A Pair of Blue Eyes MCQs

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Author: Nasir Iqbal | Assistant Professor of English Literature


Updated on: November 13, 2025
Estimated Reading Time: 17 min

A Pair of Blue Eyes MCQs

1. What is the outstanding characteristic of Elfride Swancourt?

A. Deep hidden melancholy
B. Emotions near the surface
C. Skillful conversationalist
D. Well-formed manner

B. Emotions near surface.
Her emotions were clearly visible to observers because they lay very near the surface.

2. What physical ailment confines Elfride’s father, the rector, to his room?

A. Persistent cold
B. An attack of gout
C. Severe toothache
D. Chronic headache

B. An attack of gout.
The rector, Mr. Swancourt, was suddenly laid up and suffering from an attack of gout.

3. How old is the rector, Elfride’s father?

A. Barely forty
B. Past sixty
C. Man of fifty
D. Nearly seventy

C. Man of fifty.
Mr. Swancourt is described as a genial-faced, handsome man of fifty.

4. What type of meal does Elfride suggest is appropriate for their tired visitor?

A. Heavy formal dinner
B. Simple cold luncheon
C. High tea, substantial
D. Light biscuits and tea

C. High tea, substantial.
High tea was chosen because it was substantial enough for a tired man after a long journey.
5. What name does the visitor give to Elfride upon meeting her?

A. Mr. Fitzmaurice
B. Mr. Stephen Smith
C. Mr. Hewby’s partner
D. Lord Luxellian

B. Mr. Stephen Smith.
The stranger introduces himself as Mr. Smith, whom Elfride calls Stephen Smith later.

6. In which general geographic area is the parish located?

A. Northern England town
B. Lower Wessex outskirts
C. Suburban London area
D. Far eastern coast

B. Lower Wessex outskirts.
The parish is situated on the sea-swept outskirts of Lower Wessex, a remote spot.

7. How far away is the nearest railway terminus from the rectory?

A. Seven miles
B. Thirteen miles
C. Fifteen miles
D. Twenty miles

C. Fifteen miles.
The area is remote, with no railway within fifteen miles of the rectory.

8. What is Stephen Smith’s age when he first visits the rectory?

A. Nineteen years old
B. Just over twenty
C. Twenty-five years
D. Thirty years old

B. Just over twenty.
Though Mr. Swancourt guessed nineteen, Stephen states that he is just over twenty.

9. Which historical lineage does Mr. Swancourt believe Stephen belongs to?

A. Leaseworthy Smiths
B. Hedgers and ditchers
C. Caxbury Manor Smiths
D. Oldest county family

C. Caxbury Manor Smiths.
Mr. Swancourt insists Stephen belongs to the ancient Stephen Fitzmaurice Smiths of Caxbury Manor.
10. Who does Stephen Smith name as his devoted friend and instructor?

A. Mr. Hewby
B. Lord Luxellian
C. Henry Knight
D. William Worm

C. Henry Knight.
Stephen speaks highly of Henry Knight, calling him the noblest man in the world and his friend.

11. How did Stephen acquire his knowledge of Latin and Greek?

A. From an Oxford college
B. By correspondence via letter
C. Taught by Mr. Swancourt
D. By private tutoring daily

B. By correspondence via letter.
His instruction came by letter; he sent exercises, and Knight returned them corrected.

12. What specific affliction does the mason, William Worm, complain of?

A. Dead silence
B. People frying fish
C. Terrible head pain
D. Constant singing

B. People frying fish.
Worm describes the noise in his head as being just like people frying fish: fry, fry, fry.

13. Who often writes the rector’s sermons for him?

A. William Worm
B. Henry Knight
C. Elfride Swancourt
D. Unity, the maid

C. Elfride Swancourt.
Elfride reveals that she often writes her father’s sermons, which he then preaches.

14. Why is Stephen’s London employer, Mr. Hewby, angry?

A. Stephen arrived late
B. He is taking too long
C. The sketches were poor
D. He lacked experience

B. He is taking too long.
Stephen’s boss, “Old H.,” is in a towering rage with him for being so long about the church sketches.
15. What is the title of the romance Elfride is writing?

