Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 2 quiz

Questions and answers

1. 1

   Question 1. What does the opening sentence of Chapter 2 reveal?

   • Mr. Bingley has returned Mr. Bennet's visit at Longbourn
   • Elizabeth has met Mr. Bingley at the Meryton assembly
   • Mrs. Bennet has already invited Mr. Bingley to dine at Longbourn
   • Correct answer: Mr. Bennet was among the earliest to visit Mr. Bingley

   The chapter opens by telling the reader that Mr. Bennet "was among the earliest of those who waited on Mr. Bingley," though he had told his wife he would not go.

   Read the passage
2. 2

   Question 2. What is Elizabeth doing when Mr. Bennet first mentions Bingley's name?

   • Reading a novel in the drawing room
   • Playing the pianoforte for the family
   • Correct answer: Trimming a hat with decorations
   • Writing a letter to her aunt Gardiner

   Mr. Bennet observes "his second daughter employed in trimming a hat" and says, "I hope Mr. Bingley will like it, Lizzy."

   Read the passage
3. 3

   Question 3. Why does Mrs. Bennet call Mrs. Long "selfish" and "hypocritical"?

   • Because Mrs. Long will not come back until the day before the ball
   • Correct answer: Because Mrs. Long has two unmarried nieces who are rivals for Bingley
   • Because Mrs. Long has been spreading gossip about the Bennet daughters
   • Because Mrs. Long is wealthier and looks down on the Bennet family

   Mrs. Bennet suspects Mrs. Long will favor her own two nieces rather than introduce Bingley to the Bennet daughters.

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4. 4

   Question 4. Which daughter is scolded by Mrs. Bennet for coughing?

   • Correct answer: Kitty, whose coughing bothers her mother's nerves
   • Lydia, the youngest and yet the tallest of the sisters
   • Jane, the eldest and most beautiful daughter
   • Mary, who reads great books and makes extracts

   Mrs. Bennet tells Kitty, "Don't keep coughing so, for Heaven's sake! Have a little compassion on my nerves. You tear them to pieces."

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5. 5

   Question 5. What is Mr. Bennet's witty remark about Kitty's coughing?

   • He says she coughs only for her own amusement, not from a cold
   • Correct answer: He says she has no discretion in her coughs and times them ill
   • He says she tears her mother's nerves to pieces with her coughing
   • He offers her his handkerchief with exaggerated concern

   Mr. Bennet's dry humor transforms a simple cough into a matter of poor timing and judgment: "Kitty has no discretion in her coughs; she times them ill."

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6. 6

   Question 6. What does "circumspection" mean in Mr. Bennet's statement "I honour your circumspection"?

   • Correct answer: Circumspection means careful caution in considering all factors
   • Circumspection means stubborn refusal to change one's mind
   • Circumspection means a habit of looking around in every direction
   • Circumspection means eager enthusiasm about social events

   Mr. Bennet ironically praises Mrs. Bennet's "circumspection" (prudent caution), pretending she is being wisely careful rather than stubbornly complaining.

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7. 7

   Question 7. How does Mr. Bennet describe Mary when asking her opinion?

   • As a talented musician whose opinion he values greatly
   • As the prettiest and most charming of all the sisters
   • Correct answer: As a young lady of deep reflection who reads great books
   • As the most obedient and dutiful of all his five daughters

   Mr. Bennet asks, "What say you, Mary? For you are a young lady of deep reflection, I know, and read great books and make extracts."

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8. 8

   Question 8. What does Mary do when asked for her opinion?

   • She excuses herself and leaves the room in embarrassment
   • She quotes a passage from one of the great books she reads
   • She agrees enthusiastically with her mother's position
   • Correct answer: She wishes to say something sensible but cannot manage it

   The narrator tells us simply that "Mary wished to say something sensible, but knew not how," revealing her desire to appear intellectual but her inability to produce wit on demand.

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9. 9

   Question 9. How does Mr. Bennet finally reveal that he has visited Mr. Bingley?

   • Correct answer: He pretends to regret visiting because Mrs. Bennet is sick of Bingley
   • He announces it directly and waits for their applause
   • He asks Jane to return the visit on the family's behalf
   • He shows the family a letter of invitation from Bingley

   Mr. Bennet says, "If I had known as much this morning I certainly would not have called on him," casually revealing the visit in response to Mrs. Bennet declaring she is "sick of Mr. Bingley."

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10. 10

    Question 10. How does Mrs. Bennet react once she realizes Mr. Bennet has actually visited Bingley?

    • She is furious that he went without telling her first
    • Correct answer: She is astonished, then joyful, then claims she expected it all along
    • She faints from the shock and must be revived by her daughters
    • She remains calm and thanks him quietly for his efforts

    Mrs. Bennet's reaction moves from astonishment to a "tumult of joy" to claiming "it was what she had expected all the while" and that she always knew she would persuade him.

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11. 11

    Question 11. Why does Mr. Bennet leave the room at the end of the chapter?

    • He wants to tell the servants to prepare for Bingley's return visit
    • He goes to consult his brother-in-law about the introduction
    • He needs to write a letter to Mr. Bingley about dinner
    • Correct answer: He is fatigued with the raptures and excitement of his wife

    The narrator tells us he "left the room, fatigued with the raptures of his wife," a characteristic blend of affection and exhaustion.

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12. 12

    Question 12. What does Lydia say about dancing with Mr. Bingley?

    • She says dancing with strangers is beneath her dignity at any age
    • She says she would rather dance with an officer in a regiment
    • Correct answer: She says she is not afraid because though youngest she is tallest
    • She says she hopes Jane will have the first two dances with him

    Lydia declares "stoutly" that she is not afraid, "for though I am the youngest, I'm the tallest," showing her bold, confident personality.

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13. 13

    Question 13. What primary literary device does Austen use to create humor throughout Chapter 2?

    • Correct answer: Dramatic irony, as the reader knows about the visit but the family does not
    • Allegory comparing the Bennet family to political figures
    • Hyperbole in which every character greatly exaggerates their feelings
    • Foreshadowing of the dangers that await the family

    The reader knows from the first sentence that Mr. Bennet has visited Bingley, creating dramatic irony as the family debates whether they will ever meet him.

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