Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 17 quiz

Questions and answers

1. 1

   Question 1. What does Elizabeth tell Jane about at the beginning of Chapter 17?

   • Her growing feelings for Mr. Bingley and concerns about his sisters
   • Correct answer: Her conversation with Mr. Wickham and his claims about Mr. Darcy
   • A letter she received from Mr. Darcy explaining his past behavior
   • Mr. Collins's intention to propose marriage to one of the Bennet sisters

   Elizabeth relates to Jane "what had passed between Mr. Wickham and herself," specifically Wickham's claims about being cheated of a church living by Darcy.

   Read the passage
2. 2

   Question 2. How does Jane explain the apparent conflict between Wickham and Darcy?

   • Correct answer: She suggests that interested people may have misrepresented each to the other
   • She refuses to judge until Mr. Darcy himself has been asked to contradict the story
   • She blames Wickham entirely and defends Darcy as a man of good character
   • She takes Elizabeth's side and agrees that Darcy must be in the wrong

   Jane says: "Interested people have perhaps misrepresented each to the other. It is, in short, impossible for us to conjecture the causes or circumstances which may have alienated them, without actual blame on either side."

   Read the passage
3. 3

   Question 3. What does Elizabeth say in response to Jane's charitable view of both Wickham and Darcy?

   • She suggests they write to Mr. Darcy to ask for his side of the story
   • She agrees that the truth probably lies somewhere in the middle between accounts
   • She warns Jane that being too trusting will eventually cause her heartache
   • Correct answer: She teases Jane, saying "I beg your pardon; one knows exactly what to think"

   When Jane says "One does not know what to think," Elizabeth retorts: "I beg your pardon; one knows exactly what to think." This shows her confident but prejudiced certainty about Wickham's truthfulness.

   Read the passage
4. 4

   Question 4. What reason does Elizabeth give for believing Wickham over Darcy?

   • She trusts Jane's judgment, since Jane has always said that Mr. Darcy was not a good man
   • She has heard the same account from Mr. Denny, who brought Wickham from London and knows his history
   • Correct answer: She says Wickham mentioned names, facts, and details without ceremony, and "there was truth in his looks"
   • She recalls a conversation with Mr. Bingley in which he admitted his friend's pride and cruelty

   Elizabeth argues: "I can much more easily believe Mr. Bingley's being imposed on, than that Mr. Wickham should invent such a history of himself as he gave me last night; names, facts, everything mentioned without ceremony. If it be not so, let Mr. Darcy contradict it. Besides, there was truth in his looks."

   Read the passage
5. 5

   Question 5. Who arrives at Longbourn to deliver the Netherfield ball invitation?

   • A servant carrying a formal written card from Mr. Bingley's household
   • Mrs. Phillips, bringing news from Meryton about the upcoming event
   • Correct answer: Mr. Bingley and his sisters, who come in person to invite the family
   • Mr. Darcy alone, seeking an opportunity to speak privately with Elizabeth

   The text states: "Mr. Bingley and his sisters came to give their personal invitation for the long-expected ball at Netherfield, which was fixed for the following Tuesday."

   Read the passage
6. 6

   Question 6. How do the Bingley sisters treat the Bennet family during their visit?

   • Correct answer: They focus their attention on Jane but avoid Mrs. Bennet, say little to Elizabeth, and ignore the others
   • They speak chiefly to Mrs. Bennet, praising her civilities, and say almost nothing to Jane or Elizabeth
   • They ignore Jane entirely and spend the whole visit talking with Elizabeth about Mr. Darcy
   • They are equally warm and attentive to every member of the family, Mrs. Bennet and the younger girls included

   The Bingley sisters were "delighted to see their dear friend" Jane, but "To the rest of the family they paid little attention; avoiding Mrs. Bennet as much as possible, saying not much to Elizabeth, and nothing at all to the others."

   Read the passage
7. 7

   Question 7. What does Elizabeth look forward to at the Netherfield ball?

   • Confronting Mr. Darcy about his treatment of Wickham in front of the assembly
   • Correct answer: Dancing a great deal with Mr. Wickham and observing Mr. Darcy's look and behavior
   • Speaking with Miss Bingley to learn more about Mr. Darcy's true character
   • Spending a happy evening in the society of Miss Bingley, Mrs. Hurst and their brother

   Elizabeth "thought with pleasure of dancing a great deal with Mr. Wickham, and of seeing a confirmation of everything in Mr. Darcy's look and behavior."

   Read the passage
8. 8

   Question 8. What does Mary say about attending the Netherfield ball?

