Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 27 quiz

Questions and answers

1. 1

   Question 1. Why does Elizabeth gradually warm to the idea of visiting Charlotte at Hunsford?

   • Mrs. Bennet insists Elizabeth go to Hunsford to repair the family's relationship with the Collins household
   • She is eager to confront Lady Catherine de Bourgh about Darcy's behavior toward Wickham
   • Correct answer: Absence has increased her desire to see Charlotte and weakened her disgust of Mr. Collins, and the trip offers novelty
   • Charlotte has written that Mr. Collins has reformed his manners entirely and become a sensible clergyman

   Austen writes that "absence had increased her desire of seeing Charlotte again, and weakened her disgust of Mr. Collins. There was novelty in the scheme," and home was not faultless with "such a mother and such uncompanionable sisters."

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2. 2

   Question 2. How does Mr. Bennet respond when Elizabeth prepares to leave for Hunsford?

   • He writes a stern letter to Mr. Collins demanding that Elizabeth be treated with proper respect during the visit
   • He cheerfully waves her off, relieved to have fewer daughters disrupting his time in the library
   • He forbids her from going and argues that visiting Mr. Collins would be beneath the family's dignity
   • Correct answer: He so little likes her going that he tells her to write to him and almost promises to answer her letter

   "The only pain was in leaving her father, who would certainly miss her, and who, when it came to the point, so little liked her going, that he told her to write to him, and almost promised to answer her letter."

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3. 3

   Question 3. What opinion does Elizabeth form of Wickham at their farewell?

   • She feels relieved to be leaving his company, having grown tired of his constant complaints about Darcy's cruelty
   • Correct answer: She is convinced that, whether married or single, he must always be her model of the amiable and the pleasing
   • She recognizes his charm is superficial and warns Maria Lucas to be cautious around officers in general
   • She suspects he is concealing something dishonest and resolves to investigate his past when she returns home

   Elizabeth "parted from him convinced that, whether married or single, he must always be her model of the amiable and pleasing" -- a judgment loaded with dramatic irony given later revelations about Wickham.

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4. 4

   Question 4. How does Austen describe Sir William Lucas and Maria as traveling companions?

   • Correct answer: As having nothing worth hearing, listened to with about as much delight as the rattle of the chaise itself
   • As quiet and well-mannered travelers whose dignified silence makes the journey pleasant and restful for everyone
   • As lively and entertaining conversationalists who share fascinating stories about their visit to St. James's Court
   • As so anxious about the journey that they require constant reassurance and make frequent unnecessary stops

   Sir William and Maria "had nothing to say that could be worth hearing, and were listened to with about as much delight as the rattle of the chaise." Their empty-headedness is compared to carriage noise.

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5. 5

   Question 5. What does Elizabeth observe about Jane when she arrives at the Gardiners' home in London?

   • Jane seems completely recovered from Bingley and is cheerfully planning social engagements around London
   • Jane is not there to greet her because she has gone out shopping to avoid showing how upset she remains
   • Jane looks pale and worn from her weeks of grief over Bingley, and Elizabeth is alarmed to see how thin she has grown
   • Correct answer: Jane appears healthful and lovely as ever, though Mrs. Gardiner later reveals she suffers periods of dejection

   Elizabeth, "looking earnestly in her face, was pleased to see it healthful and lovely as ever." But privately, Mrs. Gardiner reveals that "though Jane always struggled to support her spirits, there were periods of dejection."

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6. 6

   Question 6. What has Mrs. Gardiner learned about Jane's relationship with Miss Bingley?

   • Jane still believes Miss Bingley is her true friend and that her last letter from Longbourn was simply lost by accident
   • Correct answer: Conversations prove that Jane has "from her heart, given up the acquaintance" after Miss Bingley's cold behavior
   • Miss Bingley has been secretly visiting Jane and encouraging her to pursue Bingley against Darcy's wishes
   • Miss Bingley has written Jane a long apology and promised to arrange a reunion with her brother very soon

   Mrs. Gardiner "repeated conversations occurring at different times between Jane and herself, which proved that the former had, from her heart, given up the acquaintance" with the Bingleys.

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7. 7

   Question 7. What rhetorical question does Elizabeth pose to defend Wickham's pursuit of Miss King?

   • Correct answer: She asks what the difference is between the mercenary and the prudent motive, and where discretion ends and avarice begins
   • She asks whether Mrs. Gardiner would rather Wickham starve in poverty than marry a woman with a modest fortune
   • She asks why society judges men for marrying money but celebrates women who do the exact same thing openly
   • She asks whether Miss King is pretty enough to deserve a man as handsome as Wickham in the first place

   "What is the difference in matrimonial affairs, between the mercenary and the prudent motive? Where does discretion end, and avarice begin?" Elizabeth argues that Wickham is being practical, not greedy.

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8. 8

   Question 8. How does Mrs. Gardiner respond to Elizabeth's passionate defense of Wickham?

