Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 11 quiz

Questions and answers

1. 1

   Question 1. What does Bingley do for Jane when the gentlemen enter the drawing room?

   • Correct answer: He piles up the fire, moves her further from the door, and sits beside her talking to no one else
   • He asks his sisters to make sure Jane is comfortable while he plays cards with Mr. Hurst
   • He suggests she return to her room and rest rather than strain herself in company
   • He greets her briefly and then joins Darcy in a discussion about estate business

   Bingley spends the first half hour "piling up the fire, lest she should suffer from the change of room," moves her away from the door, then "sat down by her, and talked scarcely to anyone else."

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2. 2

   Question 2. Why does the card game Mr. Hurst proposes never take place?

   • Elizabeth declines to play, as she did on her first evening, and the rest of the party follows her
   • Jane is still recovering from her illness, and Bingley refuses to leave her side by the fire
   • Correct answer: Miss Bingley has learned Darcy does not wish for cards and assures everyone no one wants to play
   • Mr. Hurst falls asleep on one of the sofas before anyone else has finished their tea

   Miss Bingley "had obtained private intelligence that Mr. Darcy did not wish for cards" and assured Mr. Hurst "that no one intended to play." Mr. Hurst then stretches out on a sofa and falls asleep.

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3. 3

   Question 3. Why does Miss Bingley choose her particular book to read?

   • She chooses a book of poetry that she knows is Darcy's favorite genre of literature
   • She selects the most impressive title in the library to appear well-read in front of Darcy
   • Bingley recommends it to her as something she would enjoy based on her literary taste
   • Correct answer: She picks it only because it is the second volume of the book Darcy is reading

   Miss Bingley's book "she had only chosen because it was the second volume of his," revealing that her reading is entirely a performance aimed at creating a connection with Darcy.

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4. 4

   Question 4. What is ironic about Miss Bingley's declaration that "there is no enjoyment like reading"?

   • Her brother admits he has very few books and has never looked into most of the ones he owns
   • Correct answer: She chose her book only because it was the second volume of his, and soon throws it aside with a yawn
   • She has spent the whole evening playing with her bracelets and rings and never opened a book
   • She is addressing Mr. Hurst, who is already asleep on the sofa and cannot hear anything

   Miss Bingley declares "there is no enjoyment like reading" immediately after giving "a great yawn," throwing aside her book, and casting her eyes about for amusement. She was never genuinely reading.

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5. 5

   Question 5. What does Miss Bingley say would be more rational than dancing at a ball?

   • Attending a concert or musical performance rather than a dance entertainment
   • Having a seated dinner party where guests can discuss literature and philosophy
   • Playing cards and other games of skill that test the intellect and wit
   • Correct answer: Making conversation instead of dancing as the central activity of the evening

   Miss Bingley says "it would surely be much more rational if conversation instead of dancing were made the order of the day." Bingley wittily replies, "Much more rational, my dear Caroline, I dare say, but it would not be near so much like a ball."

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6. 6

   Question 6. What strategy does Miss Bingley use to finally get Darcy to look up from his book?

   • Correct answer: She invites Elizabeth to walk about the room with her, displaying their figures
   • She asks Darcy a direct question about his opinion of the Netherfield ball plans
   • She sits down next to him and begins reading passages aloud from her own book
   • She starts playing the pianoforte loudly enough to make reading impossible

   Miss Bingley invites Elizabeth to "take a turn about the room," which succeeds: "Mr. Darcy looked up. He was as much awake to the novelty of attention in that quarter as Elizabeth herself could be, and unconsciously closed his book."

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7. 7

   Question 7. What two motives does Darcy suggest for Elizabeth and Miss Bingley walking together?

   • To get exercise after sitting too long, or to inspect the room's furnishings more closely
   • To discuss Jane's health privately, or to suggest the evening entertainment is dull
   • Correct answer: To share confidences about secret affairs, or to show their figures to best advantage
   • To draw attention away from Jane and Bingley, or to demonstrate their elegant manners

   Darcy says they either walk "because you are in each other's confidence, and have secret affairs to discuss, or because you are conscious that your figures appear to the greatest advantage in walking."

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8. 8

   Question 8. How does Elizabeth suggest they respond to Darcy's teasing about their walk?

