Nicholas Nickleby MCQs

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Author: Nasir Iqbal | Assistant Professor of English Literature

Nicholas Nickleby MCQs
Updated on: October 11, 2025
Estimated Reading Time: 17 min

Nicholas Nickleby MCQs

1. What relationship was Nicholas Nickleby to Ralph Nickleby?

A. Grandson
B. Brother
C. Nephew
D. Cousin

C. Nephew.

Nicholas is Ralph’s nephew. Ralph’s cold refusal to help his family establishes his cruel nature.

2. What was Mr. Nickleby (Nicholas’s father) advised to do with his money by Mrs. Nickleby?

A. Save it carefully
B. Invest it in land
C. Speculate with it
D. Donate it to charity

C. Speculate with it.

Mr. Nickleby speculated with his money. This tragic financial mistake drives the family’s immediate poverty and dependence on Ralph.

3. How old was Nicholas, very nearly, when Ralph first met him after his father’s death?

A. Seventeen
B. Nineteen
C. Twenty-one
D. Sixteen

B. Nineteen.

Nicholas was nineteen when his father died. His youth highlights his vulnerability when forced into the world by Ralph.

4. What had Ralph Nickleby been thinking of doing with Nicholas’s education?

A. Sending him to university
B. Making him rich someday
C. Making something of him someday
D. Training him for law

C. Making something of him someday.

Ralph considered making something of Nicholas. This shows his calculating nature. He only helps if it benefits him financially.

5. Ralph Nickleby’s first proposal suggested Kate should be apprenticed to?

A. A boarding-school
B. Dressmaking
C. Tambour-work
D. A shop assistant

A. A boarding-school.

Ralph’s first proposal was to apprentice Kate to a boarding-school. This was a cruel plan to remove her from London life.

6. What was the common phrase that Nicholas reflected upon, which “often signifieth all the rascals in it”?

A. London life
B. Good society
C. The world
D. Human nature

C. The world.

Nicholas reflects that “the world” signifies all the rascals in it. This shows his early realization of social corruption.

7. When Nicholas left London, what amount of capital did he possess after paying his rent and settling with the broker?

A. Fifty pounds
B. Exactly twenty shillings
C. More than twenty shillings
D. Less than a sovereign

C. More than twenty shillings.

Nicholas possessed more than twenty shillings. This meager sum underscores his poverty and reliance on the Dotheboys job.

8. What was the name of the Academy run by Mr. Squeers?

A. Greta Hall
B. Dotheboys Hall
C. Snawley Academy
D. Yorkshire Hall

B. Dotheboys Hall.

Dotheboys Hall is the notorious school run by Squeers. It symbolizes the abuse and exploitation of poor children.

9. Where was Dotheboys Hall located?

A. Near London
B. Near Greta Bridge in Yorkshire
C. In Devonshire
D. Near Barnard Castle

B. Near Greta Bridge in Yorkshire.

The school is near Greta Bridge in Yorkshire. Its remote location allows the Squeers family to commit abuses in secret.

10. What compulsory item was each boy required to bring to Dotheboys Hall, surprising Mr. Snawley?

A. A small knife
B. A razor
C. A nightcap
D. Six shirts

B. A razor.

Each boy was required to bring a razor. This odd demand hints at the school’s neglect and the boys’ premature forced maturity.

11. What did Mr. Snawley confess to Mr. Squeers that he actually was to the two boys he wished to enroll?

A. Their cousin
B. Their uncle
C. Their father-in-law
D. Their godfather

C. Their father-in-law.

Mr. Snawley was the father-in-law of the boys. This reveals the family complexity and the reason for the boys’ placement.

12. What did Mrs. Squeers administer to the boys on “brimstone morning”?

A. Sulphur and cream
B. Brimstone and treacle
C. Ginger and molasses
D. Honey and flower

B. Brimstone and treacle.

Mrs. Squeers administered brimstone and treacle. This serves as a cruel, ritualized pseudo-medical treatment for the starving boys.

13. What article of clothing worn by the tall, sickly boy Smike was “absurdly short in the arms and legs”?

A. An old suit of armour
B. A skeleton suit
C. Fustian trousers
D. A new shooting jacket

B. A skeleton suit.

Smike wore an absurdly short skeleton suit. This highlights his pathetic state and the neglect he suffered at the school.

