Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 29 quiz

Questions and answers

1. 1

   Question 1. Why does Mr. Collins consider the dinner invitation to Rosings a personal triumph?

   • He has been waiting months for Lady Catherine to acknowledge his new wife and is relieved it finally happened
   • Correct answer: It gives him the chance to display the grandeur of his patroness and her civility toward himself to his visitors
   • Lady Catherine has never before invited a clergyman to dine and Collins sees it as unprecedented in the parish
   • He believes the invitation signals that Lady Catherine will increase his living and grant him a larger parsonage

   Collins's "triumph" is "complete" because "the power of displaying the grandeur of his patroness to his wondering visitors, and of letting them see her civility towards himself and his wife, was exactly what he had wished for."

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2. 2

   Question 2. What clothing advice does Mr. Collins give Elizabeth before the dinner at Rosings?

   • He urges her to dress with great elegance, since Lady Catherine and her daughter always appear so finely dressed themselves
   • He recommends she wear something colorful because Lady Catherine appreciates guests who make an effort
   • He suggests she borrow one of Charlotte's finer gowns so she will not embarrass herself before Lady Catherine
   • Correct answer: He tells her not to worry about her apparel because Lady Catherine likes to have the distinction of rank preserved

   Collins tells Elizabeth: "Do not make yourself uneasy, my dear cousin, about your apparel. Lady Catherine is far from requiring that elegance of dress in us which becomes herself and her daughter... She likes to have the distinction of rank preserved."

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3. 3

   Question 3. How does Maria Lucas feel about the upcoming visit to Rosings?

   • Correct answer: She is quite frightened by Collins's formidable accounts, dreading it as much as her father dreaded his court presentation
   • She is calm and confident, since her father has described the manners of the great from his own presentation at court
   • She is delighted and eager, having heard so much from Mr. Collins about Lady Catherine's great affability and condescension
   • She is indifferent, treating it as just another social obligation during a routine visit to the countryside

   "Such formidable accounts of her ladyship, and her manner of living, quite frightened Maria Lucas who had been little used to company, and she looked forward to her introduction at Rosings with as much apprehension as her father had done to his presentation at St. James's."

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4. 4

   Question 4. What does Mr. Collins point out during the walk across the park to Rosings?

   • The architectural style of the building compared to other great estates he has visited across England
   • The rare species of trees planted by Sir Lewis de Bourgh and the prize-winning flower gardens Lady Catherine tends herself
   • Correct answer: The number of windows in front of the house and the original cost of the glazing commissioned by Sir Lewis de Bourgh
   • The length of the drive, the number of servants visible through the windows, and the family crest above the entrance

   Elizabeth "was but slightly affected by his enumeration of the windows in front of the house, and his relation of what the glazing altogether had originally cost Sir Lewis de Bourgh."

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5. 5

   Question 5. Why is Elizabeth not intimidated by the prospect of meeting Lady Catherine?

   • She trusts Charlotte's report that Lady Catherine is a very respectable, sensible woman and a most attentive neighbour
   • She has heard Sir William describe the manners of the great at St. James's so often that she knows exactly what to expect
   • Correct answer: She has heard nothing suggesting extraordinary talents or virtue, and thinks mere stateliness of money or rank cannot daunt her
   • She has heard Mr. Collins call Lady Catherine all affability and condescension, and expects the great lady to treat her guests kindly

   "She had heard nothing of Lady Catherine that spoke her awful from any extraordinary talents or miraculous virtue, and the mere stateliness of money or rank she thought she could witness without trepidation."

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6. 6

   Question 6. How does Sir William Lucas behave when he enters the drawing room at Rosings?

   • He greets Lady Catherine warmly and compliments her home, drawing on his experience with the manners of the great
   • He stands awkwardly in the doorway until Mr. Collins physically guides him to a chair near the fireplace
   • He launches into a long speech about his own presentation at St. James's and his time serving at court
   • Correct answer: He is so completely awed by the grandeur that he can only make a very low bow and sits without saying a word

   "In spite of having been at St. James's Sir William was so completely awed by the grandeur surrounding him, that he had but just courage enough to make a very low bow, and take his seat without saying a word."

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7. 7

   Question 7. What does Elizabeth immediately think of when she observes Lady Catherine's authoritative manner?

   • Correct answer: Mr. Wickham, whose earlier description of Lady Catherine is confirmed by her self-important tone and bearing
   • Mr. Darcy at the Meryton assembly, whose proud silence made everyone feel equally uncomfortable and inferior
   • Charlotte's letters, which had diplomatically understated Lady Catherine's overbearing and dictatorial personality
   • Her own mother, Mrs. Bennet, whose outspoken opinions similarly dominate every dinner conversation

   "Whatever she said was spoken in so authoritative a tone, as marked her self-importance, and brought Mr. Wickham immediately to Elizabeth's mind; and from the observation of the day altogether, she believed Lady Catherine to be exactly what he represented."

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8. 8

   Question 8. In whose countenance does Elizabeth detect a resemblance to Mr. Darcy?

   • Mrs. Jenkinson, whose watchful and quiet manner mirrors the serious attentiveness Elizabeth has noticed in Darcy
   • Correct answer: Lady Catherine, in whose countenance and deportment Elizabeth soon finds some resemblance of Mr. Darcy
   • Charlotte Collins, whose composure at dinner reminds Elizabeth of the self-control both Darcy and his aunt display
   • Miss de Bourgh, whose pale and reserved features remind Elizabeth of Darcy's proud and distant bearing

   "When, after examining the mother, in whose countenance and deportment she soon found some resemblance of Mr. Darcy, she turned her eyes on the daughter."

