Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 23 quiz

Questions and answers

1. 1

   Question 1. Who comes to Longbourn to announce Charlotte's engagement to Mr. Collins?

   • Correct answer: Sir William Lucas, sent by Charlotte to formally announce the engagement
   • Lady Lucas, who stops by during her regular social call to the Bennets
   • Mr. Collins, who writes a letter delivered by express messenger that morning
   • Charlotte herself, who arrives unexpectedly to share the news in person

   Sir William Lucas is "sent by his daughter" to announce Charlotte's engagement to the Bennet family, bringing "many compliments" and "much self-gratulation on the prospect of a connection between the houses."

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2. 2

   Question 2. How does Mrs. Bennet respond when Sir William announces Charlotte's engagement?

   • She bursts into tears and retreats to her room, overcome with emotion about losing Collins
   • Correct answer: She insists he must be entirely mistaken, protesting with more perseverance than politeness
   • She orders Mr. Bennet to ride over to Lucas Lodge at once and hear the truth from Charlotte herself
   • She congratulates him warmly but privately tells Elizabeth she thinks it a terrible match

   Mrs. Bennet "with more perseverance than politeness, protested he must be entirely mistaken," refusing to believe that Collins would marry Charlotte instead of Elizabeth.

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3. 3

   Question 3. What does Lydia blurt out when she hears about Charlotte's engagement to Mr. Collins?

   • That the match will never last because Mr. Collins is the most boring man in all of England
   • That Charlotte is far too plain for someone as important as a clergyman with Lady Catherine's patronage
   • Correct answer: That Mr. Collins had proposed to Elizabeth first and surely still wants to marry Lizzy instead
   • That she always knew Charlotte was desperate enough to accept any man who would have her

   Lydia "boisterously exclaimed: 'Good Lord! Sir William, how can you tell such a story? Do not you know that Mr. Collins wants to marry Lizzy?'"

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4. 4

   Question 4. How does Elizabeth help Sir William during the awkward announcement scene?

   • She scolds her mother and Lydia for their rudeness and demands they show proper courtesy
   • She changes the subject to the weather and local news until her family composes themselves
   • She escorts him quickly to the door and apologizes privately for her family's behavior
   • Correct answer: She confirms the engagement by mentioning her prior knowledge from Charlotte and offers congratulations

   Elizabeth "put herself forward to confirm his account, by mentioning her prior knowledge of it from Charlotte herself; and endeavoured to put a stop to the exclamations of her mother and sisters by the earnestness of her congratulations to Sir William."

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5. 5

   Question 5. Which of the following is NOT one of Mrs. Bennet's conclusions after Sir William leaves?

   • Correct answer: That Charlotte must have manipulated Collins into proposing through deceptive scheming
   • That Mr. Collins has been taken in and deceived about the arrangement
   • That the couple would never be happy together, and that the match might yet be broken off
   • That the whole matter is untrue and the engagement never happened at all

   Mrs. Bennet's four reactions are: disbelieving the whole matter, believing Collins was "taken in," trusting they would never be happy together, and hoping the match would be broken off. She never accuses Charlotte of manipulating Collins through deception.

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6. 6

   Question 6. What is Mr. Bennet's reaction to Charlotte and Mr. Collins's engagement?

   • He is quietly distressed about losing the chance to keep Longbourn in the family through Elizabeth
   • He is irritated and tells Mrs. Bennet they should have forced Elizabeth to accept Collins sooner
   • Correct answer: He is amused, saying Charlotte is as foolish as his wife and more foolish than his daughter
   • He is indifferent and refuses to discuss the matter, retreating to his library without comment

   Mr. Bennet's emotions were "of a most agreeable sort; for it gratified him, he said, to discover that Charlotte Lucas, whom he had been used to think tolerably sensible, was as foolish as his wife, and more foolish than his daughter!"

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7. 7

   Question 7. What happens to Elizabeth and Charlotte's friendship after the engagement is announced?

   • Charlotte apologizes to Elizabeth and explains her practical reasons for accepting Collins
   • Correct answer: A restraint keeps them mutually silent, and Elizabeth feels real confidence can never return
   • Elizabeth writes Charlotte a letter expressing her disappointment but wishing her well
   • They have a heated argument about the morality of marrying without love and stop speaking

   "Between Elizabeth and Charlotte there was a restraint which kept them mutually silent on the subject; and Elizabeth felt persuaded that no real confidence could ever subsist between them again."

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8. 8

   Question 8. Who does Elizabeth turn to with "fonder regard" after her disappointment in Charlotte?

