Jane Eyre, Chapter XXXV quiz

Questions and answers

1. 1

   Question 1. How does St. John punish Jane after her refusal of his marriage proposal?

   • He leaves for Cambridge at once without a word of farewell
   • He openly criticizes and berates her in front of Diana and Mary
   • Correct answer: He withdraws all warmth and approval while maintaining polite formality
   • He refuses all conversation and excludes her from the daily morning lessons

   St. John never commits any overt act of hostility. Instead, he punishes Jane through calculated emotional coldness—extracting "the spirit of interest and approval" from all interactions while remaining outwardly civil.

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2. 2

   Question 2. What imagery does Jane use to describe St. John's eye in this chapter?

   • A burning, red-hot coal
   • Correct answer: A cold, bright, blue gem
   • A deep, still, sunless pool
   • A sharp, glittering blade

   Jane describes St. John as having become "no longer flesh, but marble; his eye was a cold, bright, blue gem; his tongue a speaking instrument--nothing more," emphasizing his emotional coldness.

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3. 3

   Question 3. Where does the conversation between Jane and St. John about reconciliation take place?

   • During a morning walk through Marsh Glen
   • In the parlour after the evening Bible reading
   • At his desk during the morning lessons
   • Correct answer: In the garden by a little gate at sunset

   Jane approaches St. John "as he stood leaning over the little gate" in the garden at sunset on the night before he is to leave for Cambridge.

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4. 4

   Question 4. What does St. John suggest when Jane offers to go to India as his assistant rather than his wife?

   • Correct answer: He offers to find her a position with a married missionary whose wife needs a coadjutor
   • He tells her to remain in England and forget the mission to India altogether
   • He gratefully accepts her offer to accompany him as his curate
   • He suggests Diana travel with them so the arrangement would be proper

   St. John rejects Jane's offer to go as an unmarried female companion and instead proposes to "speak to a married missionary, whose wife needs a coadjutor" while he is in town.

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5. 5

   Question 5. Which biblical passage does St. John read during the evening devotion?

   • Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians, Chapter 13
   • The Book of Job, Chapter 38
   • Correct answer: The twenty-first chapter of Revelation
   • The Sermon on the Mount from Matthew

   St. John selects Revelation 21, which describes the new heaven and new earth, and includes the warning about damnation for "the fearful, the unbelieving" — a passage he directs pointedly at Jane.

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6. 6

   Question 6. What does Diana say when she learns St. John wants to take Jane to India?

   • She suggests Jane pray about it and ask God for guidance before deciding
   • She claps her hands delightedly, calling it exactly what they hoped
   • She praises the missionary calling and encourages Jane to accompany him
   • Correct answer: She exclaims "Madness!" and says Jane would not live three months there

   Diana declares the plan "Madness!" and insists "You would not live three months there, I am certain. You never shall go." She serves as a voice of practical wisdom in the chapter.

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7. 7

   Question 7. What mysterious voice does Jane hear at the climax of the chapter?

   • Correct answer: Rochester's voice crying "Jane! Jane! Jane!"
   • An angel's voice saying "Come over and help us!"
   • St. John's voice calling from the garden
   • The voice of her dead uncle from Madeira

   At the moment Jane is about to yield to St. John, she hears "a known, loved, well-remembered voice--that of Edward Fairfax Rochester" crying her name three times, speaking "in pain and woe, wildly, eerily, urgently."

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8. 8

   Question 8. How does Jane explain the supernatural voice she hears?

   • She interprets it as a ghostly apparition beside the yew tree
   • Correct answer: She calls it "the work of nature" rather than superstition or witchcraft
   • She suspects St. John of playing a cruel trick to frighten her
   • She declares it a miraculous answer to her desperate prayer

   Jane explicitly rejects superstition, declaring: "This is not thy deception, nor thy witchcraft: it is the work of nature. She was roused, and did--no miracle--but her best."

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9. 9

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

   • Did Jane agree to marry St. John in Chapter 35?

     Didn't happen

     Despite being very nearly persuaded by St. John's powerful prayer and spiritual authority, Jane does not agree to marry him. She is saved from yielding by the mysterious voice of Rochester calling her name, which breaks the spell of St. John's influence.

   • Did Diana initially hope Jane would accept St. John's proposal?

     Happened

     When Jane reveals that St. John has proposed, Diana claps her hands and says "That is just what we hoped and thought! And you will marry him, Jane, won't you? And then he will stay in England." She only objects when she learns he plans to take Jane to India.

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10. 10

    Question 10. What does the word "propitiate" mean as used in this chapter?

    • To imitate or copy someone's behavior
    • To anger or provoke someone further
    • Correct answer: To win or regain someone's favor; to appease
    • To understand or comprehend someone's motives

    "Propitiate" means to win or regain the favor of someone, to appease or pacify. Jane is describing her unsuccessful attempts to soften St. John's coldness toward her.

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11. 11

    Question 11. What does "hierophant" mean as used in this chapter?

    • Correct answer: A priest or interpreter of sacred mysteries
    • A tyrant who rules others by cruelty and fear
    • A writer of ancient picture symbols
    • A beginner or newly converted believer

    A "hierophant" is a person who interprets sacred mysteries or esoteric principles. Jane uses this word to describe St. John at the moment his spiritual authority has its greatest power over her, casting him as a priestly figure rather than a lover.

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12. 12

    Question 12. What does "torpor" mean as used in this chapter?

    • Sharp awareness or heightened perception
    • Intense heat; a scorching, burning quality
    • Extreme agitation, restless excitement, or frenzy
    • Correct answer: Physical or mental inactivity; sluggishness

    "Torpor" means a state of physical or mental inactivity or sluggishness. Jane uses it to describe how the mysterious sensation made all her previous sensory experience feel dull by comparison.

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13. 13

    Question 13. What biblical figure does St. John reference when warning Jane about worldly attachments?

    • Judas Iscariot (the disciple who betrayed Jesus)
    • Correct answer: Dives (the rich man in the parable of Lazarus)
    • Demas (who forsook Paul, loving this present world)
    • Lot's wife (who looked back at the burning city)

    St. John warns Jane to "Remember the fate of Dives, who had his good things in this life," alluding to the parable of the rich man (Dives) and Lazarus, warning that earthly pleasures lead to eternal punishment.

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14. 14

    Question 14. What does Jane do after hearing Rochester's voice and breaking away from St. John?

    • She surrenders to St. John and agrees to become his missionary wife
    • Correct answer: She retreats to her chamber, locks herself in, prays, and resolves her path forward
    • She awakens Diana and Mary and describes the mysterious voice to them
    • She departs immediately across the moors in search of Rochester

    After commanding St. John to leave her alone, Jane mounts to her chamber, locks herself in, prays "in my way--a different way to St. John's," and lies down "unscared, enlightened--eager but for the daylight," having finally resolved what she must do.

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