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9. 9

   Question 9. How is Miss de Bourgh described when Elizabeth first sees her at Rosings?

   • Correct answer: She is pale and sickly with insignificant features, thin and small, speaking very little except in a low voice to Mrs. Jenkinson
   • She is surprisingly lively and talkative, contradicting the quiet impression Elizabeth had formed from Miss de Bourgh's earlier visit
   • She is tall like her mother with strongly marked features but softened by a gentle and accommodating manner
   • She is elegant and poised but cold and distant, speaking only to her mother in clipped formal sentences

   "Miss de Bourgh was pale and sickly; her features, though not plain, were insignificant; and she spoke very little, except in a low voice, to Mrs. Jenkinson." There is "neither in figure nor face any likeness between the ladies."

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10. 10

    Question 10. How does Mr. Collins behave during dinner at Rosings?

    • He monopolizes the conversation with stories about his parish, embarrassing Charlotte with his long-winded anecdotes
    • He defers entirely to Sir William, allowing the older man to lead the conversation as the more experienced courtier
    • He is nervous and quiet, afraid of making a mistake in front of Lady Catherine and her distinguished guests
    • Correct answer: He carves, eats, and praises with delighted alacrity, commending every dish and thanking Lady Catherine for every fish he wins at cards

    "He carved, and ate, and praised with delighted alacrity; and every dish was commended, first by him and then by Sir William." Later at cards, he was "employed in agreeing to everything her ladyship said, thanking her for every fish he won, and apologising if he thought he won too many."

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11. 11

    Question 11. What subjects does Lady Catherine lecture Charlotte about after dinner?

    • The importance of hosting regular dinner parties and maintaining social connections with the neighboring gentry
    • Correct answer: Charlotte's domestic concerns, how everything ought to be regulated in her small family, and the care of her cows and poultry
    • The proper way to furnish and decorate a clergyman's home so it reflects well upon the parish and its patroness
    • Charlotte's reading habits and the kind of books a clergyman's wife should keep visible in her parlour

    "She inquired into Charlotte's domestic concerns familiarly and minutely, gave her a great deal of advice as to the management of them all; told her how everything ought to be regulated in so small a family as hers, and instructed her as to the care of her cows and her poultry."

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12. 12

    Question 12. How does Elizabeth respond to Lady Catherine's barrage of personal questions?

    • She deflects every question with humor, turning each one into a joke that makes the rest of the party laugh
    • She refuses to answer, telling Lady Catherine that her mother's maiden name and her father's carriage are no concern of hers
    • Correct answer: She feels all the impertinence of the questions but answers them very composedly, maintaining her dignity throughout
    • She answers eagerly, hoping to impress Lady Catherine with her family's accomplishments and social standing

    "Elizabeth felt all the impertinence of her questions but answered them very composedly." She maintains her poise throughout the interrogation while inwardly recognizing Lady Catherine's rudeness.

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13. 13

    Question 13. What argument does Elizabeth make when Lady Catherine is scandalized that all five Bennet sisters are "out" in society?

    • She explains that her mother insisted on it because having more daughters visible at assemblies increases their chances of making good matches
    • Correct answer: She says it would be very hard on younger sisters to deny them society because the elder ones have not married, and it would not promote sisterly affection
    • She tells Lady Catherine that customs in Hertfordshire are different from Kent and that country families follow less formal rules
    • She argues that since the Bennet family cannot afford a London season, they must take what social opportunities are available locally

    Elizabeth argues "I think it would be very hard upon younger sisters, that they should not have their share of society and amusement, because the elder may not have the means or inclination to marry early" and that keeping them back would not "promote sisterly affection or delicacy of mind."

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14. 14

    Question 14. How does Elizabeth deflect Lady Catherine's demand to know her age?

    • Correct answer: She says "With three younger sisters grown up, your ladyship can hardly expect me to own it," astonishing Lady Catherine
    • She whispers her age to Charlotte and asks her to relay it, embarrassing Lady Catherine into dropping the subject
    • She says a lady never reveals her age and that even Lady Catherine must remember such basic rules of etiquette
    • She pretends not to hear and asks instead about the instrument Lady Catherine calls a capital one, offering to try it at once

    "With three younger sisters grown up," replied Elizabeth, smiling, "your ladyship can hardly expect me to own it." Lady Catherine is "quite astonished at not receiving a direct answer," and Elizabeth suspects herself "the first creature who had ever dared to trifle with so much dignified impertinence."

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15. 15

    Question 15. What card games does the party play after tea at Rosings?

    • The gentlemen play vingt-et-un while the ladies withdraw to the drawing room for conversation and needlework
    • Everyone plays whist together at a single large table, with Lady Catherine directing the bidding and partnerships
    • Lady Catherine and Sir William play piquet while the younger members of the party entertain themselves with music
    • Correct answer: Lady Catherine, Sir William, and the Collinses play quadrille; Miss de Bourgh plays cassino with the girls and Mrs. Jenkinson

    "Lady Catherine, Sir William, and Mr. and Mrs. Collins sat down to quadrille; and as Miss de Bourgh chose to play at cassino, the two girls had the honour of assisting Mrs. Jenkinson to make up her party."

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