The Recruiting Officer MCQs

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Author: Nasir Iqbal | Assistant Professor of English Literature


Updated on: November 23, 2025
Estimated Reading Time: 15 min

The Recruiting Officer MCQs

1. Where does Serjeant Kite first make his recruiting speech?

A. Sign of Raven
B. Market Place
C. Tavern room
D. London street

B. Market Place.
Kite begins his recruiting efforts by addressing the general public in the busy Shrewsbury Market Place.

2. Which specific military cap does Kite dub “the cap of honour”?

A. Sergeant’s hat
B. Grenadier’s cap
C. Officer’s plume
D. Drum-major’s

B. Grenadier’s cap.
Kite attempts to convince men to enlist by showing them the status of the grenadier’s cap.

3. What huge famous bed is mentioned when discussing the “bed of honour”?

A. Great bed in London
B. Great bedware
C. King’s bed
D. Shrewsbury bed

B. Great bedware.
Kite compares the size of the bed of honour to the great bed located at Ware.

4. How many people can reportedly lie together in the “bed of honour”?

A. One thousand
B. Ten thousand
C. Seven hundred
D. Fifty score

B. Ten thousand.
Kite claims that ten thousand people may lie in the huge bed of honour together.
5. What time did Captain Plume arrive in Shrewsbury according to his watch?

A. Four o’clock
B. Ten o’clock
C. Half past three
D. Midday

A. Four o’clock.
Plume checks his watch and notes that he arrived at four o’clock after smart riding.

6. What musical tune is the drum beating as Plume arrives?

A. King’s health
B. King’s pleasure
C. Grenadier’s March
D. Soldier’s retreat

C. Grenadier’s March.
Plume recognises the sound of his own recruiting effort by the Grenadier’s March tune being played.

7. How long had Serjeant Kite been recruiting in Shrewsbury when Plume arrived?

A. Four days
B. One week
C. One fortnight
D. Two months

B. One week.
Kite informs Captain Plume that he has been in Shrewsbury working on recruiting for one week.

8. Which of the listed recruits did Plume want immediately discharged?

A. Welsh parson
B. Gìpsy king
C. Strong man
D. Scoundrel attorney

D. Scoundrel attorney.
Plume feared that a lawyer who could write might cause trouble by drawing up petitions.

9. Why did Captain Plume decide to keep the Welsh parson?

A. He has courage
B. Plays the fiddle
C. Is very religious
D. Can read maps

B. Plays the fiddle.
Despite wanting to discharge him, Plume keeps the parson because he plays the fiddle well.
10. Who is the “old friend Molly at the Castle” that Plume remembers?

A. Worthy’s wife
B. Kite’s wife
C. A former lover
D. Melinda’s maid

C. A former lover.
Molly is Plume’s old acquaintance who was brought to bed yesterday with his child.

11. What does Captain Plume order Serjeant Kite to do regarding Molly’s child?

A. Pay its upkeep
B. Father the child
C. Send it away
D. Find a mother

B. Father the child.
Plume instructs Kite, despite his current marriage, to claim the newborn child as his own.

12. Which item did Peggy Guzzle, one of Kite’s listed wives, sell?

A. Brandy
B. Potatoes
C. Ship sails
D. Beer

A. Brandy.
Peggy Guzzle, who lives near Whitehall, is described as the brandy woman.

13. What is the newborn boy’s rank and name in Captain Plume’s muster-roll?

A. Recruit Thomas
B. Grenadier Francis
C. Corporal Kite
D. Soldier George

B. Grenadier Francis.
Plume lists the boy as a grenadier named Francis Kite, absent on official furlough.

14. What disguise does Kite use to lure prospective soldiers for Plume?

A. Tinker’s clothes
B. Fortune-teller’s habit
C. Gentleman’s attire
D. Sailor’s uniform

B. Fortune-teller’s habit.
Kite uses the pretense of a fortune-teller to gain fame and attract men and money.
15. What military weapon does Worthy joke that Plume has not lost?

A. His sword
B. His nose
C. His leg
D. His pistol

B. His nose.
Worthy greets Plume, who assures him he escaped safely, losing neither leg, arm, nor nose.

16. Worthy describes his current emotional state as being caused by what?

A. Money worries
B. A woman
C. A failed battle
D. Army service

B. A woman.
Worthy, now melancholy and thoughtful, explains that his condition is caused by a woman.

17. What did Worthy offer Melinda before Plume went abroad?

A. A ring
B. A fine house
C. Five hundred settlement
D. A coach

C. Five hundred settlement.
Worthy proposed a marriage settlement of five hundred pounds a year to Melinda.

18. Who dies and leaves Melinda twenty thousand pounds at a critical time?

A. Lady Richly
B. Justice Balance
C. Molly at Castle
D. Peggy Guzzle

A. Lady Richly.
Worthy explains that Melinda’s aunt, Lady Richly in Flintshire, died and left her a large inheritance.

19. When Worthy grew obsequious toward Melinda, how did she treat him?

A. With respect
B. Like a dog
C. Generously
D. Very kindly

B. Like a dog.
Plume observes that when Worthy acted like a humble lover, Melinda used him like a dog.
20. Plume suggests he would hire three or four neighbourhood women to report that he had done what?

