Absalom, Absalom! MCQs

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Author: Nasir Iqbal | Assistant Professor of English Literature


Updated on: November 16, 2025
Estimated Reading Time: 16 min

Absalom, Absalom! MCQs

1. Quentin Compson’s narrative begins in which month and year?

A. September 1909
B. June 1833
C. April 1865
D. January 1910

A. September 1909.
The novel’s initial setting is a September afternoon in 1909, when Quentin listens to Miss Coldfield.

2. Where is Miss Coldfield’s conversation with Quentin taking place?

A. The front gallery
B. The dim office
C. The dark library
D. The Holston House

B. The dim office.
They sat in a dim, hot, airless room, Miss Coldfield still called the office because her father had.

3. What odor permeated the room where Quentin spoke with Miss Coldfield?

A. Tobacco and dust
B. Wistaria and coffin
C. Lavender and old cloth
D. Camphor and mildew

B. Wistaria and coffin.
The dim gloom smelled sweet and over-sweet with the twice-bloomed wistaria and coffin-smelling.

4. What state is Quentin Compson preparing to attend university in?

A. Massachusetts, New England
B. Mississippi, deep South
C. Louisiana, New Orleans
D. Virginia, Tidewater

A. Massachusetts, New England.
Quentin Compson was preparing for Harvard in the South, meaning Harvard University in Massachusetts.
5. How old was Quentin Compson when Miss Coldfield summoned him?

A. Twenty-five years
B. Forty-three years
C. Twenty years
D. Sixteen years

C. Twenty years.
Quentin was twenty years old when he received Miss Coldfield’s summoning note just before noon.

6. For how long had Miss Coldfield worn eternal black attire?

A. Forty-three years
B. Twenty years
C. Eighty years
D. Since the War

A. Forty-three years.
Miss Coldfield had worn eternal black for forty-three years, whether mourning her sister, father, or not-husband.

7. Miss Coldfield viewed Thomas Sutpen primarily as what figure?

A. A wealthy gentleman
B. A ruthless demon
C. A successful pioneer
D. An aspiring hero

B. A ruthless demon.
Rosa Coldfield repeatedly refers to Sutpen as a “demon,” “fiend,” “blackguard,” or “ogre”.

8. What emotion did Miss Coldfield suggest drove Sutpen’s wild black men?

A. Utter loyalty
B. Brute fear
C. Deep devotion
D. Quiet respect

B. Brute fear.
Miss Coldfield claimed Sutpen dominated his wild blacks because he was “stronger in fear” than they were.

9. Why did Miss Coldfield initially think Sutpen married her sister Ellen?

A. For love
B. For wealth
C. For respectability
D. For friendship

C. For respectability.
Sutpen needed “respectability, the shield of a virtuous woman” to make his position impregnable.
10. What major Southern event was approaching when Rosa Coldfield finally agreed to marry Sutpen?

A. The Civil War
B. The family tragedy
C. The yellow fever
D. The house fire

B. The family tragedy.
Miss Rosa agreed to marry Sutpen after the catastrophe concerning Charles Bon, seeking protection after her father’s death.

11. Thomas Sutpen first rode into Jefferson in which specific month and year?

A. June 1833
B. September 1909
C. December 1860
D. August 1869

A. June 1833.
Thomas Sutpen first rode into town out of nowhere on a Sunday morning in June 1833.

12. What specific material item was found on Sutpen’s person when he arrived?

A. Gold coin
B. Two pistols
C. Spanish gold
D. French hat

B. Two pistols.
Sutpen came with a horse and two pistols, which he later demonstrated using with great precision.

13. What unique payment did Sutpen use to record his land patent?

A. Cotton bales
B. Spanish coin
C. French money
D. Negro slaves

B. Spanish coin.
He paid the County Recorder with a Spanish gold coin for his land patent, indicating it was the last money he had.

14. Where did Sutpen initially procure his “band of wild niggers” and the French architect?

A. New Orleans
B. Martinique
C. Virginia mountains
D. West Indies

B. Martinique.
The French architect came from Martinique, and the wild negroes seem to have come from the same general area.
15. How long did Sutpen live in his house without windows or doors?