   • Her father Mr. Bennet, who shares her sharp wit and dislike of foolish social conventions
   • Her younger sisters Kitty and Lydia, hoping to guide them away from Charlotte's mistake
   • Her aunt Mrs. Gardiner, whose judgment and maturity she has always trusted deeply
   • Correct answer: Her sister Jane, whose rectitude and delicacy she trusts completely and without question

   "Her disappointment in Charlotte made her turn with fonder regard to her sister, of whose rectitude and delicacy she was sure her opinion could never be shaken."

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9. 9

   Question 9. What rumor about Mr. Bingley begins circulating in Meryton during this chapter?

   • Correct answer: That he is coming no more to Netherfield for the whole winter, to Mrs. Bennet's great anger
   • That he has quarreled with Mr. Darcy over Jane and been forbidden to return to Hertfordshire
   • That he has become engaged to Miss Darcy and will never return to Netherfield again
   • That he has sold Netherfield Park and purchased a new estate in a different county entirely

   The "report which shortly prevailed in Meryton of his coming no more to Netherfield the whole winter" spreads through the neighborhood, which Mrs. Bennet "never failed to contradict as a most scandalous falsehood."

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10. 10

    Question 10. What does Elizabeth fear may keep Bingley away from Jane?

    • Bingley's own wavering character and tendency to fall in love with every pretty woman he meets
    • Jane's own pride and reluctance to show her feelings openly in front of Bingley's friends
    • Correct answer: The united efforts of his sisters, his friend Darcy, Miss Darcy's attractions, and London's amusements
    • Mr. Darcy's personal dislike of the Bennet family and his determination to separate the couple

    Elizabeth fears "the united efforts of his two unfeeling sisters and of his overpowering friend, assisted by the attractions of Miss Darcy and the amusements of London might be too much... for the strength of his attachment."

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11. 11

    Question 11. What does Mr. Collins's letter reveal about Lady Catherine de Bourgh's opinion of his marriage?

    • She is indifferent but grants him permission to marry since it will not affect his clerical duties
    • Correct answer: She heartily approves and wishes the marriage to take place as soon as possible
    • She requests a formal meeting with Charlotte before giving her final consent to the union
    • She disapproves strongly and warns him that a wife of Charlotte's low birth is beneath his station

    Collins reports that "Lady Catherine... so heartily approved his marriage, that she wished it to take place as soon as possible, which he trusted would be an unanswerable argument with his amiable Charlotte to name an early day."

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12. 12

    Question 12. Why does Mrs. Bennet resent Mr. Collins's return to Longbourn?

    • She worries his presence will remind Bingley of the family's connection to a mere clergyman
    • She is embarrassed that the neighborhood will gossip about Collins courting Charlotte under her roof
    • She fears he will try to propose to another of her daughters now that Elizabeth has refused him
    • Correct answer: She finds it strange he comes to Longbourn instead of Lucas Lodge, and she hates having visitors

    Mrs. Bennet finds "it was very strange that he should come to Longbourn instead of to Lucas Lodge; it was also very inconvenient and exceedingly troublesome. She hated having visitors in the house while her health was so indifferent, and lovers were of all people the most disagreeable."

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13. 13

    Question 13. How does Mrs. Bennet view Charlotte when she visits Longbourn after the engagement?

    • With bitter pity, believing Charlotte has made a terrible mistake she will soon regret
    • With open hostility, refusing to speak to her or allow her inside the house at all
    • With polite coolness and careful avoidance of any personal conversation or warmth
    • Correct answer: With jealous abhorrence, regarding her as a rival who will take possession of the house

    "As her successor in that house, she regarded her with jealous abhorrence. Whenever Charlotte came to see them, she concluded her to be anticipating the hour of possession."

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14. 14

    Question 14. What is Mr. Bennet's famous response when Mrs. Bennet laments that Charlotte will be mistress of Longbourn?

    • He reminds her that she should have thought of this before allowing Elizabeth to refuse Collins
    • Correct answer: He says they should hope for better things and flatter themselves that he may be the survivor
    • He tells her to stop worrying because Collins might die young given his poor constitution
    • He suggests they should challenge the entail in court since it is unfair to their daughters

    Mr. Bennet replies with dark humor: "My dear, do not give way to such gloomy thoughts. Let us hope for better things. Let us flatter ourselves that I may be the survivor" -- joking that he, not his wife, may be the one to outlive the other.

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15. 15

    Question 15. How does Jane handle her anxiety about Bingley's absence?

    • She writes multiple letters to Caroline Bingley demanding to know when he will return
    • She confides in Elizabeth nightly about her fears and asks for advice on how to proceed
    • Correct answer: She conceals her feelings and never alludes to the subject with Elizabeth despite her pain
    • She visits Netherfield Park to inquire with the servants about Bingley's expected return date

    Jane's "anxiety under this suspense was, of course, more painful than Elizabeth's, but whatever she felt she was desirous of concealing, and between herself and Elizabeth, therefore, the subject was never alluded to."

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