A. Paid them
B. Lied to them
C. Got them pregnant
D. Stolen money

C. Got them pregnant.
Plume suggests fabricating reports that he had gotten several local women pregnant to affect Melinda.

21. Who brings Mrs. Molly ten guineas for baby clothes from Sylvia?

A. Kite
B. Worthy
C. Footman
D. Justice Balance

C. Footman.
Kite reveals that a footman in a blue livery delivered the money from Mrs. Sylvia.

22. What relation is Justice Balance to Sylvia?

A. Her brother
B. Her uncle
C. Her father
D. Her cousin

C. Her father.
Justice Balance is identified as Sylvia’s father, who would be glad to meet Plume.

23. What quality does Plume admire in Sylvia’s character after hearing of her generosity?

A. Womanly grace
B. Manly friendship
C. Great beauty
D. Her money

B. Manly friendship.
Plume praises Sylvia’s action as noble, generous, and showing “manly friendship” rather than jealousy.

24. Melinda believes that no air can be good for a lady for how long?

A. A full year
B. Half a year
C. One month
D. Two seasons

B. Half a year.
Melinda, being particular about her constitution, says no air is good for more than half a year.
25. What did Sylvia say made her fingers ache at the boarding school?

A. Welsh mountain air
B. London smog
C. Cold weather
D. Sewing work

A. Welsh mountain air.
Sylvia recalls that the sharp air from the Welsh mountains made their fingers ache when they were young.

26. Melinda says Sylvia is on the way to being put on trial because who has come to town?

A. Mr. Worthy
B. Justice Balance
C. Her captain
D. Captain Brazen

C. Her captain.
Melinda refers to Captain Plume, noting Sylvia is likely to be put to the trial of following the camp.

27. Who wrote the letter to Melinda that her maid Lucy presented?

A. Captain Plume
B. Mr. Worthy
C. Justice Balance
D. Captain Brazen

A. Captain Plume.
Lucy confirms that Plume sent the letter she presented to Melinda.

28. What relation is Owen, who is past recovery, to Sylvia?

A. Her cousin
B. Her friend
C. Her brother
D. Her uncle

C. Her brother.
Justice Balance informs Sylvia that the doctor expects his son, Owen, will soon die.

29. What is Justice Balance’s primary reason for not wanting Plume to marry Sylvia?

A. Plume’s low rank
B. Lack of money
C. His family honour
D. Her large fortune

D. Her large fortune.
Balance feels three thousand pounds a year is too much fortune for a mere captain of foot.
30. What does Sylvia agree to promise her father before she leaves for the country?

A. Never marry
B. Obey his will
C. Gain consent
D. Return quickly

C. Gain consent.
Sylvia solemnly promises her father that she will never dispose of herself without his consent.

31. Who tore up the letter Melinda wrote to Justice Balance?

A. Worthy
B. Plume
C. Balance
D. Lucy

C. Balance.
Justice Balance tears up Melinda’s warning letter to conceal the sender’s identity.

32. Why does Worthy rush to gather the pieces of the torn letter?

A. To read the contents
B. To find the hand
C. To gain power
D. To stop Brazen

C. To gain power.
Worthy realises that possessing the letter will give him power over Melinda’s pride.

33. What did Kite, Thomas, and Costar drink that caused them to be drunk?

A. Brandy
B. Humming ale
C. Strong wine
D. March beer

B. Humming ale.
Kite boasts that they were drinking the king’s drink, which he calls humming ale.

34. What title does Costar Pearmain decide he wants to be, greater than a king?

A. A Prince
B. A Duke
C. A Queen
D. An Emperor

C. A Queen.
Costar declares he wants to be the Queen of England, which he believes is the greatest.
35. How much money was each piece of “Carolus” gold Kite worth to the recruits?