14. What philosophical teaching system did Mr. Squeers claim to follow?

A. The Newtonian system
B. The classical system
C. The practical mode
D. The grammar system

C. The practical mode.

Mr. Squeers claimed to follow the practical mode. This irony exposes the school’s true system of neglect and exploitation.

15. What task was the boy given after defining ‘horse’ as a ‘beast’?

A. To study more Latin
B. To go and look after Squeers’s horse
C. To memorize the grammar
D. To spell ‘quadruped’

B. To go and look after Squeers’s horse.

The boy was tasked to look after Squeers’s horse. The school’s “practical” lessons involved the boys working as servants.

16. What did Mrs. Squeers give Nicholas for supper?

A. A small glassful of brandy and water
B. A large slice of pie
C. An exclusive steak
D. Ale

A. A small glassful of brandy and water.

Mrs. Squeers gave Nicholas brandy and water. This contrasts sharply with the miserable portions given to the starving boys.

17. What was Smike doing when he was found by Squeers the morning after the flogging?

A. Hiding in the kitchen
B. Asleep over the fire
C. In the schoolroom
D. Near the pony

B. Asleep over the fire.

Smike was found asleep over the fire. This shows his pathetic escape attempt and the coldness of the school.

18. What did Squeers hope to secure from Mobbs’s stepmother by flogging Mobbs?

A. Higher weekly pocket money
B. Cheerfulness and contentment
C. Cow’s-liver broth
D. The double-bladed knife

B. Cheerfulness and contentment.

Squeers hoped to secure cheerfulness from Mobbs’s stepmother. This absurd motive justifies the flogging.

19. What did Nicholas do when Squeers beat Smike for the second time?

A. Nicholas ran away.
B. Nicholas thrashed Squeers soundly.
C. Nicholas complained to Ralph.
D. Nicholas was silent in fear.

B. Nicholas thrashed Squeers soundly.

Nicholas thrashed Squeers soundly. This heroic, impulsive act of justice marked Nicholas’s moral turning point and his break from Dotheboys.

20. What was Squeers’s annual salary for Nicholas?

A. Five pounds
B. Twenty pounds
C. Ten guineas
D. Twenty guineas

A. Five pounds.

Nicholas’s annual salary was five pounds. This meager wage underscores the Squeers’s exploitation of their assistants.

21. What name did Squeers apply to Smike during the attempted kidnapping scene, suggesting he was illegitimate?

A. An orphan
B. A vagabond
C. A fondling (foundling)
D. A wicked boy

C. A fondling (foundling).

Squeers called Smike a fondling (foundling). This suggests Smike is illegitimate and adds to the mystery of his identity.

22. What institution was Sir Matthew Pupker chairman of, where Ralph attended a meeting?

A. The Royal Society
B. The United Metropolitan Improved Hot Muffin and Crumpet Baking and Punctual Delivery Company
C. The Bank of England
D. The Literary Guild

B. The United Metropolitan Improved Hot Muffin and Crumpet Baking and Punctual Delivery Company.

Ralph attended this public meeting. This satirizes the widespread growth of fraudulent joint-stock companies.

23. What object was the second resolution at the public meeting intended to abolish the use of?

A. Muffins
B. Hand-bells (used by sellers)
C. Crumpets
D. Tea-kettles

B. Hand-bells (used by sellers).

The meeting proposed to abolish hand-bells. This highlights the frivolous and pointless nature of the pseudo-philanthropic scheme.

24. Miss La Creevy worked as what type of artist?

A. Sculptor
B. Miniature painter
C. Landscape artist
D. Portrait painter

B. Miniature painter.

Miss La Creevy is a miniature painter. She is a kind, observant artist who represents creative and gentle humanity.

25. Why did Ralph consider Newman Noggs valuable?

A. His accounting skills
B. His eccentric taciturnity
C. His loyalty to the Nickleby family
D. His knowledge of London

B. His eccentric taciturnity.

Ralph considered Noggs valuable for his silent eccentricity. This quality suited the secretive nature of Ralph’s business.

26. What phrase did Mr. Mantalini frequently use to describe things he liked or disliked?

A. “Horrid”
B. “Demd” or “demnebly”
C. “Superfluous”
D. “Elegant”

B. “Demd” or “demnebly”.

Mr. Mantalini frequently uses this word. This highlights his absurd vanity and his frivolous, wasteful character.