   • She admits that a man in distressed circumstances has no time for elegant decorums, and apologizes for doubting Wickham's motives
   • She laughs and changes the subject, clearly uncomfortable with Elizabeth's strong emotional reaction to the topic
   • Correct answer: She warns Elizabeth that her speech "savours strongly of disappointment," suggesting Elizabeth cares more than she admits
   • She scolds Elizabeth for being naive about men and demands she promise to have nothing more to do with Wickham

   "Take care, Lizzy; that speech savours strongly of disappointment." Mrs. Gardiner perceptively recognizes that Elizabeth's heated defense of Wickham betrays deeper feelings than she acknowledges.

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9. 9

   Question 9. Elizabeth declares she is "sick of them all" and going to find "a man who has not one agreeable quality." To whom is she referring?

   • Sir William Lucas, her traveling companion, whose empty conversation has already exhausted her patience completely
   • Mr. Darcy, whom she expects to encounter at Lady Catherine's estate when she visits Charlotte at Hunsford
   • Correct answer: Mr. Collins, her destination at Hunsford, whom she describes as having "neither manner nor sense to recommend him"
   • Colonel Fitzwilliam, whom Wickham has described as equally proud and disagreeable as his cousin Darcy

   Elizabeth says she is going to Hunsford "where I shall find a man who has not one agreeable quality, who has neither manner nor sense to recommend him. Stupid men are the only ones worth knowing, after all."

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10. 10

    Question 10. What exciting invitation does Elizabeth receive at the end of Chapter 27?

    • Jane invites Elizabeth to stay permanently in London rather than returning to Longbourn after the Hunsford visit
    • Charlotte writes to invite Elizabeth to extend her Hunsford visit through the entire summer social season in Kent
    • Lady Catherine de Bourgh invites Elizabeth to dine at Rosings during her stay at the Collins parsonage
    • Correct answer: Mrs. Gardiner invites Elizabeth to accompany her and Mr. Gardiner on a summer tour of pleasure, perhaps to the Lakes

    Mrs. Gardiner says "perhaps, to the Lakes," and "no scheme could have been more agreeable to Elizabeth." This invitation foreshadows the pivotal Derbyshire journey later in the novel.

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11. 11

    Question 11. What famous exclamation does Elizabeth make in response to the tour invitation?

    • "Stupid men are the only ones worth knowing, after all," declaring herself sick of young men in Derbyshire and Hertfordshire
    • Correct answer: "What are young men to rocks and mountains? Oh! what hours of transport we shall spend!" expressing ecstatic joy
    • "I shall count the days until summer and dream of nothing but lakes and liberty until we depart together!"
    • "Aunt Gardiner, you are the only sensible person in my entire family, and I accept with all my heart!"

    Elizabeth rapturously cries: "What delight! what felicity! You give me fresh life and vigour. Adieu to disappointment and spleen. What are young men to rocks and mountains? Oh! what hours of transport we shall spend!"

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12. 12

    Question 12. Why is the proposed Lakes tour significant as foreshadowing?

    • Correct answer: The tour will be redirected to Derbyshire, leading Elizabeth to Pemberley and a transformative encounter with Darcy
    • The tour will bring Elizabeth into contact with Miss King, forcing a confrontation about Wickham's true character
    • The tour will take Elizabeth to Scotland, where she will elope with Wickham before anyone can stop them
    • The tour will be canceled entirely, deepening Elizabeth's disappointment and bitterness toward her family members

    The planned Lakes tour is eventually shortened to Derbyshire, where Elizabeth visits Pemberley -- Darcy's estate. This visit becomes the turning point of the novel, fundamentally changing her feelings toward Darcy.

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13. 13

    Question 13. What does the word "mercenary" mean in the context of Elizabeth's conversation with Mrs. Gardiner?

    • Correct answer: Motivated primarily by a desire for money or material gain rather than genuine affection or feeling in romance
    • Cruel and ruthless in personal dealings, willing to harm others for selfish advancement in social standing
    • Lacking in moral character and prone to deception, particularly in matters of romantic courtship and honor
    • A professional soldier hired to fight for a foreign country, suggesting Wickham's military background is suspicious

    Mrs. Gardiner says she would "be sorry to think our friend mercenary," meaning motivated by money rather than love. Elizabeth questions whether this is fair, asking where "discretion" ends and "avarice" begins.

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14. 14

    Question 14. How does Elizabeth promise the Gardiners' tour will differ from those of ordinary travelers?

    • She insists they will travel on foot rather than by carriage to experience the natural scenery more intimately
    • She pledges to keep a careful daily journal and publish it on their return as a guide for future travelers to the Lakes
    • She promises to sketch every landscape in watercolor so they can preserve accurate memories of each location
    • Correct answer: She vows they will know where they have gone and recollect what they have seen, not jumbling impressions together

    Elizabeth vows: "We will know where we have gone -- we will recollect what we have seen. Lakes, mountains, and rivers shall not be jumbled together in our imaginations."

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