   • She declares that balls have an evil tendency and that she would rather stay home with her books
   • She refuses to attend, calling balls a frivolous waste of time and intellect
   • She agrees to go enthusiastically, hoping to perform on the pianoforte for everyone
   • Correct answer: She concedes that "society has claims on us all" and says she has no disinclination for it

   Mary states: "While I can have my mornings to myself, it is enough-- I think it is no sacrifice to join occasionally in evening engagements. Society has claims on us all."

   Read the passage
9. 9

   Question 9. How does Elizabeth's question to Mr. Collins about the ball backfire on her?

   • Correct answer: Collins takes the opportunity to solicit her for the first two dances, which she had hoped to save for Wickham
   • Collins tells Lady Catherine about the ball, and she forbids the Bennets from attending
   • Collins says he fears a rebuke from the Archbishop and Lady Catherine, and begs her to keep his dancing a secret
   • Collins criticizes her for asking, saying balls are sinful and beneath his clerical dignity

   Elizabeth asks Collins if he intends to dance, and he immediately requests "the two first dances especially" with her -- the very dances she had planned to dance with Wickham.

   Read the passage
10. 10

    Question 10. What does Mr. Collins say to justify his willingness to dance at the ball?

    • That Lady Catherine herself encouraged him to dance as a way to find a suitable wife
    • That he views dancing as excellent physical exercise recommended by physicians of the day
    • Correct answer: That a ball given by a young man of character to respectable people can have no evil tendency
    • That he has received special permission from the Archbishop of Canterbury to attend balls

    Collins declares: "I am by no means of the opinion...that a ball of this kind, given by a young man of character, to respectable people, can have any evil tendency; and I am so far from objecting to dancing myself, that I shall hope to be honoured with the hands of all my fair cousins."

    Read the passage
11. 11

    Question 11. What realization strikes Elizabeth after Collins requests the first dances?

    • That Collins is attempting to make Mr. Darcy jealous by dancing with her prominently
    • Correct answer: That she has been selected as Collins's intended wife and potential mistress of Hunsford Parsonage
    • That Mr. Wickham will now dance the first two dances with Lydia or Kitty instead
    • That her mother has secretly arranged the dance request to promote a match between them

    "It now first struck her, that she was selected from among her sisters as worthy of being mistress of Hunsford Parsonage, and of assisting to form a quadrille table at Rosings, in the absence of more eligible visitors."

    Read the passage
12. 12

    Question 12. How does Mrs. Bennet respond to Collins's growing attention toward Elizabeth?

    • She discourages the match, believing Collins is not wealthy enough for any of her daughters
    • She is alarmed and warns Elizabeth to keep her distance from the clergyman
    • She is indifferent, focused entirely on Jane's prospects with Mr. Bingley instead
    • Correct answer: She makes clear that the probability of their marriage is "extremely agreeable" to her

    "It was not long before her mother gave her to understand that the probability of their marriage was extremely agreeable to her." Mrs. Bennet sees Collins as a solution to the entail problem.

    Read the passage
13. 13

    Question 13. Why does Elizabeth choose not to respond to her mother's hints about Mr. Collins?

    • She is too absorbed in thoughts about Wickham to pay attention to her mother
    • She is confident that Collins will choose Jane instead, making the issue irrelevant
    • Correct answer: She knows a serious dispute would follow any reply, and Collins may never actually propose
    • She has already decided to accept Collins and does not want to reveal her feelings prematurely

    "Elizabeth, however, did not choose to take the hint, being well aware that a serious dispute must be the consequence of any reply. Mr. Collins might never make the offer, and, till he did, it was useless to quarrel about him."

    Read the passage
14. 14

    Question 14. What prevents the younger Bennet sisters from visiting Meryton in the days before the ball?

    • Their father forbids them from going to town after an embarrassing public incident
    • Correct answer: A continuous succession of rain makes it impossible to walk to Meryton
    • Mrs. Bennet insists they stay home to prepare their dresses and accessories for the ball
    • The officers' regiment has been deployed elsewhere, leaving Meryton with no attraction

    "From the day of the invitation, to the day of the ball, there was such a succession of rain as prevented their walking to Meryton once. No aunt, no officers, no news could be sought after."

    Read the passage
15. 15

    Question 15. What thematic contrast does Chapter 17 establish through Elizabeth and Jane's disagreement about Wickham?

    • The contrast between rural innocence and London sophistication in Regency England
    • The contrast between Jane's quick, suspicious judgment of strangers and Elizabeth's patient, charitable nature
    • The contrast between wealth and poverty as driving forces behind social judgment
    • Correct answer: The contrast between Elizabeth's confident but prejudiced judgment and Jane's overly charitable nature

    Elizabeth prides herself on reading people accurately but is swayed by Wickham's charm and her dislike of Darcy. Jane refuses to condemn anyone, which seems naive but proves more accurate. Both sisters are limited by their temperaments -- the novel's central exploration of pride and prejudice.

    Read the passage