Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 37 quiz

Questions and answers

1. 1

   Question 1. What does Mr. Collins do when Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam leave Rosings in Chapter 37?

   • He remains at the Parsonage and sends Charlotte to Rosings in his place to convey his respects formally
   • He accompanies them partway on the road to London and bids them a lengthy farewell at the crossroads
   • Correct answer: He waits near the lodges to offer his parting obeisance, then rushes to Rosings to console Lady Catherine
   • He writes a formal letter of thanks to both gentlemen and has it delivered to their carriage before departure

   Mr. Collins positions himself "near the lodges, to make them his parting obeisance," then "to Rosings he then hastened, to console Lady Catherine and her daughter," returning with a dinner invitation.

   Read the passage
2. 2

   Question 2. What amusing thought does Elizabeth privately entertain about Lady Catherine in Chapter 37?

   • Correct answer: She imagines what Lady Catherine's indignation would have been if Elizabeth had been presented as her future niece
   • She pictures Lady Catherine learning that Charlotte Lucas was once considered a potential match for Colonel Fitzwilliam
   • She envisions Lady Catherine attempting to give Darcy romantic advice and his embarrassed refusal to listen to her
   • She imagines Lady Catherine discovering that Mr. Collins has secretly applied for a better living at another parish

   Elizabeth reflects that "had she chosen it, she might by this time have been presented to her as her future niece; nor could she think, without a smile, of what her ladyship's indignation would have been."

   Read the passage
3. 3

   Question 3. How does Lady Catherine explain Darcy's particularly low spirits upon leaving Rosings?

   • She believes Darcy is grieving a recent financial setback at Pemberley that Colonel Fitzwilliam mentioned privately
   • Correct answer: She declares his attachment to Rosings "certainly increases" and that he seemed to feel the departure most acutely
   • She suggests Darcy is unwell and recommends he consult her own physician in London for his persistent melancholy
   • She attributes it to his worry over Georgiana's upcoming London season and the responsibilities of her debut

   Lady Catherine says "Darcy seemed to feel it most acutely, more, I think, than last year. His attachment to Rosings certainly increases." The irony is that his distress stems from Elizabeth's rejection, not from leaving Rosings.

   Read the passage
4. 4

   Question 4. Why does Lady Catherine assume Elizabeth looks "out of spirits" during dinner?

   • She suspects Elizabeth is jealous of the attentions Colonel Fitzwilliam showed to Miss de Bourgh before departing
   • She supposes Elizabeth has received bad news from Jane about an illness spreading through the Bennet household
   • She believes Elizabeth is embarrassed by a social misstep she committed during a previous visit to Rosings
   • Correct answer: She thinks Elizabeth does not like to go home again so soon and offers to let her extend her stay at Hunsford

   Lady Catherine observes Elizabeth seems "out of spirits" and, "immediately accounting for it by herself, by supposing that she did not like to go home again so soon," urges her to stay longer and write to her mother.

   Read the passage
5. 5

   Question 5. What does Lady Catherine offer to do for Elizabeth and Maria regarding their journey?

   • She offers to have Colonel Fitzwilliam escort them personally back to Hertfordshire for safety on the roads
   • She offers to lend them her own carriage and coachman for the entire journey from Hunsford to Longbourn
   • Correct answer: She offers to take one or both of them as far as London in her barouche when she travels there in June
   • She offers to pay for a private post-chaise so they can travel in comfort without relying on their families

   Lady Catherine says "it will be in my power to take one of you as far as London" in her barouche, adding that if the weather is cool, "I should not object to taking you both, as you are neither of you large."

   Read the passage
6. 6

   Question 6. What example does Lady Catherine cite for how young women should travel properly?

   • Correct answer: She recounts how her niece Georgiana Darcy had two men-servants accompany her when she went to Ramsgate
   • She recalls how she herself always insisted on having an armed escort whenever she traveled beyond the county borders
   • She mentions a recent incident where two young women of quality were robbed on the London road without an escort
   • She describes how the Duchess of Devonshire always traveled with a full retinue of four servants and a lady companion

   "When my niece Georgiana went to Ramsgate last summer, I made a point of her having two men-servants go with her. Miss Darcy, the daughter of Mr. Darcy, of Pemberley, and Lady Anne, could not have appeared with propriety in a different manner."

   Read the passage
7. 7

   Question 7. How does Elizabeth describe her experience of rereading Darcy's letter?

   • She shares portions of the letter with Charlotte Collins, seeking her friend's impartial judgment on Darcy's claims
   • She copies key passages into her journal and writes detailed rebuttals to each of Darcy's arguments point by point
   • She reads it once more out of curiosity, then sets it aside and resolves never to think of it again
   • Correct answer: She is in a fair way of soon knowing it by heart, studying every sentence during solitary walks and hours alone

   "Mr. Darcy's letter she was in a fair way of soon knowing by heart. She studied every sentence; and her feelings towards its writer were at times widely different."

   Read the passage
8. 8

   Question 8. What conflicting feelings does Elizabeth experience toward Darcy after studying his letter?

   • She feels only contempt for his proud manner and relief at her refusal, finding nothing in the letter to soften her harsh opinion of him
   • Correct answer: She alternates between indignation at his manner and self-reproach for condemning him unjustly, feeling gratitude and respect but unable to approve him
   • She swings between regret for her refusal and hope of a second proposal, feeling love for him and a strong wish to see him again soon
   • She pities his disappointed feelings but doubts the truth of the letter, still trusting Wickham's account of him over Darcy's own

   When she remembers "the style of his address, she was still full of indignation; but when she considered how unjustly she had condemned and upbraided him, her anger was turned against herself." His attachment excited gratitude and his character respect, "but she could not approve him."

