • Correct answer: She and her sister do not have large fortunes since the estates were entailed

   Mrs. Fairfax guesses that neither sister has a large fortune, since "Old Lord Ingram's estates were chiefly entailed" and the eldest son got almost everything.

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8. 8

   Question 8. What extended metaphor does Jane use to judge her own feelings at the end of the chapter?

   • A will-o'-the-wisp leading her into miry wilds
   • Correct answer: A courtroom trial with Memory and Reason as witnesses
   • A chess contest between Passion and Judgment
   • Two contrasting portraits, in chalk and on ivory

   Jane puts her feelings on trial: "Arraigned at my own bar," she hears Memory give evidence and Reason tell "a plain, unvarnished tale," then pronounces judgment.

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9. 9

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

   • Jane tells Grace Poole that she heard a strange laugh during the night.

     Happened

     Jane does tell Grace she heard a laugh that could not have been Pilot, though Grace deflects by suggesting Jane must have been dreaming.

   • Rochester sends Jane a letter explaining why he left Thornfield.

     Didn't happen

     Rochester leaves without any communication to Jane. She learns of his departure only through Mrs. Fairfax during tea.

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10. 10

    Question 10. In the sentence "I still stood absolutely dumfoundered at what appeared to me her miraculous self-possession and most inscrutable hypocrisy," what does "inscrutable" most nearly mean?

    • Carefully planned and rehearsed
    • Transparent and obvious
    • Correct answer: Impossible to understand
    • Openly hostile and rude

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11. 11

    Question 11. When Jane describes Grace Poole as "taciturn-looking," she means Grace appears:

    • Frightened, nervous, and uneasy
    • Correct answer: Reserved and uncommunicative
    • Cheerful, chatty, and talkative
    • Angry and confrontational

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12. 12

    Question 12. Jane calls herself an "indigent and insignificant plebeian." What does "indigent" mean in this context?

    • Native to a region
    • Angry and offended
    • Lazy and idle
    • Correct answer: Poor and needy

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