Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 59 quiz

Questions and answers

1. 1

   Question 1. Who is the first family member Elizabeth tells about her engagement to Darcy?

   • Kitty
   • Mrs. Bennet
   • Correct answer: Jane
   • Mr. Bennet

   Elizabeth opens her heart to Jane at night, confiding in her sister before anyone else learns the news.

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2. 2

   Question 2. What reason does Mr. Bennet give for why Elizabeth must truly esteem her husband?

   • Correct answer: Her lively talents would place her in danger in an unequal marriage
   • Darcy's proud relations would never accept her as an equal otherwise
   • Jane would be unhappy if Elizabeth married without love
   • Her family's financial situation requires her to make a wealthy match

   Mr. Bennet warns that Elizabeth's intelligence and wit would make her unable to respect a husband she did not esteem, leading to "discredit and misery."

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3. 3

   Question 3. Which of these events actually happened in this chapter?

   • Mrs. Bennet immediately congratulates Elizabeth warmly upon hearing of the engagement to Darcy.

     Didn't happen

     Mrs. Bennet's first reaction is stunned silence — she sits "quite still, and unable to utter a syllable" for many minutes before she can process the news.

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4. 4

   Question 4. What does Elizabeth jokingly tell Jane about when she began to love Darcy?

   • From reading his letter after the Hunsford proposal
   • From the evening of the Netherfield ball
   • From the moment of his first proposal
   • Correct answer: From first seeing his beautiful grounds at Pemberley

   Elizabeth teases Jane by saying "I believe I must date it from my first seeing his beautiful grounds at Pemberley," humorously implying his wealth attracted her.

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5. 5

   Question 5. Which of these events actually happened in this chapter?

   • Bingley subtly reveals he knows about the engagement by asking if there are more lanes where Lizzy can lose her way.

     Happened

     Bingley looks at Elizabeth "expressively," shakes her hand warmly, and then asks aloud about lanes — a playful reference to Elizabeth's walk with Darcy.

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6. 6

   Question 6. What does "incredulous" mean as used in the sentence: "she was absolutely incredulous here"?

   • Quick to believe anything
   • Correct answer: Unwilling to believe
   • Deeply hurt or offended
   • Amused and entertained

   Incredulous means unable or unwilling to believe something. Jane cannot believe Elizabeth would be engaged to a man she previously disliked.

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7. 7

   Question 7. What information does Elizabeth reveal to Mr. Bennet to improve his impression of Darcy?

   • The letter Darcy delivered after his unsuccessful first proposal
   • Correct answer: Darcy's role in arranging Lydia's marriage to Wickham
   • Lady Catherine's visit and her attempt to prevent the marriage
   • Darcy's kindness to the Gardiners at Pemberley

   Elizabeth tells her father that Darcy "voluntarily" arranged and financed Lydia's marriage — paying Wickham's debts and securing his commission.

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8. 8

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

   • Elizabeth asks Darcy to speak to Mr. Bennet on her behalf.

     Didn't happen

     Darcy speaks to Mr. Bennet himself in the library, and then tells Elizabeth to go to her father. Elizabeth then personally convinces Mr. Bennet of her love.

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9. 9

   Question 9. What does "approbation" mean in the sentence: "This was enough to prove that her approbation need not be doubted"?

   • Anger
   • Confusion
   • Correct answer: Approval
   • Suspicion

   Approbation means approval or praise. The sentence confirms that Mrs. Bennet's enthusiastic reaction clearly signals her approval of the match.

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10. 10

    Question 10. What is the primary source of dramatic irony in the morning scene after the engagement?

    • Mr. Bennet secretly approving the match before Darcy has asked for his consent
    • Kitty declining the walk to Oakham Mount because she suspects the secret
    • Jane pretending to her mother that she knows nothing of Elizabeth's engagement
    • Correct answer: Mrs. Bennet complaining about "that disagreeable Mr. Darcy" while unaware of the engagement

    Mrs. Bennet's hostile remarks about Darcy — urging Elizabeth to keep him out of Bingley's way — are richly ironic since the reader knows he is about to become her son-in-law.

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11. 11

    Question 11. What does Mrs. Bennet ask Elizabeth after recovering from the engagement news?

    • Correct answer: What dish Mr. Darcy is particularly fond of
    • Whether Darcy has spoken to Lady Catherine about it
    • How Elizabeth changed her mind about him
    • When the wedding at Longbourn will take place

    In a comic detail, Mrs. Bennet demands to know Darcy's favourite dish "that I may have it tomorrow," revealing her practical, materialistic focus.

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12. 12

    Question 12. Which of these events actually happened in this chapter?

    • Mr. Bennet says that Darcy "deserves" Elizabeth after hearing her full explanation.

      Happened

      After Elizabeth's earnest defense of Darcy, Mr. Bennet concedes: "If this be the case, he deserves you. I could not have parted with you, my Lizzy, to any one less worthy."

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13. 13

    Question 13. What does "effusion" mean in: "Elizabeth, rejoicing that such an effusion was heard only by herself"?

    • A formal address or ceremonial speech
    • A beverage prepared by steeping herbs in water
    • A calm and restrained display of feeling
    • Correct answer: An unrestrained outpouring of emotion

    Effusion refers to an excessive or unrestrained outpouring of words or feelings — here describing Mrs. Bennet's ecstatic, gushing reaction to the engagement news.

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14. 14

    Question 14. What is Mr. Bennet's ironic final comment in the chapter?

    • "This is an evening of wonders, indeed!"
    • Correct answer: "Wickham, perhaps, is my favourite" son-in-law
    • "If any young men come for Mary or Kitty, send them in"
    • "He is rising every hour in my esteem"

    Mr. Bennet's sardonic quip names the worst son-in-law as his favourite — a characteristic example of his dry, ironic wit used to deflect genuine emotion.

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