Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 53 quiz

Questions and answers

1. 1

   Question 1. Where are Lydia and Wickham traveling to at the beginning of Chapter 53?

   • Correct answer: Newcastle
   • Liverpool
   • Eastbourne
   • Brighton

   Wickham's regiment has been transferred to Newcastle, and the couple departs Longbourn for this northern posting.

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2. 2

   Question 2. Which of these events actually happened in this chapter?

   • Mr. Bennet sincerely admires Wickham and is proud to have him as a son-in-law.

     Didn't happen

     Mr. Bennet's praise of Wickham is deeply sarcastic. His comment that Wickham "simpers, and smirks, and makes love to us all" is biting irony mocking Wickham's superficial charm.

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3. 3

   Question 3. What news lifts Mrs. Bennet's spirits after Lydia's departure?

   • Mr. Collins is visiting Longbourn
   • Lydia announces she is expecting a child
   • Jane receives a letter from Bingley
   • Correct answer: Mr. Bingley is returning to Netherfield

   The housekeeper at Netherfield receives orders to prepare for Bingley's arrival, and Mrs. Bennet is immediately "quite in the fidgets."

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4. 4

   Question 4. Which of these events actually happened in this chapter?

   • Jane is visibly distressed when she hears about Bingley's return.

     Happened

     Despite claiming the news does not affect her "either with pleasure or pain," Jane cannot hear of his coming "without changing colour," and Elizabeth observes her spirits are "more disturbed, more unequal" than usual.

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5. 5

   Question 5. Why does Mr. Bennet refuse to call on Bingley upon his return?

   • He wishes to avoid Mr. Darcy, whom he expects to find at Netherfield
   • He disapproves of Bingley's behaviour in abandoning Jane last winter
   • Correct answer: He considers it a fool's errand after last year's visit led to nothing
   • He has already written to Netherfield and thinks a visit unnecessary

   Mr. Bennet reminds his wife that she promised his visit would result in Bingley marrying one of their daughters, but "it ended in nothing."

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6. 6

   Question 6. In this chapter, the word "prodigiously" means:

   • Wastefully or extravagantly
   • Correct answer: Enormously or exceedingly
   • Slightly or only a little
   • Cleverly or with rare talent

   Mr. Bennet says he is "prodigiously proud" of Wickham, using the word sarcastically to mean enormously or to a great extent.

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7. 7

   Question 7. Who accompanies Bingley on his visit to Longbourn?

   • Caroline Bingley
   • Mr. Hurst
   • Colonel Fitzwilliam
   • Correct answer: Mr. Darcy

   Elizabeth looks out the window and sees Mr. Darcy riding alongside Bingley toward the house.

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8. 8

   Question 8. Which of these events actually happened in this chapter?

   • Mrs. Bennet welcomes Darcy warmly because she knows he helped save Lydia from disgrace.

     Didn't happen

     Mrs. Bennet does not know about Darcy's role. She treats him with "cold and ceremonious politeness" while being effusively civil to Bingley, which causes Elizabeth great distress.

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9. 9

   Question 9. What does "officious" mean as used in Elizabeth's reaction to her mother's behavior?

   • Correct answer: Intrusively eager to help where not wanted
   • Offensive; rude and insulting to others
   • Reserved and unwilling to interfere
   • Holding an official position; formal in manner

   Elizabeth finds her mother's aggressive attempts to push Bingley toward Jane to be "unnecessary, such officious attention."

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10. 10

    Question 10. How does Darcy behave during his visit to Longbourn?

    • He is animated and talkative, exactly as he had been at Pemberley
    • Correct answer: He is reserved, quiet, and frequently looks at the ground
    • He sits beside Elizabeth and speaks to her almost constantly
    • He answers Mrs. Bennet's rudeness with sharp, cutting replies

    Darcy speaks "scarcely any thing," looks serious, and frequently gazes at the ground, showing "more thoughtfulness and less anxiety to please" than at Derbyshire.

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11. 11

    Question 11. Which of these events actually happened in this chapter?

    • Elizabeth is delighted by her mother's behavior during the visit.

      Didn't happen

      Elizabeth is mortified. She is "in such misery of shame, that she could hardly keep her seat" and feels that "years of happiness could not make Jane or herself amends for moments of such painful confusion."

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12. 12

    Question 12. What embarrassing topic does Mrs. Bennet bring up during the visit?

    • Jane's illness at Netherfield
    • Elizabeth's rejection of Mr. Collins
    • Correct answer: Lydia and Wickham's marriage
    • The Bennet family's financial situation

    Mrs. Bennet discusses the wedding announcement in the papers and Wickham's military transfer, unaware of the scandalous circumstances both Bingley and Darcy know about.

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13. 13

    Question 13. What does "complaisance" mean in the context of Jane's behavior?

    • Unwillingness to oblige; stubbornness
    • Complacency; self-satisfied smugness
    • Complaint or open displeasure; grumbling
    • Correct answer: Willingness to please others; agreeableness

    Jane receives the visitors with behavior "equally free from any symptom of resentment or any unnecessary complaisance"—she is neither hostile nor excessively eager to please.

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14. 14

    Question 14. Which of these events actually happened in this chapter?

    • By the end of the visit, Bingley shows renewed interest in Jane.

      Happened

      Elizabeth observes that "every five minutes seemed to be giving her more of his attention" and that "the beauty of her sister re-kindled the admiration of her former lover."

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15. 15

    Question 15. Why does Mrs. Bennet decide not to ask Bingley and Darcy to stay for dinner that day?

    • She is too irritated by Mr. Darcy's presence to invite him to dinner
    • Correct answer: She does not think anything less than two courses would be good enough
    • Mr. Bennet has forbidden her to invite anyone from Netherfield
    • She intends Mrs. Long and the Gouldings to complete the dinner party

    Mrs. Bennet wants to impress Bingley properly and does not think a simple meal would "satisfy the appetite and pride of one who had ten thousand a year."

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