Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 25 quiz

Questions and answers

1. 1

   Question 1. Why does Mr. Collins leave Longbourn at the beginning of Chapter 25?

   • Continued embarrassment over Elizabeth's refusal of his proposal
   • A quarrel with Mr. Bennet makes his presence at Longbourn unwelcome
   • Correct answer: Saturday arrives and he must prepare for his upcoming marriage
   • Lady Catherine de Bourgh summons him home to Hunsford for Christmas

   Mr. Collins leaves on Saturday to return home and prepare for the reception of his bride Charlotte Lucas, hoping the wedding date will soon be fixed.

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2. 2

   Question 2. What is Mr. Gardiner's relationship to the Bennet family?

   • He is Mrs. Bennet's uncle
   • He is a family friend from London
   • He is Mr. Bennet's brother
   • Correct answer: He is Mrs. Bennet's brother

   Mr. Gardiner is Mrs. Bennet's brother. He and his wife come to spend Christmas at Longbourn.

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3. 3

   Question 3. How does the narrator describe Mr. Gardiner compared to his sister Mrs. Bennet?

   • Equally nervous and prone to worry
   • Correct answer: Greatly superior in both nature and education
   • Wealthier but less well-mannered
   • Less educated but kinder in temperament

   Mr. Gardiner is described as "a sensible, gentlemanlike man, greatly superior to his sister, as well by nature as education."

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4. 4

   Question 4. According to Mrs. Bennet, who is to blame for the Longbourn estate remaining entailed?

   • Correct answer: Elizabeth, for refusing Mr. Collins's proposal
   • Jane, for failing to secure Mr. Bingley
   • Lady Lucas, for scheming to marry Charlotte to Mr. Collins
   • Mr. Bennet, for not producing a male heir

   Mrs. Bennet blames Lizzy, saying "she might have been Mr. Collins's wife by this time, had it not been for her own perverseness."

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5. 5

   Question 5. What does Mrs. Gardiner call the expression "violently in love"?

   • An insult to true romantic attachment
   • A phrase used only by the lower classes
   • A perfectly accurate description of Bingley's feelings
   • Correct answer: Hackneyed, doubtful, and indefinite

   Mrs. Gardiner says the expression is "so hackneyed, so doubtful, so indefinite, that it gives me very little idea" of the true nature of Bingley's feelings.

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6. 6

   Question 6. What does Elizabeth sarcastically call "the very essence of love"?

   • Daily correspondence filled with passionate declarations
   • Proposing marriage after the briefest acquaintance
   • Correct answer: General incivility toward everyone except the beloved
   • Forgetting the beloved as soon as accident separates them

   Elizabeth jokes that Bingley's rudeness to others at the ball proved his love for Jane, asking "Is not general incivility the very essence of love?"

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7. 7

   Question 7. Why does Mrs. Gardiner suggest Jane come to London?

   • Correct answer: Because a change of scene might help her recover emotionally
   • To renew her intimacy with Caroline Bingley in London society
   • To find a new suitor among the Gardiners' acquaintances
   • To confront Mr. Bingley in London about his sudden departure

   Mrs. Gardiner suggests that "change of scene might be of service" and "a little relief from home may be as useful as anything" for Jane's recovery.

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8. 8

   Question 8. What does Elizabeth say about Mr. Darcy and Gracechurch Street?

   • That Darcy would willingly visit, since the Bingley fortune was itself acquired in trade
   • Correct answer: That Darcy would hardly think a month's ablution enough to cleanse him from its impurities
   • That Darcy privately admires the merchants there and would gladly dine with the Gardiners
   • That Darcy has family connections in the area

   Elizabeth says Darcy "would hardly think a month's ablution enough to cleanse him from its impurities, were he once to enter it," mocking his pride about class.

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9. 9

   Question 9. What mutual attraction does Mrs. Gardiner notice during her stay at Longbourn?

   • Mary and Mr. Collins
   • Jane and a military officer
   • Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy
   • Correct answer: Elizabeth and Mr. Wickham

   Mrs. Gardiner, "rendered suspicious by Elizabeth's warm commendation, narrowly observed them both" and noticed the preference between Elizabeth and Wickham.

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10. 10

    Question 10. What connection does Mrs. Gardiner share with Wickham?

    • Correct answer: She once spent considerable time in his part of Derbyshire
    • They were educated together as children on the Pemberley estate
    • Her husband once did business with Wickham's father
    • They are distant relatives through her mother's family

    Before her marriage, Mrs. Gardiner "had spent a considerable time in that very part of Derbyshire to which he belonged," giving them many acquaintances in common.

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11. 11

    Question 11. What famous estate has Mrs. Gardiner seen in Derbyshire?

    • Netherfield Park
    • Rosings
    • Correct answer: Pemberley
    • Longbourn Hall

    Mrs. Gardiner had seen Pemberley, the Darcy family estate, and knew the late Mr. Darcy by character.

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12. 12

    Question 12. How does Mrs. Gardiner remember the present Mr. Darcy as a child?

    • As a shy but generous boy who helped the tenants
    • Correct answer: As a very proud, ill-natured boy
    • As a charming young man beloved by all
    • She has no memory of him whatsoever

    Mrs. Gardiner "recollected having heard Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy formerly spoken of as a very proud, ill-natured boy."

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13. 13

    Question 13. What social commentary does Austen make through the Gardiners' characterization?

    • Correct answer: That people in trade can be more genteel than those of higher birth
    • That London society is morally corrupted by commerce
    • That the Bennets should move to London to improve themselves
    • That trade families are always superior to the gentry

    The Gardiners, who live in trade, are described as sensible, elegant, and well-bred—challenging the class prejudices of characters like the Bingley sisters and Mr. Darcy.

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