Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 12 quiz

Questions and answers

1. 1

   Question 1. Why does Elizabeth write to Mrs. Bennet at the start of Chapter 12?

   • To inform her mother that Jane has fully recovered from her illness
   • Correct answer: To request that the carriage be sent to bring them home from Netherfield
   • To ask permission to extend their stay at Netherfield through the weekend
   • To report that Mr. Bingley has proposed marriage to Jane Bennet

   Elizabeth writes "to beg that the carriage might be sent for them in the course of the day," hoping to return home promptly.

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2. 2

   Question 2. Why does Mrs. Bennet refuse to send the carriage before Tuesday?

   • Correct answer: She has calculated that Tuesday would finish Jane's full week at Netherfield
   • The roads are too muddy for safe carriage travel before the weather improves
   • She believes the apothecary has ordered Jane to rest until Tuesday at minimum
   • The horses are needed for farm work and cannot be spared until then

   Mrs. Bennet "had calculated on her daughters remaining at Netherfield till the following Tuesday, which would exactly finish Jane's week."

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3. 3

   Question 3. What does Mrs. Bennet add in her postscript to Elizabeth's letter?

   • She reports that Kitty and Lydia have exciting news about the militia officers
   • She says that Mr. Darcy and Miss Bingley must not be troubled with them a day longer
   • She instructs Elizabeth to press Jane into accepting Mr. Bingley's attentions
   • Correct answer: She says if Bingley and his sister press them to stay longer, she can spare them

   The postscript says "if Mr. Bingley and his sister pressed them to stay longer, she could spare them very well" — another attempt to keep Jane near Bingley.

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4. 4

   Question 4. How does Elizabeth resolve the transportation problem?

   • She asks Mr. Darcy to lend his private carriage for the journey home
   • She arranges to walk the three miles back to Longbourn as she did before
   • Correct answer: She urges Jane to borrow Mr. Bingley's carriage to leave that morning
   • She writes a second letter demanding Mrs. Bennet send the carriage at once

   Elizabeth "urged Jane to borrow Mr. Bingley's carriage immediately," and they plan to announce their departure that very morning.

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5. 5

   Question 5. Why does Miss Bingley regret encouraging the sisters to delay their departure by one day?

   • Correct answer: Her jealousy and dislike of Elizabeth far exceed her affection for Jane
   • She has planned a private dinner with Mr. Darcy that Elizabeth would disrupt
   • She fears the extra day will strain Netherfield's hospitality budget unnecessarily
   • She worries that Mr. Bingley is growing too attached to Jane Bennet

   Austen states directly that "her jealousy and dislike of one sister much exceeded her affection for the other."

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6. 6

   Question 6. How does Mr. Bingley respond to the news of the sisters' departure?

   • He asks Darcy to convince the sisters to extend their stay through the weekend
   • He accepts the decision politely and offers his best wishes for a safe journey
   • Correct answer: He hears with real sorrow and repeatedly tries to persuade Jane she is not recovered
   • He offers his carriage at once and assures Jane that she is quite well enough to travel

   "The master of the house heard with real sorrow that they were to go so soon, and repeatedly tried to persuade Miss Bennet that it would not be safe for her."

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7. 7

   Question 7. Why does Darcy consider Elizabeth's departure "welcome intelligence"?

   • He wants to be alone with Bingley to discuss important business matters privately
   • He believes Jane is well enough now and that her sister is no longer needed there
   • He finds Elizabeth's wit and conversation tiresome after several days of it
   • Correct answer: Elizabeth has attracted him more than he liked and he needs distance from her

   Darcy recognizes that "Elizabeth had been at Netherfield long enough. She attracted him more than he liked." He needs her gone to regain control of his feelings.

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8. 8

   Question 8. What strategy does Darcy adopt to conceal his feelings for Elizabeth?

