Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 13 quiz

Questions and answers

1. 1

   Question 1. Who does Mrs. Bennet initially assume is the expected visitor?

   • Correct answer: Mr. Bingley, the new tenant of Netherfield Park
   • Mr. Wickham, a charming officer in the militia
   • Colonel Forster, the commander of the local regiment
   • Mr. Darcy, the wealthy gentleman from Derbyshire

   When Mr. Bennet mentions "a gentleman and a stranger," Mrs. Bennet's eyes sparkle and she immediately assumes it is Mr. Bingley.

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2. 2

   Question 2. What is the relationship between Mr. Collins and the Bennet family?

   • He is the clergyman of Longbourn parish and a friend of Sir William Lucas
   • He is Mrs. Bennet's nephew and the son of her sister, Mrs. Phillips
   • He is Mrs. Bennet's brother, who has quarreled with the family for many years
   • Correct answer: He is Mr. Bennet's cousin and the legal heir to the Longbourn estate

   Mr. Bennet introduces the letter as being "from my cousin, Mr. Collins, who, when I am dead, may turn you all out of this house."

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3. 3

   Question 3. What does "entailment" mean in the context of the Bennet estate?

   • The estate is heavily mortgaged and must be surrendered to the creditors
   • Correct answer: The estate is legally restricted to pass only to male heirs, excluding the daughters
   • The estate must be sold at public auction, with the profits divided equally
   • The estate is jointly owned by Mr. Bennet and Mrs. Bennet's relations

   The entail means the estate must pass to the nearest male heir (Mr. Collins) rather than to Mr. Bennet's five daughters.

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4. 4

   Question 4. What position has Mr. Collins recently obtained?

   • An officer's commission through the influence of Colonel Forster
   • A position in the office of Mr. Phillips, the Meryton attorney
   • Correct answer: A rectory (church living) through the patronage of Lady Catherine de Bourgh
   • A teaching position at a boys' academy near Westerham, in Kent

   Collins writes that "having received ordination at Easter," he has been appointed to the rectory through Lady Catherine de Bourgh's "bounty and beneficence."

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5. 5

   Question 5. What does Mr. Collins's letter reveal about Mr. Bennet and Collins's late father?

   • Mrs. Bennet had publicly insulted Collins's father concerning the entail
   • Mr. Bennet had refused a financial loan to Collins's late father
   • Collins's late father had disputed Mr. Bennet's inheritance of the Longbourn property
   • Correct answer: There was a longstanding disagreement between Mr. Bennet and Collins's late father

   Collins refers to "the disagreement subsisting between yourself and my late honoured father" but the specific cause is not detailed in this chapter.

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6. 6

   Question 6. How does Mr. Bennet describe the tone of Mr. Collins's letter?

   • A tone of sincere affection and respectful reconciliation
   • A mixture of humility and generosity that is certainly to his credit
   • Correct answer: A mixture of servility and self-importance that promises well
   • A pompous style that is not defective in point of composition

   Mr. Bennet says, "There is a mixture of servility and self-importance in his letter, which promises well. I am impatient to see him."

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7. 7

   Question 7. What does Elizabeth find most striking about Mr. Collins's letter?

   • Correct answer: His extraordinary deference for Lady Catherine and his pompous style
   • His detailed knowledge of the Bennet family's financial situation
   • His elegant prose style and sophisticated use of literary allusions
   • His sincere apology for the family disagreement and desire to reconcile

   Elizabeth is "chiefly struck by his extraordinary deference for Lady Catherine, and his kind intention of christening, marrying, and burying his parishioners."

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8. 8

   Question 8. Why are Lydia and Catherine uninterested in Mr. Collins?

   • They are preoccupied with the officers who recently dined with their uncle
   • Correct answer: It is impossible he would arrive wearing a scarlet military coat
   • They resent the entail as bitterly as their mother and refuse to listen
   • They consider a formal clergyman too dull for their society

   "It was next to impossible that their cousin should come in a scarlet coat," and the younger sisters have only been interested in officers lately.

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9. 9

   Question 9. How is Mr. Collins described physically upon his arrival?

   • A handsome, athletic man of thirty with an easy, confident manner
   • A thin, pale clergyman of middle age with a scholarly demeanor
   • A short, slight young man with nervous manners and a quiet voice
   • Correct answer: A tall, heavy-looking young man of twenty-five with grave, formal manners

   He is described as "a tall, heavy-looking young man of five-and-twenty" with a "grave and stately" air and "very formal" manners.

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10. 10

    Question 10. What social blunder does Mr. Collins commit at dinner?

    • Correct answer: He asks which daughter is responsible for the excellent cooking
    • He insists on reading aloud from a volume of sermons before dinner
    • He declares Lady Catherine's dinners far superior to Mrs. Bennet's
    • He criticises the quality of the wine served at the table

    Collins asks "to which of his fair cousins the excellency of its cooking was owing," implying the daughters work in the kitchen, which offends Mrs. Bennet.

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11. 11

    Question 11. How long does Mr. Collins apologize after offending Mrs. Bennet?

    • He offers a brief, sincere apology and changes the subject
    • Correct answer: He apologizes profusely for approximately a quarter of an hour
    • He does not apologize at all, believing his remark was complimentary
    • He writes a formal letter of apology the following morning

    Mrs. Bennet "declared herself not at all offended; but he continued to apologise for about a quarter of an hour."

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12. 12

    Question 12. What mortifying thought crosses Mrs. Bennet's mind as Collins praises the house?

    • She is embarrassed that the house is smaller than Hunsford rectory
    • She fears he will report the house's condition to Lady Catherine
    • Correct answer: She suspects he is viewing everything as his own future property
    • She worries the furniture is not fashionable enough for his tastes

    Collins's "commendation of everything would have touched Mrs. Bennet's heart, but for the mortifying supposition of his viewing it all as his own future property."

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13. 13

    Question 13. What metaphor does Mr. Collins use in his letter to describe his peace-making effort?

    • He refers to his journey as crossing a bridge over troubled waters
    • He compares himself to a pilgrim seeking forgiveness at a shrine
    • Correct answer: He describes himself as offering an olive-branch of reconciliation
    • He likens his visit to a shepherd reuniting a scattered flock

    Collins writes: "not lead you to reject the offered olive-branch." Mary later comments that "the idea of the olive-branch perhaps is not wholly new, yet I think it is well expressed."

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