27. What did the gentleman in the small-clothes ask Mrs. Nickleby in a loud whisper after checking for listeners?

A. If she was married
B. If she was a princess
C. If she was Miss La Creevy
D. If she wanted a cucumber

B. If she was a princess.

The gentleman asked if she was a princess. This begins Mrs. Nickleby’s series of absurd, self-important romantic delusions.

28. What did Sir Mulberry Hawk and Lord Verisopht bet upon regarding Miss Nickleby during the dinner?

A. Whether she would smile
B. Whether she was thinking ill of them
C. Whether she was engaged
D. Whether she would look him in the face

D. Whether she would look him in the face.

Sir Mulberry bet Kate would not look him in the face. This demonstrates the callous, dehumanizing nature of aristocratic gambling.

29. Nicholas met Mr. Vincent Crummles after what natural occurrence?

A. Losing his way
B. A stage coach accident
C. A duel
D. A political riot

B. A stage coach accident.

Nicholas met Mr. Crummles after a stage coach accident. This chance encounter begins Nicholas’s brief career as an actor.

30. What was the name of the Academy run by Mr. Squeers?

A. Greta Hall
B. Dotheboys Hall
C. Snawley Academy
D. Yorkshire Hall

B. Dotheboys Hall.

Dotheboys Hall is the notorious school run by Squeers. It symbolizes the abuse and exploitation of poor children.

31. What object did Nicholas suggest putting in the new show-piece he was commissioned to write?

A. A sword
B. A real pump and two washing-tubs
C. A stage coach
D. A coffin

B. A real pump and two washing-tubs.

Nicholas suggested putting this into the play. Mr. Crummles considered it a sensational theatrical device.

32. What was the name Nicholas adopted while acting with the Crummles company?

A. Mr. Crummles
B. Mr. Johnson
C. Mr. Digby
D. Mr. Williams

B. Mr. Johnson.

Nicholas adopted the name Mr. Johnson. This stage name allowed him to pursue a career away from Ralph’s influence.

33. What was the title of the French play Nicholas was tasked with turning into English?

A. The Moral Pocket Handkerchief
B. The Outlaw’s Return
C. The Mortal Struggle (or Intrigue, and Ways and Means)
D. The Lady Flabella

C. The Mortal Struggle (or Intrigue, and Ways and Means).

This French piece was translated by Nicholas. This highlights his adaptability and his brief career as a working dramatist.

34. Who was Mrs. Crummles’s confidante and Nicholas’s potential love interest?

A. Miss Bravassa
B. Miss Ledrook
C. Miss Snevellicci
D. Miss Belvawney

C. Miss Snevellicci.

Miss Snevellicci was Nicholas’s potential love interest. Their relationship adds light comedy to the theatrical period.

35. What was the total amount of money Nicholas made from his benefit night in Portsmouth?

A. Five pounds
B. Twenty pounds
C. Fifteen shillings
D. Thirty pounds

B. Twenty pounds.

Nicholas made twenty pounds from his benefit night. This allows him to financially escape the Crummles company and return to London.

36. Who was Henrietta Petowker’s new husband?

A. Mr. Kenwigs
B. Mr. Folair
C. Mr. Lillyvick, the water-rate collector
D. Mr. Squeers

C. Mr. Lillyvick, the water-rate collector.

Lillyvick, the water-rate collector, married Henrietta. This socially advantageous, if comical, marriage surprised the Kenwigs family.

37. To whom was the miller’s daughter (Tilda Price) engaged?

A. Nicholas Nickleby
B. The son of a small corn-factor (John Browdie)
C. Mr. Squeers’s son
D. A brigand

B. The son of a small corn-factor (John Browdie).

Tilda Price was engaged to John Browdie. Browdie becomes Nicholas’s unexpected, hearty ally against Squeers.

38. When John Browdie was talking to Squeers about Nicholas, what did he declare Squeers to be?

A. An excellent teacher
B. A loyal friend
C. An old rascal
D. A wise philosopher

C. An old rascal.

John Browdie called Squeers an old rascal. This shows the local Yorkshireman’s honest, blunt contempt for the schoolmaster.