A. Five years
B. Forty-three years
C. Three years
D. One year

C. Three years.
The house stood unpainted and unfurnished, without window-pane or door, for three years more.

16. What was Ellen Coldfield’s character type according to Miss Coldfield’s recollections?

A. Blind romantic fool
B. Quiet homebody
C. Fierce matriarch
D. Calculating woman

A. Blind romantic fool.
Miss Rosa described her sister Ellen as a “blind romantic fool” for marrying Sutpen.

17. What item did Sutpen use to press his coat before going to church?

A. A hot shovel
B. Heated bricks
C. A smooth stone
D. A flat iron

B. Heated bricks.
Sutpen or one of his negroes had ironed the coat he wore to church using heated bricks.

18. What event signaled the beginning of Ellen’s “unreal and weightless life”?

A. Henry’s birth
B. Lincoln’s election
C. Sutpen’s proposal
D. Bon’s departure

C. Sutpen’s proposal.
Ellen’s life was described as the “absolute flood’s peak of her unreal and weightless life” before the explosion.

19. What physical feature of Thomas Sutpen did Rosa believe revealed his underbred nature?

A. His hard eyes
B. His swaggering
C. His lack of a beard
D. His formal gestures

D. His formal gestures.
Sutpen’s underbred nature showed in all his “formal contacts,” like his florid, swaggering gesture to the hat.
20. What object did Sutpen carry when he proposed to Ellen Coldfield?

A. A sword
B. A bouquet
C. Two pistols
D. A fine hat

B. A bouquet.
Sutpen strode up the walk to Mr. Coldfield’s door carrying his “newspaper cornucopia of flowers”.

21. Where was Sutpen’s first wife from before he repudiated her?

A. Haiti
B. Martinique
C. Virginia
D. West Indies

D. West Indies.
Sutpen went to the West Indies to become rich and accepted his first wife there, before putting her aside.

22. What “fact” about his first wife did Sutpen claim was deliberately concealed from him?

A. Her lack of wealth
B. Her negro blood
C. Her moral history
D. Her family connections

B. Her negro blood.
Sutpen discovered after his son was born that his first wife was part negro, which negated his entire design.

23. What specific foodstuff did Sutpen refuse to eat after his West Indies ordeal?

A. Rice
B. Pork
C. Sugar
D. Corn

C. Sugar.
Sutpen told Grandfather he had not been able to bear sugar since the siege in Haiti, where he smelled burning cane.

24. What was the central problem for Sutpen regarding his first wife and son?

A. Bigamy
B. Miscegenation
C. Financial loss
D. Incest

B. Miscegenation.
Sutpen stated that the “one very factor” concealed from him was the negro blood, which led to the repudiation.
25. According to Mr. Compson, why did Sutpen refuse to provide his first son with an authentic name?

A. Simple cruelty
B. Financial restraint
C. His rigid conscience
D. Legal impossibility

C. His rigid conscience.
Sutpen’s conscience forbade him to give the child his name, yet also forbade him to provide a quick husband.

26. What was Charles Bon’s apparent profession while at the University?

A. Student of law
B. Soldier
C. Gambler
D. Planter

A. Student of law.
Bon was reading law, which Henry also began to study later on in the term.

27. What animal did Henry Sutpen claim he would want his older brother to resemble?

A. None mentioned
B. A strong horse
C. A crack regiment
D. Charles Bon

A. None mentioned.
Henry told Bon he wished he had an older brother “just like you,” not specifying an animal resemblance.

28. What specific object did Judith and Clytie use to fashion Bon’s wedding dress?

A. Purchased lace
B. Scraps and rags
C. Ellen’s mourning clothes
D. Fine linen

B. Scraps and rags.
Judith and Clytie made the wedding dress and veil from scraps, possibly material intended for lint.

29. What was the relationship between Henry and Judith Sutpen described as?

A. Bitter rivalry
B. Traditional loyalty
C. Fierce impersonal rivalry
D. Romantic love

C. Fierce impersonal rivalry.
Their bond was “closer than the traditional loyalty,” resembling the “fierce impersonal rivalry” of soldiers.
30. What was the primary reason Sutpen forbade Judith’s marriage to Charles Bon?