   • He engages in lively conversation with Miss Bingley to divert attention away
   • Correct answer: He scarcely speaks ten words to Elizabeth and refuses to look at her even when alone
   • He writes Elizabeth a formal letter explaining that he cannot encourage her affection
   • He avoids all social gatherings and takes long walks on the Netherfield grounds instead

   "He scarcely spoke ten words to her through the whole of Saturday, and though they were at one time left by themselves for half-an-hour, he adhered most conscientiously to his book."

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9. 9

   Question 9. What does Darcy do when left alone with Elizabeth for half an hour?

   • He reads aloud from a book of poetry and invites Elizabeth to comment on it
   • He attempts polite conversation about the weather and the neighborhood
   • Correct answer: He adheres most conscientiously to his book and will not even look at her
   • He takes the opportunity to leave the room and join the others elsewhere

   Darcy "adhered most conscientiously to his book, and would not even look at her" — an act of deliberate self-discipline that reveals his inner struggle.

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10. 10

    Question 10. How does Miss Bingley behave at the actual moment of departure?

    • She weeps dramatically and begs the sisters to promise to return soon for a visit
    • She ignores Elizabeth entirely but makes a warm farewell speech directed only at Jane
    • She makes a cold and formal farewell without any show of warmth or affection
    • Correct answer: Her civility increases very rapidly — she embraces Jane and shakes hands with Elizabeth

    "Miss Bingley's civility to Elizabeth increased at last very rapidly" — she embraces Jane "most tenderly" and "even shook hands with the former."

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11. 11

    Question 11. How does Mrs. Bennet receive her daughters when they return to Longbourn?

    • She is overjoyed to see them and immediately asks about Mr. Bingley's attentions
    • Correct answer: She is annoyed, wonders at their coming, and predicts Jane will catch cold again
    • She scolds Elizabeth for failing to secure a proposal from Mr. Darcy during the visit
    • She is indifferent, barely looking up from her needlework as they enter the room

    "They were not welcomed home very cordially by their mother. Mrs. Bennet wondered at their coming, and thought them very wrong to give so much trouble."

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12. 12

    Question 12. How does Mr. Bennet react to his daughters' return from Netherfield?

    • Correct answer: He is laconic in expressing pleasure but genuinely glad, having felt their absence
    • He interrogates them about Darcy's behavior and demands a full account of their stay
    • He jokes sarcastically about their failed attempt to secure advantageous marriages
    • He expresses no interest and retreats to his library without greeting them

    "Their father, though very laconic in his expressions of pleasure, was really glad to see them; he had felt their importance in the family circle."

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13. 13

    Question 13. What has Mary been doing during Elizabeth and Jane's absence?

    • Practicing her piano scales and preparing a new concerto for public performance
    • Correct answer: Studying thorough-bass and human nature, with extracts and threadbare morality to share
    • Reading novels from the circulating library and sharing dramatic plot summaries
    • Visiting friends in Meryton and attending social gatherings with Kitty and Lydia

    "They found Mary, as usual, deep in the study of thorough-bass and human nature; and had some extracts to admire, and some new observations of threadbare morality to listen to."

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14. 14

    Question 14. What militia gossip do Kitty and Lydia share when their sisters return?

    • Captain Carter has fallen in love with a local girl and plans to propose immediately
    • A new regiment is arriving from London with even more dashing young officers
    • Correct answer: Officers dining with their uncle, a private flogged, and Colonel Forster rumored to marry
    • The regiment is being transferred away from Meryton before the end of winter

    "Several of the officers had dined lately with their uncle, a private had been flogged, and it had actually been hinted that Colonel Forster was going to be married."

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15. 15

    Question 15. What had the Bennet family's evening conversation lost during Jane and Elizabeth's absence?

    • Its focus on the militia regiment, since Kitty and Lydia had no one to gossip with
    • Its warmth and humor, as Mr. Bennet refused to speak without his favorite daughters
    • Its usual arguments about money, marriage, and the family's social standing
    • Correct answer: Much of its animation and almost all its sense, without Jane and Elizabeth present

    "The evening conversation, when they were all assembled, had lost much of its animation, and almost all its sense by the absence of Jane and Elizabeth."

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