39. What evidence did Ralph produce to prove Smike was Snawley’s son?

A. A handwritten note
B. Certificates as extracts from parish books
C. Smike’s birth mark
D. The word of Squeers

B. Certificates as extracts from parish books.

Ralph produced certificates as extracts. This was a cruel, false conspiracy using legal documentation to regain control of Smike.

40. What were the first names of the two Cheeryble brothers?

A. Charles and Ned
B. Frank and Tim
C. Thomas and John
D. Nicholas and Ralph

A. Charles and Ned.

The Cheeryble brothers’ names are Charles and Ned. They are twin symbols of benevolence and Christian charity in the novel.

41. What was the name of the clerk who worked for the Cheeryble brothers for forty-four years?

A. Newman Noggs
B. Frank Cheeryble
C. Tim Linkinwater
D. Mr. Trimmers

C. Tim Linkinwater.

Tim Linkinwater worked for the brothers for forty-four years. He represents faithful, old-fashioned, simple integrity.

42. How was the young lady Nicholas loved first encountered at the Cheeryble counting-house?

A. She was applying for work.
B. She was in a fainting fit.
C. She was waiting for Ralph.
D. She was introduced by Frank.

B. She was in a fainting fit.

Nicholas met Madeline Bray during a fainting fit. This dramatic, vulnerable moment sets up their instant, romantic connection.

43. What was the name of the young lady Nicholas fell in love with?

A. Kate Nickleby
B. Miss La Creevy
C. Madeline Bray
D. Miss Snevellicci

C. Madeline Bray.

Madeline Bray is the young lady. She is beautiful but trapped in a cruel arrangement due to her father’s debts.

44. What debt did Arthur Gride seek to settle with Ralph Nickleby?

A. Nine hundred and seventy-five pounds, four and threepence
B. Five hundred pounds
C. Fifteen hundred pounds
D. One thousand, four hundred and seventy-five pounds, four and threepence

D. One thousand, four hundred and seventy-five pounds, four and threepence.

Gride settled this debt amount with Ralph. This highlights the precise, miserable financial nature of the plot against Madeline.

45. Who was the accomplice of Ralph Nickleby in the Madeline Bray marriage plot?

A. Mr. Bray
B. Arthur Gride
C. Mr. Snawley
D. Mr. Mantalini

B. Arthur Gride.

Arthur Gride was Ralph’s accomplice. Gride, an old miser, wanted to marry Madeline for her inheritance.

46. Ralph encouraged Mr. Bray to marry Madeline to the old man by suggesting what might happen soon?

A. Bray would inherit money.
B. Gride would die, leaving her a rich widow.
C. Nicholas would leave London.
D. She would learn to love Gride.

B. Gride would die, leaving her a rich widow.

Ralph suggested Gride would die soon, making Madeline a rich widow. This mercenary argument persuaded the weak father.

47. What was the title of the piece that Mrs. Crummles was the original performer of, but had to give up because it was “too tremendous”?

A. The Fairy Porcupine
B. The Blood Drinker
C. Romeo and Juliet
D. The Mortal Struggle

B. The Blood Drinker.

Mrs. Crummles gave up this role because it was too intense. This adds to the farcical nature of the theatrical troupe.

48. What object did Newman Noggs use to knock Mr. Squeers senseless?

A. A cane
B. A pewter pot
C. An old pair of bellows
D. A candlestick

C. An old pair of bellows.

Newman Noggs used an old pair of bellows. This weapon adds a comical, improvisational element to the villains’ capture.

49. What event in Smike’s life did the brothers Cheeryble refer to that Ralph would “surely answer” for?

A. Being abducted by Squeers
B. His death from ill-usage
C. Being beaten by Nicholas
D. Running away from Dotheboys Hall

B. His death from ill-usage.

The Cheerybles referred to Smike’s death from ill-usage. This tragic event drives Nicholas’s final confrontation with Ralph.

50. When offering his hand to Madeline Bray, Frank Cheeryble stated her heart was already occupied by whom?

A. Lord Verisopht
B. Nicholas Nickleby
C. Arthur Gride
D. Her father

B. Nicholas Nickleby.

Frank Cheeryble confessed Madeline’s heart was already Nicholas’s. This selfless act ensured Nicholas and Madeline’s final union.

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