A. A Pair of Blue Eyes
B. Romance of Lyonnesse
C. Endelstow Rectory Tales
D. The Court of Arthur

D. The Court of Arthur.
Elfride tells Stephen the title is “The Court of King Arthur’s Castle; a Romance of Lyonnesse”.

16. At Endelstow House, what shadow does Elfride see involving Stephen?

A. Stephen kissing a lady
B. Stephen fighting a man
C. Stephen putting on a cloak
D. Stephen arguing softly

A. Stephen kissing a lady.
Elfride sees the shadow of Stephen putting a cloak around a lady, likely culminating in a kiss.

17. What is the occupation of Stephen Smith’s father?

A. Wealthy farmer
B. Working master-mason
C. Successful architect
D. Local innkeeper

B. Working master-mason.
Stephen confesses that his father is John Smith, a cottager and working master-mason.

18. What is Elfride’s initial, immediate reaction to Stephen’s humble origins?

A. Feeling angry and betrayed
B. Saying it seemed odd
C. Declaring deep disgust
D. Ending the relationship

B. Saying it seemed odd.
She admits the idea of his background is strange and seems odd, but quickly says she loves him anyway.

19. What professional title did Mr. Swancourt assume that ‘assistant’ implied for Stephen?

A. Clerical trainee
B. Architect’s clerk
C. Sort of partner
D. Master workman

C. Sort of partner.
Mr. Swancourt misunderstood the term ‘assistant,’ believing it meant a sort of partner.
20. What specific taste does Mr. Swancourt claim reveals an “upstart”?

A. Liking poetry
B. Disliking fine art
C. An unedified palate
D. Bad chess playing

C. An unedified palate.
Mr. Swancourt doubts Stephen is a gentleman because he dislikes sauces, showing an unedified palate.

21. What does Stephen’s mother predict about her son’s marriage potential?

A. He will never marry
B. He might marry higher
C. Elfride is too good
D. Elfride is too scheming

B. He might marry higher.
Mrs. Smith suggests Stephen wait, as he “might go higher than a bankrupt pa’son’s girl”.

22. Why did Elfride object to Knight taking the specific myrtle plant?

A. It was too small
B. It was a sentimental gift
C. It lacked pretty leaves
D. She needed it for seeds

B. It was a sentimental gift.
She explains her initial refusal was due to a “feeling” because the myrtle was a gift.

23. How did Elfride choose to travel the distance to St. Launce’s for the elopement?

A. In the carriage
B. On her pony
C. By train alone
D. In a hired gig

B. On her pony.
She used her pony, Pansy, to ride the miles of hard road to the station at St. Launce’s.

24. What critical realization does Elfride have upon reaching the London station?

A. She should marry at once
B. She is utterly terrified
C. She must immediately go home
D. Stephen has deceived her

C. She must immediately go home.
Upon alighting, Elfride tells Stephen, “I must go home again—I must—I must!”.
25. What consequence of returning unmarried does Stephen warn Elfride about?

A. Missing the last train
B. Compromising her good name
C. Her father’s fury
D. Losing his love

B. Compromising her good name.
Stephen warns her that going back unmarried might compromise her good name in the eyes of others.

26. Who does Elfride’s father, Mr. Swancourt, eventually marry?

A. Miss Bicknell
B. Mrs. Jethway
C. Mrs. Troyton
D. Unity, the maid

C. Mrs. Troyton.
The rector marries Mrs. Troyton, the new, wealthy owner of the estate over the hedge.

27. What is Mr. Swancourt’s stated primary reason for his second marriage?

A. To gain her money
B. To please Elfride
C. For her great beauty
D. For her good connections

B. To please Elfride.
He confesses to Elfride, “I married her for your sake,” to improve her social standing.

28. Which of Mrs. Swancourt’s relatives is revealed to be Elfride’s critic?

A. Lord Luxellian
B. Henry Knight
C. Walter Hewby
D. Stephen Smith

B. Henry Knight.
Mrs. Swancourt discovers that Henry Knight, her cousin, is the one who reviewed Elfride’s book.

29. What aspect of Elfride’s writing does the critic praise in his review?

A. Stirring incidents
B. Domestic emotional trifles
C. Inventive faculty
D. Antiquarian research

B. Domestic emotional trifles.
The review notes her skill in “a murmuring of delicate emotional trifles,” but not the main story.
30. What is Stephen’s immediate motivation for pursuing the job in Bombay?