   Read the passage
9. 9

   Question 9. How does Elizabeth characterize her father's approach to his younger daughters' behavior?

   • Correct answer: He is contented with laughing at them and would never exert himself to restrain their wild giddiness and impropriety
   • He has given up entirely and refuses to speak to his younger daughters about any matter of conduct or propriety
   • He delegates all disciplinary responsibility to Jane and Elizabeth, expecting them to manage their younger sisters alone
   • He regularly punishes Lydia and Kitty but is undermined by Mrs. Bennet, who secretly allows them to continue

   "Her father, contented with laughing at them, would never exert himself to restrain the wild giddiness of his youngest daughters." Elizabeth sees this as a hopeless defect in her family.

   Read the passage
10. 10

    Question 10. How does Elizabeth describe Lydia and Kitty's behavior in Chapter 37?

    • She describes them as spirited and independent, qualities she secretly admires despite the social embarrassment they cause
    • She considers them well-meaning but naive, likely to improve with age and proper guidance from their older sisters
    • Correct answer: She calls them "ignorant, idle, and vain," saying they will flirt with any officer as long as Meryton is within walking distance
    • She blames their behavior entirely on Mrs. Bennet's influence and believes removing them from Longbourn would cure them

    "They were ignorant, idle, and vain. While there was an officer in Meryton, they would flirt with him; and while Meryton was within a walk of Longbourn, they would be going there forever."

    Read the passage
11. 11

    Question 11. How has Darcy's letter changed Elizabeth's opinion of Bingley?

    • She thinks Bingley was complicit in Darcy's scheme and that Jane is better off without such an easily manipulated man
    • She now blames Bingley equally with Darcy for the separation from Jane and considers them both guilty of cruelty
    • She still considers Bingley weak-willed but no longer holds any animosity toward him or his role in the affair
    • Correct answer: It has restored Bingley to all her former good opinion, proving his affection sincere and clearing his conduct of blame

    "Mr. Darcy's explanation, by restoring Bingley to all her former good opinion, heightened the sense of what Jane had lost. His affection was proved to have been sincere, and his conduct cleared of all blame."

    Read the passage
12. 12

    Question 12. What does Elizabeth blame for Jane's loss of happiness with Bingley?

    • She attributes it to Jane's own reserved temperament, which made her feelings too difficult for Bingley to read clearly
    • Correct answer: She blames the folly and indecorum of her own family for depriving Jane of a situation so promising for happiness
    • She holds Charlotte Lucas responsible for advising Jane to conceal her feelings, which led Bingley to doubt her regard
    • She blames Darcy's interference and Miss Bingley's scheming, holding them solely responsible for the separation

    "How grievous then was the thought that, of a situation so desirable in every respect, so replete with advantage, so promising for happiness, Jane had been deprived, by the folly and indecorum of her own family!"

    Read the passage
13. 13

    Question 13. What happens when Lady Catherine gives detailed packing instructions on the last evening?

    • Elizabeth politely ignores the advice and packs her trunk according to her own method without any difficulty at all
    • Charlotte Collins follows every instruction precisely, earning praise from Lady Catherine for her excellent household management
    • Correct answer: Maria Lucas feels obliged to undo all her morning's packing work and repack her trunk entirely from the beginning
    • Mr. Collins insists on supervising the packing himself to ensure Lady Catherine's directions are followed to the letter

    Lady Catherine "was so urgent on the necessity of placing gowns in the only right way, that Maria thought herself obliged, on her return, to undo all the work of the morning, and pack her trunk afresh."

    Read the passage
14. 14

    Question 14. How does Miss de Bourgh behave when Elizabeth and Maria depart Hunsford?

    • She ignores them entirely and remains seated in the drawing room while Lady Catherine sees them off at the door
    • Correct answer: She exerts herself so far as to curtsey and hold out her hand to both, which represents a notable effort for her
    • She whispers privately to Elizabeth that she hopes they will correspond by letter during the coming summer months
    • She speaks warmly to both young women and expresses genuine regret that their visit has come to an end

    "Miss de Bourgh exerted herself so far as to curtsey and hold out her hand to both." This understated gesture reflects her characteristic extreme shyness and passivity throughout the novel.

    Read the passage
15. 15

    Question 15. What is the primary function of Chapter 37 in the larger narrative of Pride and Prejudice?

    • It shifts the focus to Lady Catherine, revealing her plan to marry her daughter to Darcy and her suspicion that Elizabeth stands in the way of that match
    • It advances the Wickham subplot by revealing his gaming debts in Meryton and his new plan to court the heiress Miss Mary King for her fortune
    • It introduces a new subplot in which Colonel Fitzwilliam openly courts Elizabeth, setting up a rivalry with his cousin Darcy that drives the later chapters
    • Correct answer: It serves as a transitional chapter showing Elizabeth processing Darcy's letter, her evolving self-awareness, and growing anxiety about her family's flaws

    Chapter 37 is a transitional chapter where Elizabeth privately processes Darcy's letter. Her reflections reveal growing self-awareness (recognizing her unjust condemnation), evolving feelings toward Darcy (gratitude and respect alongside lingering indignation), and deepening anxiety about her family's defects and Jane's lost happiness.

    Read the passage