A. Bon’s lack of wealth
B. Bon’s existing mistress
C. Bon’s negro heritage
D. Henry’s jealousy

C. Bon’s negro heritage.
The fundamental reason was that Bon’s mother was part negro, making Bon the subject of miscegenation.

31. What object did Judith find in Bon’s pocket after his death?

A. A letter
B. A diamond ring
C. A photograph case
D. A dueling pistol

C. A photograph case.
Judith found a metal case in Bon’s coat pocket containing a photograph not of her, but of the octoroon and child.

32. For how long did Henry hold Charles Bon and Judith in “probation” after the confrontation?

A. One year
B. Until the war
C. Four years
D. Seven years

C. Four years.
Henry waited four years, holding all three in abeyance, hoping Bon would renounce the first marriage.

33. What did Judith believe was the only thing that mattered in life?

A. Money and pride
B. Love and family
C. Breath and breathing
D. Honor and virtue

C. Breath and breathing.
Judith stated, “Nothing matters but breath, breathing, to know and to be alive”.

34. Who did Mr. Compson believe was ultimately the seducer in the Henry-Judith-Bon dynamic?

A. Ellen
B. Charles Bon
C. Thomas Sutpen
D. Henry

D. Henry.
Mr. Compson suggested that “it must have been Henry who seduced Judith, not Bon,” vicariously.
35. How many total days did Judith and Charles Bon spend together alive, according to the narration?

A. Thirty days
B. One hundred days
C. Seventeen days
D. Twelve days

D. Twelve days.
Judith and Bon saw each other for an average of one hour a day over twelve days, during a year and a half.

36. Who was wounded at the Battle of Shiloh, according to the version Quentin and Shreve discuss?

A. Thomas Sutpen
B. Charles Bon
C. Henry Sutpen
D. General Compson

C. Henry Sutpen.
Shreve argues that Mr. Compson was wrong and it was Henry, not Bon, who was wounded at Shiloh.

37. What major Civil War campaign was Sutpen’s regiment involved in when he ordered his wife’s tombstone?

A. Vicksburg
B. Atlanta
C. Gettysburg
D. Shiloh

C. Gettysburg.
Sutpen ordered the stones from Italy while his regiment was in Virginia and followed it into Pennsylvania for Gettysburg.

38. What was the year of Charles Bon’s death?

A. 1861
B. 1865
C. 1869
D. 1884

B. 1865.
Bon died at Sutpen’s Hundred, Mississippi, on May 3, 1865, shortly before the war’s end.

39. Henry kills Bon for which stated reason, according to Henry’s final words?

A. Miscegenation
B. Bigamy
C. To protect Judith
D. To spite his father

A. Miscegenation.
When confronted with Bon’s “nigger” heritage, Henry could not bear the miscegenation, causing him to choose to kill Bon.
40. What action did Sutpen perform right after learning Henry killed Bon?

A. Rode away immediately
B. Returned to the war
C. Said, “Ah.—Well, Clytie.”
D. Began drinking heavily

C. Said, “Ah.—Well, Clytie.”.
Miss Rosa recalls that when Sutpen heard his son had committed murder and vanished, he “said ‘Ah.—Well, Clytie’”.

41. Who rode to town shouting the news of Bon’s murder to Miss Coldfield?

A. Wash Jones
B. Henry Sutpen
C. Jim Bond
D. Mr. Compson

A. Wash Jones.
Wash Jones rode Sutpen’s mule to Miss Rosa’s gate, shouting, “Henry has done shot that durn French feller”.

42. How was Sutpen attempting to restore his plantation after returning from the Civil War?

A. Borrowing money
B. Buying new slaves
C. Sheer indomitable will
D. Opening a new bank

C. Sheer indomitable willing.
Sutpen attempted to restore Sutpen’s Hundred “by sheer indomitable willing” and fury against the changed time.