A. To travel abroad
B. To gain new skills
C. To earn money quickly
D. To escape the rector

C. To earn money quickly.
He sees the job as a way to “go over and make a little money” before returning to ask for Elfride.

31. What dangerous act does Elfride perform on the church tower?

A. Ringing the bells
B. Smoking secretly
C. Walking on the parapet
D. Throwing stones down

C. Walking on the parapet.
Knight is horrified when he finds Elfride walking dangerously upon the narrow parapet of the tower.

32. What behaviour of Elfride’s does Knight note in his private journal?

A. Her frequent crying
B. Her clumsiness with food
C. Her tendency to ‘show off’
D. Her silent contemplation

C. Her tendency to ‘show off’.
Knight notes her youthful “artifice” and “showing-off,” triggered by her walking the parapet.

33. When Knight first describes his ideal woman, what is his preference for hair colour?

A. Light brown hair
B. Dark abundant hair
C. Fair golden hair
D. Medium chestnut

B. Dark abundant hair.
Knight stated his preference for “dark” hair, which makes Elfride (with pale brown hair) vexed.

34. By what name is the steamer Stephen known when traveling home?

A. The London Express
B. The Amaryllis
C. The Puffin
D. The Blue Eyes

C. The Puffin.
Elfride, looking through the telescope, identifies the approaching small steamboat as “The Puffin”.
35. How does Elfride manage to save Knight from falling off the cliff?

A. Finds a long rope
B. Summons local help
C. Strips and makes a rope
D. Climbs down to him

C. Strips and makes a rope.
She tore her clothing, made a rope from her linen, and replaced only her outer dress.

36. What is the unexpected document Elfride leaves Knight after the rescue?

A. A love poem
B. A letter of apology
C. A bank receipt
D. A map of the cliffs

C. A bank receipt.
Knight finds a banker’s receipt for two hundred pounds, which Elfride had forgotten.

37. Whose white tombstone does Stephen see staring him in the face at the churchyard?

A. Lord Luxellian’s
B. His own grandfather’s
C. Young Jethway’s
D. Henry Knight’s

C. Young Jethway’s.
Stephen is startled to see the new, white tomb of young farmer Jethway upon turning the corner.

38. What pivotal act does Stephen witness Elfride perform at The Crags’ summer-house?

A. Planning a second flight
B. Burning his letters
C. Embracing Henry Knight
D. Arguing with her father

C. Embracing Henry Knight.
Stephen sees Knight’s arm around Elfride’s waist, showing their relationship is intimate.

39. What is Stephen Smith doing when Knight finds him in the Luxellian family vault?

A. Hiding from Knight
B. Arguing with his father
C. Sketching on a coffin
D. Writing in a pocket-book

D. Writing in a pocket-book.
Stephen is standing in front of the coffins, writing or sketching in a small pocket-book.
40. What minor untruth does Elfride substitute for her full confession to Knight?

A. That she wrote the sermon
B. That she liked his eyes
C. That she misled him on her age
D. That she hated the mason

C. That she misled him on her age.
She confessed to misleading him slightly about her age (whether twenty was her last or next birthday).

41. Who directly accuses Elfride of causing her son’s death and threatening scandal?

A. Mrs. Smith
B. Mrs. Swancourt
C. Mrs. Jethway
D. Martin Cannister

C. Mrs. Jethway.
Mrs. Jethway, Felix’s mother, accuses Elfride of killing her son by being false to him.

42. What shocking fact about his past does Knight confess to Elfride on the Juliet steamer?

A. He avoided all women
B. He was once married
C. He had many lovers
D. He was once a sailor

A. He avoided all women.
Knight admits that he had been “rather absurd in [his] avoidance of women” and never kissed another lady.

