The Great Gatsby, Chapter 1 quiz

Questions and answers

1. 1

   Question 1. What business does Nick Carraway move east to learn?

   • The oil business
   • The hardware business
   • The stock market
   • Correct answer: The bond business

   Nick says he decided to go east and learn the bond business, noting that everybody he knew was already in it.

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2. 2

   Question 2. What is the relationship between Nick and Daisy Buchanan?

   • She is his first cousin on his mother's side
   • They grew up together in Louisville
   • Correct answer: She is his second cousin once removed
   • She was his sweetheart before the war

   Nick describes Daisy as his second cousin once removed and mentions he had known Tom in college.

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3. 3

   Question 3. What does Tom Buchanan discuss at dinner that reveals his prejudices?

   • Correct answer: A pseudoscientific book about racial supremacy
   • His contempt for the newly rich families of West Egg
   • A newspaper editorial about class warfare
   • A story he read in the Saturday Evening Post

   Tom references "The Rise of the Coloured Empires" by "Goddard" and insists the ideas in it are scientifically proven, revealing his racist views.

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4. 4

   Question 4. How does Jordan Baker reveal Tom's affair to Nick?

   • She hands him the telephone when the woman calls
   • Correct answer: She casually tells him Tom has "some woman in New York"
   • She introduces Nick to Tom's mistress in the city
   • She whispers it to Daisy within Nick's hearing

   When Tom leaves the table to take a phone call, Jordan tells Nick matter-of-factly that Tom has "got some woman in New York."

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5. 5

   Question 5. What does Nick see Gatsby doing at the end of Chapter 1?

   • Swimming alone in his marble pool
   • Correct answer: Stretching his arms toward a green light across the water
   • Standing at his front door watching Nick arrive
   • Hosting an enormous party on his lawn

   Nick sees Gatsby standing alone on his lawn at night, trembling as he reaches toward a single green light at the end of a dock across the bay.

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6. 6

   Question 6. Where did Tom Buchanan play football?

   • Ithaca (Cornell)
   • Cambridge (Harvard)
   • Philadelphia (Penn)
   • Correct answer: New Haven (Yale)

   Nick says Tom was "one of the most powerful ends that ever played football at New Haven," which is Yale's location.

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7. 7

   Question 7. What is Daisy's reaction when she learns the gender of her newborn baby?

   • Correct answer: She weeps and hopes the girl will be "a beautiful little fool"
   • She telephones Tom, who hurries to the hospital
   • She refuses to hold the baby at first
   • She is overjoyed and calls all her friends

   Daisy tells Nick she turned her head and wept when she learned it was a girl, then said she hoped the child would be "a beautiful little fool."

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8. 8

   Question 8. What is the geographic distinction between East Egg and West Egg?

   • East Egg is where artists live while West Egg is for businessmen
   • East Egg is much larger in area while West Egg is considerably smaller
   • Correct answer: East Egg represents old money while West Egg represents new money
   • East Egg is on Manhattan while West Egg is on Long Island

   East Egg is home to established, inherited wealth like the Buchanans, while West Egg houses the newly rich like Gatsby.

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9. 9

   Question 9. Which of these events actually occur in Chapter 1 of The Great Gatsby?

   • Nick has dinner at the Buchanan house in East Egg.

     Happened

   • Nick meets Gatsby face-to-face and has a conversation with him.

     Didn't happen

   • Jordan Baker mentions that she knows someone in West Egg named Gatsby.

     Happened

   • Tom physically strikes Daisy during dinner.

     Didn't happen

   • Phone calls from Tom's mistress interrupt the dinner party twice.

     Happened

   • Nick sees Gatsby reaching toward a green light at the chapter's end.

     Happened

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10. 10

    Question 10. Which statements about Nick Carraway's background are true based on Chapter 1?

    • Nick graduated from Yale (New Haven) in 1915.

      Happened

    • Nick comes from a poor family in the Midwest.

      Didn't happen

    • Nick served in World War I before moving to New York.

      Happened

    • Nick is actually engaged to a girl out West.

      Didn't happen

    • Nick's family claims descent from the Dukes of Buccleuch.

      Happened

    • Nick rents his house for eighty dollars a month.

      Happened

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11. 11

    Question 11. What does 'supercilious' mean as used to describe Tom Buchanan's manner?

    • Correct answer: Behaving as though superior to others
    • Irritable and quick to take offense
    • Suspicious and distrustful of other people
    • Humble and respectful toward others

    Supercilious means haughty and disdainful, acting as if one is better than others. It captures Tom's arrogant, condescending demeanor.

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12. 12

    Question 12. What does 'wan' mean when Nick describes Jordan Baker's face?

    • Deeply tanned from outdoor sports
    • Correct answer: Pale and lacking vitality
    • Bright and cheerful
    • Heavily made up with cosmetics

    Wan means pale and giving an impression of illness or exhaustion. Nick sees Jordan's face as attractive but subdued and discontented.

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13. 13

    Question 13. What does 'peremptorily' mean when Daisy "peremptorily called 'Wait!'"?

    • In a careless, half-hearted manner
    • In a playful, teasing manner
    • In a gentle, apologetic manner
    • Correct answer: In a commanding, insistent manner

    Peremptorily means in a way that expects immediate obedience, leaving no room for refusal. Daisy commands Nick to stop before he drives away.

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