Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 6 quiz

Questions and answers

1. 1

   Question 1. Which Bennet sisters do Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst express a wish to become better acquainted with?

   • Jane and Mary, the most accomplished sisters
   • Correct answer: Jane and Elizabeth, the two eldest Bennet daughters
   • Elizabeth and Lydia, the most outgoing of the family
   • All five Bennet sisters equally and without distinction

   Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst express interest in the two eldest Bennet sisters, Jane and Elizabeth, while finding the mother "intolerable" and the younger sisters "not worth speaking to."

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2. 2

   Question 2. What does Charlotte Lucas advise regarding a woman's display of affection?

   • Correct answer: A woman should show more affection than she actually feels to secure a man's interest
   • A woman should let the man declare his intentions first and only then respond in kind
   • A woman should consult her family before revealing any feelings of attachment
   • A woman should carefully conceal her feelings until a formal proposal is made

   Charlotte argues that "in nine cases out of ten a woman had better show more affection than she feels," since without encouragement a man may never progress beyond mere liking.

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3. 3

   Question 3. How does Elizabeth respond to Charlotte's view that happiness in marriage is "entirely a matter of chance"?

   • She admits Charlotte may be right and promises to reconsider her own romantic ideals
   • She agrees that chance plays a large role but adds that wealth also matters significantly
   • She argues that a couple ought to study each other's character for a twelvemonth before marrying
   • Correct answer: She laughs and tells Charlotte that she knows this view is not sound and would never act on it

   Elizabeth says "You make me laugh, Charlotte; but it is not sound. You know it is not sound, and that you would never act in this way yourself" -- though Charlotte later does precisely that with Mr. Collins.

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4. 4

   Question 4. What was Mr. Darcy's initial assessment of Elizabeth at the Meryton ball?

   • He thought she was the most attractive woman in the room but too low in social standing
   • He admired her intelligence and conversation but found her manners too forward
   • Correct answer: He scarcely allowed her to be pretty and looked at her without any admiration
   • He ignored her completely and spent the entire evening dancing with Miss Bingley

   Darcy "had at first scarcely allowed her to be pretty; he had looked at her without admiration at the ball." He even told friends she "hardly had a good feature in her face."

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5. 5

   Question 5. What physical feature of Elizabeth first causes Darcy to reconsider his opinion of her?

   • Her striking resemblance to a London beauty he had once admired in his youth
   • Her graceful figure and elegant deportment during the dance at Meryton
   • Correct answer: The beautiful expression of her dark eyes, which make her face uncommonly intelligent
   • Her fashionable London style of dress, which set her apart from the other country ladies

   After deciding she had few good features, Darcy "began to find it was rendered uncommonly intelligent by the beautiful expression of her dark eyes."

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6. 6

   Question 6. At the Lucas party, why does Elizabeth refuse to dance with Mr. Darcy?

   • Correct answer: She does not want to appear as though she was seeking a partner by approaching him
   • She has promised the next dance to Colonel Forster and cannot break her engagement
   • She finds Darcy's conversation so tedious that she prefers to watch the dancing instead
   • She is feeling unwell and has already decided to leave the party early that evening

   Elizabeth says she has "not the least intention of dancing" and entreats Sir William "not to suppose that I moved this way in order to beg for a partner."

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7. 7

   Question 7. What is Darcy's dismissive remark about dancing when Sir William praises it as a "first refinement"?

   • He says dancing is a frivolous pastime that no serious gentleman should ever enjoy
   • Correct answer: He claims that dancing has the advantage of being in vogue even among savages, since "every savage can dance"
   • He argues that true refinement is demonstrated through intellectual conversation, not physical movement
   • He politely agrees with Sir William but adds that he personally has no talent for it

   Darcy witheringly responds that dancing "has the advantage also of being in vogue amongst the less polished societies of the world. Every savage can dance."

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8. 8

   Question 8. How does Elizabeth's refusal to dance affect Darcy's feelings toward her?

   • It confirms his first opinion that her manners are not those of the fashionable world
   • It offends his pride so deeply that he resolves to avoid her for the rest of his stay in Hertfordshire
   • It makes him pity her for being too shy to accept a gentleman's invitation to dance
   • Correct answer: It does not injure her with him; he thinks of her afterward with quiet satisfaction and interest

   "Her resistance had not injured her with the gentleman, and he was thinking of her with some complacency."