   • She suggests they punish him by refusing to dance with him at the coming ball at Netherfield
   • Correct answer: She suggests they tease and laugh at him, since they can all plague and punish one another
   • She proposes they ask Bingley to reprove his friend, since Darcy is a visitor in his house
   • She advises that they sit down by the fire so that he can no longer admire their figures

   Elizabeth says, "We can all plague and punish one another. Tease him—laugh at him. Intimate as you are, you must know how it is to be done."

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9. 9

   Question 9. What distinction does Darcy draw between vanity and pride?

   • Vanity is caring about wealth while pride is caring about family name and social rank
   • Correct answer: Vanity is a weakness, but pride based on real superiority of mind is always well regulated
   • Vanity is a minor flaw in women while pride is a more serious failing found in men
   • Vanity comes from ignorance of one's faults while pride stems from awareness of one's merits

   Darcy says "vanity is a weakness indeed. But pride—where there is a real superiority of mind, pride will be always under good regulation."

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10. 10

    Question 10. What does Darcy confess about his own temperament in Chapter 11?

    • He admits he is sometimes too quick to speak and often regrets his words afterward
    • He says he is too yielding and wishes he could hold firm to his convictions more often
    • Correct answer: He confesses his temper is too little yielding and his good opinion, once lost, is lost forever
    • He acknowledges he is too reserved but claims this protects him from making poor judgments

    Darcy says his temper is "too little yielding—certainly too little for the convenience of the world" and declares "My good opinion once lost, is lost forever."

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11. 11

    Question 11. How does Elizabeth respond to Darcy's confession that his good opinion, once lost, is lost forever?

    • Correct answer: She calls implacable resentment a shade in a character but admits she cannot laugh at it
    • She argues that everyone deserves a second chance and his attitude is cruel and unforgiving
    • She praises his steadfastness as a virtue and says she wishes she could be more like him
    • She dismisses it as false modesty designed to make him appear more principled than he is

    Elizabeth says "Implacable resentment is a shade in a character. But you have chosen your fault well. I really cannot laugh at it. You are safe from me."

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12. 12

    Question 12. What does Elizabeth accuse Darcy of as his defining defect?

    • Judging people solely by their family connections and social standing
    • Being excessively vain about his wealth and position in society
    • Refusing to forgive anyone who has ever wronged or offended him
    • Correct answer: Hating everybody regardless of their character or merits

    Elizabeth says Darcy's defect is "to hate everybody." He responds with a smile that hers is "willfully to misunderstand them."

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13. 13

    Question 13. What does Darcy say is Elizabeth's defining defect?

    • Ridiculing what is wise and good, since her first object in life is always a joke
    • Resenting offenses too long, so that her good opinion once lost is lost forever
    • Taking excessive pride in her wit at the expense of genuine understanding
    • Correct answer: Willfully misunderstanding other people rather than seeing them as they are

    Darcy replies with a smile: "And yours is willfully to misunderstand them." This observation proves prophetic, as Elizabeth's prejudice—her misreading of both Darcy and Wickham—is her central flaw.

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14. 14

    Question 14. Why does Miss Bingley interrupt the conversation between Elizabeth and Darcy to call for music?

    • She notices that Jane is growing tired and wants to create a calmer atmosphere for her
    • Correct answer: She is tired of a conversation in which she has no share and wants to change the dynamic
    • She wants to wake Mr. Hurst so that he can have the card-table he petitioned for after tea
    • She hopes the music will encourage the party to dance a reel, as Darcy proposed the evening before

    Miss Bingley is described as "tired of a conversation in which she had no share," so she interrupts by asking her sister Louisa to play, ending the Elizabeth-Darcy exchange.

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15. 15

    Question 15. What does the final line of Chapter 11 reveal about Darcy's feelings?

    • Correct answer: He begins to feel the danger of paying Elizabeth too much attention and recognizes his growing attraction
    • He concludes that Elizabeth is too impertinent to be a serious romantic interest for him
    • He resolves to leave Netherfield early the next morning to escape Elizabeth's influence
    • He decides that Elizabeth would make a suitable match despite her family's low connections

    The chapter ends: "Darcy, after a few moments' recollection, was not sorry for it. He began to feel the danger of paying Elizabeth too much attention." He recognizes his attraction as a threat to his social expectations.

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