43. What does Elfride murmur in her sleep that reveals her anxiety to Knight?

A. A fear of the sea
B. Not to tell him her secret
C. A demand for music
D. A description of Bombay

B. Not to tell him her secret.
She mutters, “Don’t tell him—he will not love me… And he says he will not have a kissed woman”.

44. Where does Elfride confess that her first former lover kissed her?

A. On the river bridge
B. On the cliff seat
C. In the conservatory
D. Near the old well

B. On the cliff seat.
Knight pressures her into admitting that her former lover first kissed her in “this seat” (the cliff seat).
45. Which specific revelation regarding her flight breaks the engagement with Knight?

A. She stayed away overnight
B. She loved Stephen greatly
C. She wrote letters secretly
D. She kissed Felix Jethway

A. She stayed away overnight.
The single word “No” to whether she returned the same day was the bolt that destroyed the relationship.

46. Where does Elfride flee to immediately after Knight leaves Endelstow?

A. To her father’s cottage
B. To Henry Knight’s chambers
C. To Mrs. Jethway’s house
D. To St. Launce’s hotel

B. To Henry Knight’s chambers.
Elfride takes the train to London and turns up at Knight’s chambers in Bede’s Inn.

47. What key fact does Stephen reveal about his elopement attempt to Knight in London?

A. They married secretly
B. They went to Plymouth
C. Elfride was found out
D. They returned unmarried

D. They returned unmarried.
Stephen tells Knight the full story: they went to London but returned again without being married.

48. What is the stated mutual intention of Knight and Stephen upon reaching Camelton?

A. To travel abroad
B. To reconcile their friendship
C. To propose marriage to Elfride
D. To visit John Smith

C. To propose marriage to Elfride.
Knight states he is going to ask Elfride to be his wife, and Stephen replies, “So am I”.

49. What is the ominous object that is unloaded from the train at Camelton?

A. Heavy ironwork
B. A carriage of mourners
C. A polished satin-wood coffin
D. Lord Luxellian’s baggage

C. A polished satin-wood coffin.
The men witness a satin-wood coffin being unloaded by eight men from the train’s special van.
50. According to the coffin plate, who did Elfride marry before her death?

A. Stephen Smith
B. Henry Knight
C. Lord Luxellian
D. Felix Jethway

C. Lord Luxellian.
The plate clearly shows the inscription “Elfride, Wife of Spenser Hugo Luxellian, Fifteenth Baron Luxellian”.

Brief Overview

A Pair of Blue Eyes is a novel by Thomas Hardy, published in 1873. The novel is considered partly autobiographical as it draws heavily on Hardy’s courtship with his first wife, Emma Gifford. The story details a love triangle driven by social class and moral judgment.

The story centers on Elfride Swancourt, a young girl living in a rectory on the remote English coast. Stephen Smith, a young architect’s assistant, comes to her home for work, and they quickly fall in love. Stephen reveals he is the son of a local mason. Elfride’s father, Mr. Swancourt, forbids the marriage due to the difference in social class.

Elfride and Stephen decide to run away to London in secret to marry. However, Elfride changes her mind during the journey, and they return home unmarried. Mr. Swancourt marries a wealthy widow, Mrs. Troyton.

The triangle is completed when Henry Knight, a brilliant author and Stephen’s friend, visits. Elfride falls in love with Knight, who later saves her life when she nearly falls from a tall cliff. Knight asks Elfride about any former lovers. She hides the whole truth about her attempted elopement with Stephen.

Knight later discovers her secret from a neighbor’s letter. He is severely disappointed by her dishonesty, immediately breaking off their engagement. Elfride follows him to London, but her father brings her back home.

Overwhelmed by her sadness and emotional exhaustion, Elfride marries Lord Luxellian, a wealthy local peer. Both Stephen and Knight later return to Endelstow and learn that Elfride is dead and has been buried as Lady Luxellian.

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