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9. 9

   Question 9. How does the narrator describe Mary Bennet's musical performance compared to Elizabeth's?

   • Correct answer: Mary plays with superior technical skill, but Elizabeth is listened to with more pleasure due to her easy, unaffected manner
   • Both sisters perform equally well, earning identical praise from the assembled guests
   • Elizabeth's performance is the better of the two, as she has both genius and refined musical taste
   • Mary refuses to perform because she is too modest about her limited musical abilities

   Mary works harder and plays more technically, but "Elizabeth, easy and unaffected, had been listened to with much more pleasure, though not playing half so well."

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10. 10

    Question 10. What does Miss Bingley assume Darcy is thinking about at the Lucas party?

    • She thinks he is composing a letter to his sister Georgiana about the evening's entertainments
    • She suspects he is reflecting on how he might persuade Bingley to give up all his interest in Jane
    • She believes he is planning his return to Pemberley and longing to leave Hertfordshire behind
    • Correct answer: She guesses he is considering how insupportable it is to spend the evening in such dull society

    Miss Bingley assumes Darcy shares her contempt, saying "You are considering how insupportable it would be to pass many evenings in this manner -- in such society."

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11. 11

    Question 11. What does Darcy say he has actually been meditating on?

    • The excellent quality of Sir William Lucas's hospitality and fine wine selection
    • His plans to purchase an estate in the neighborhood to be closer to Bingley
    • Correct answer: The very great pleasure which a pair of fine eyes in the face of a pretty woman can bestow
    • The similarities between the Hertfordshire countryside and his own grounds at Pemberley

    Darcy tells Miss Bingley he has been "meditating on the very great pleasure which a pair of fine eyes in the face of a pretty woman can bestow."

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12. 12

    Question 12. How does Miss Bingley respond when Darcy reveals the fine eyes belong to Elizabeth Bennet?

    • She falls silent and refuses to discuss the matter any further for the rest of the evening
    • Correct answer: She sarcastically congratulates him and mocks the idea of Mrs. Bennet as his mother-in-law at Pemberley
    • She immediately informs Mrs. Hurst so they can discuss how to separate Darcy from Elizabeth
    • She graciously compliments Elizabeth and agrees that she is indeed a charming young woman

    Miss Bingley sarcastically says she will "consider the matter is absolutely settled" and teases him about Mrs. Bennet "always at Pemberley with you."

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13. 13

    Question 13. What literary technique does Austen primarily employ by showing Darcy's attraction while Elizabeth remains unaware?

    • Stream of consciousness, revealing the inner thoughts of multiple characters simultaneously
    • Unreliable narration, suggesting the narrator's account of events cannot be fully trusted
    • Foreshadowing, hinting at events that will occur much later in the novel
    • Correct answer: Dramatic irony, where the reader knows something the character does not

    Austen uses dramatic irony: the reader sees Darcy's growing admiration while Elizabeth remains "perfectly unaware" and considers him only as the man who snubbed her.

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14. 14

    Question 14. What old saying does Elizabeth quote before she sings at the Lucas party?

    • "A stitch in time saves nine," suggesting she will keep her performance brief
    • Correct answer: "Keep your breath to cool your porridge," meaning she will save her breath for singing
    • "Still waters run deep," implying her true talents are hidden beneath a calm exterior
    • "The proof of the pudding is in the eating," challenging the audience to judge for themselves

    Elizabeth says "There is a fine old saying, which everybody here is of course familiar with: 'Keep your breath to cool your porridge'; and I shall keep mine to swell my song."

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15. 15

    Question 15. What does Darcy's "perfect indifference" to Miss Bingley's teasing at the end of the chapter reveal?

    • Correct answer: He is secure enough in his own feelings that social mockery and pressure do not affect him
    • He has not actually been thinking about Elizabeth at all and was merely deflecting the conversation
    • He is planning to leave Netherfield soon and no longer cares about anyone's opinion
    • He is genuinely uninterested in Elizabeth and simply enjoys provoking Miss Bingley

    Darcy's composure under Miss Bingley's ridicule shows his self-assurance. He listens "with perfect indifference while she chose to entertain herself in this manner," and his calm convinces her "that all was safe."

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