43. What specific reason did Mr. Coldfield nail himself up in his attic for?

A. To hide from Sutpen
B. To avoid the draft
C. To mourn his wife
D. To keep his money safe

B. To avoid the draft.
Mr. Coldfield nailed himself up to “starve to death rather than look upon his native land in the throes of repelling an invading army”.

44. What final, ultimate insult led to Wash Jones murdering Sutpen?

A. Sutpen fired him
B. Sutpen refused to marry Milly
C. Sutpen insulted Milly after her delivery
D. Sutpen assaulted Wash

C. Sutpen insulted Wash’s granddaughter after her delivery.
Sutpen insulted Wash’s granddaughter, Milly, calling her “not a mare,” after she birthed his child.
45. What implement did Wash Jones use to kill Thomas Sutpen?

A. A pistol
B. A rifle
C. A rusty scythe
D. A sharp knife

C. A rusty scythe.
Wash used the “rusty scythe” that had leaned against his cabin porch for two years to kill Sutpen.

46. What was Clytie’s full name, as given by Sutpen?

A. Judith
B. Ellen
C. Penelope
D. Clytemnestra

D. Clytemnestra.
Mr. Compson confirms that Clytie was Sutpen’s daughter, named by him as Clytemnestra.

47. Who was Jim Bond’s father?

A. Henry Sutpen
B. Wash Jones
C. Charles Bon
D. Thomas Sutpen

C. Charles Bon.
Jim Bond, the “hulking slack-mouthed saddle-colored boy,” was the son of Charles Etienne Saint-Valery Bon.

48. Why did Clytie set fire to Sutpen’s Hundred in 1910?

A. To destroy the house
B. To hide Henry Sutpen
C. To protect Jim Bond
D. To prevent Henry’s capture

D. To prevent Henry’s capture.
Clytie believed the approaching ambulance was the “black wagon” coming to hang Henry for Bon’s murder.

49. What sound did the Sutpen descendants (Quentin and Shreve) hear Jim Bond making after the house burned?

A. Wild weeping
B. Agonized screaming
C. Human howling
D. Silent despair

C. Human howling.
After the house collapsed, only the sound of the “idiot negro” howling was left behind.
50. Where was Henry Sutpen discovered hiding in 1910, forty-five years after the murder?

A. In the attic
B. In the cellar
C. Upstairs
D. In the office

C. Upstairs.
Henry was discovered upstairs, where he had been living hidden for four years after his return to die.

Brief Overview

Absalom, Absalom! was first published in 1936 by American writer William Faulkner. This Southern Gothic novel is set in the 19th century and tells the dark, convoluted history of the Sutpen family and the ruin caused by racial prejudice and pride.

The story centers on Thomas Sutpen. He arrived in Mississippi in 1833 as a poor man. Sutpen bought a large amount of land and built a huge house called Sutpen’s Hundred. He hired a French architect and used many slaves (“wild negroes”) for this great construction. Sutpen married Ellen Coldfield, and they had two children: Henry and Judith.

Sutpen had a major secret: he had a son, Charles Bon, from a first marriage in the West Indies. Sutpen had abandoned this first wife because he discovered she was part-Black. Henry met Bon at college, and they became close friends. Bon and Judith fell in love and planned to marry.

Sutpen told Henry that Bon had Black ancestry, forbidding the marriage due to the era’s severe racial code. Henry, unable to accept the truth, left home with Bon to fight in the Civil War for four years.

When the war ended, Bon returned, determined to marry Judith. Henry waited at the gate, refusing to let the marriage happen due to Bon’s heritage. Henry shot and killed his friend, Charles Bon.

Sutpen later returned home. He was eventually killed by a poor white man named Wash Jones, whose granddaughter Sutpen had dishonored. Judith and Bon’s mixed-race son was left in the decaying house, which was eventually burned down, ending the Sutpen line in ruin.

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