A. Twenty shillings
B. One pound
C. One guinea
D. Five crowns

C. One guinea.
Plume confirms that the gold pieces given by Kite were worth one-and-twenty shillings (a guinea).

36. Why does Plume beat Serjeant Kite in front of the recruits?

A. Recruiting tricks
B. Too rude
C. Stealing gold
D. Disobeying orders

A. Recruiting tricks.
Plume beats Kite for abusing Costar and Thomas by deceiving them with the ‘pictures’ and money.

37. What food item does Rose Bullock bring to sell in the Market Place?

A. Eggs
B. Butter
C. Corn
D. Chickens

D. Chickens.
Rose is seen entering the Market Place carrying chickens on her arm in a basket.

38. What is the occupation of Rose’s brother, Bullock, who sells corn?

A. A farmer
B. A butcher
C. A soldier
D. A drover

A. A farmer.
Rose clarifies that her father is a farmer and her brother, Bullock, sells the corn.

39. What does Serjeant Kite say a “palisado” is like when speaking to Bullock?

A. A small tree
B. A thick bodkin
C. A long rifle
D. A wooden fence

B. A thick bodkin.
Kite describes the palisado to Bullock as a pretty sort of bodkin, thick as his leg.
40. What did Kite’s mother, Cleopatra, sell him to a nobleman for?

A. Three pounds
B. Five shillings
C. Three pistoles
D. One guinea

C. Three pistoles.
Kite reveals he was bought from his gìpsy mother Cleopatra for three pistoles.

41. Who is the bluff fellow in the sash that Worthy warns Balance about?

A. Plume
B. Kite
C. Brazen
D. Bullock

C. Brazen.
Worthy identifies the newcomer, Brazen, as his rival and a most unaccountable fellow.

42. Which precious item does Rose show Justice Balance that she received?

A. Flanders’ lace
B. A new cap
C. Silk stockings
D. A large ring

A. Flanders’ lace.
Rose shows Balance “Right Mecklin” lace, which she got from Captain Plume.

43. What two items of clothing does Plume bring over yearly to cheat the king’s duty?

A. Boots and swords
B. Lace and silk
C. Arms and drums
D. Caps and plumes

B. Lace and silk.
Melinda mentions officers bring over a cargo of lace to cheat the king and his subjects.

44. Captain Brazen claims he fought in Flanders against the French, Hungary against the Turks, and where else?

A. Germany
B. Portugal
C. Tangier
D. Ireland

C. Tangier.
Brazen boasts of serving in three locations: Flanders, Hungary, and Tangier against the Moors.
45. What is the name of the lady Captain Brazen claims he is reserved by destiny to marry?

A. Melinda
B. Lucy
C. Shropshire lady
D. German princess

C. Shropshire lady.
Brazen states that Fate has reserved him for a Shropshire lady worth twenty thousand pounds.

46. What military manoeuvre does Plume say he will use when making love to Melinda?

A. A charge
B. A volley
C. A platoon
D. A salute

C. A platoon.
Plume says he will make love like a platoon: kneel, stoop, and stand.

47. When Sylvia is disguised as Jack Wilful, where does she claim she lives?

A. In a house
B. In the country
C. Where she stands
D. Kent

C. Where she stands.
Jack Wilful (Sylvia) states that he has no fixed home beyond the very spot where he stands.

48. Who does the fortune-teller (Kite) first consult when examining women’s affairs?

A. The stars
B. Jupiter
C. The devil
D. Tycho

C. The devil.
Kite says that because women’s affairs are so irregular, he must advise with his “t’other friend.”

49. When Justice Balance and the other Justices convene, who sits upon the bench with them?

A. Worthy
B. Plume
C. Brazen
D. Kite

B. Plume.
Captain Plume accepts Justice Scruple’s invitation and ascends to sit on the bench.
50. What type of military service does Plume suggest for the collier who works underground?

A. Dragoons
B. Gunners
C. Miners
D. Marines

C. Miners.
Plume suggests that because the collier works underground, the army needs him as a miner.

Brief Overview

The Recruiting Officer is a play by George Farquhar. It was first produced and published in 1706. It is a Restoration comedy that humorously examines themes of love and war, deception, and societal norms in a provincial English town.

The story opens with Captain Plume and Serjeant Kite arriving in Shrewsbury to recruit new soldiers for the Queen’s army. Serjeant Kite uses speeches and tricks to recruit men. Kite even disguises himself as a fortune-teller to fool men and make money.

Plume and his friend Worthy are both in love. Worthy loves Melinda, but she became rich and grew proud. Plume loves Sylvia, but her father, Justice Balance, opposes the marriage. Balance thinks Plume’s army rank is too low for Sylvia’s considerable fortune.

Sylvia, unwilling to lose Plume, disguises herself as a man named Jack Wilful. She uses trickery to ensure she is illegally listed as a soldier by Plume himself. Kite’s fortune-telling act successfully tricks Melinda. This helps Worthy win her back.

Justice Balance eventually discovers that “Jack Wilful” is really his daughter, Sylvia. Balance gives Sylvia to Plume in marriage. Plume gives up his military commission to stay with Sylvia.

Worthy and Melinda are also reunited. Plume decides to continue recruiting “the matrimonial way” rather than through traditional military enlistment.

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