Charles Dickens

Study question Charles Dickens

Facts about Charles Dickens

➾ As a boy, Charles Dickens was the only member of his immediate family not sent to a debtor’s prison.

➾ Dickens literally worked himself to death, collapsing during physically shattering public reading tours that sped up his demise.

➾ The heroic self-sacrifice in A Tale of Two Cities was inspired by an acting role Dickens himself played on stage.

➾ At the height of his fame, roughly one out of every ten people in Victorian England was an avid reader of his work.

➾ Dickens rehearsed his novels by acting out his characters in a mirror before writing them down.

➾ The traumatic factory job he despised as a child became the single greatest resource for his famous novels.

➾ The personal turmoil of separating from his wife during an affair directly coincided with his writing of the revolutionary classic, A Tale of Two Cities.

➾ A painful rejection by his first love fueled the emotional drama in some of his most famous characters, like David Copperfield.

➾ He often wrote his serialized novels at a breakneck pace, sometimes finishing an installment just days before it was published.

➾ His stories were so popular that even those who couldn’t read knew them, thanks to as many as 20 London theatres performing adaptations at once.

➾ He died so suddenly that his final novel, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, remains an unsolved mystery to this day.

Charles Dickens MCQs

1. When was Charles Dickens born?

A. February 7, 1820
B. December 9, 1812
C. February 7, 1812
D. June 9, 1870

C. February 7, 1812

Dickens was one of the most famous authors of the Victorian era in England.

2. In what English city was Charles Dickens born?

A. London
B. Chatham
C. Coketown
D. Portsmouth

D. Portsmouth

He was born in Portsmouth, a city on the southern coast of England where his father worked for the Navy Pay Office.

3. What was Charles Dickens’s father, John Dickens, employed as?

A. A schoolmaster
B. A clerk for the Naval Pay office
C. A solicitor
D. A factory manager

B. A clerk for the Naval Pay office

His father’s job was respectable, but his inability to manage money caused the family great hardship.

4. Why was Dickens’s father imprisoned when Charles was young?

A. For theft
B. For debt
C. For political treason
D. For libel

B. For debt

His father’s imprisonment for debt was a humiliating experience that deeply affected Dickens’s life and writing.

5. At what age did Dickens first go to work at a blacking warehouse?

A. Ten
B. Twelve
C. Fifteen
D. Sixteen

B. Twelve

This difficult period of child labor gave him a firsthand understanding of poverty and industrial hardship.

6. Which novel recounts Dickens’s experiences with poverty semi-autobiographically?

A. Great Expectations
B. David Copperfield
C. Oliver Twist
D. A Tale of Two Cities

B. David Copperfield

Many events in this novel, especially David’s time working in a factory, are based on Dickens’s own childhood.

7. What major theme grew out of his experiences in the blacking warehouse?

A. Romantic love
B. Historical accuracy
C. Social justice and reform
D. The beauty of nature

C. Social justice and reform

His early experiences with poverty made him a lifelong advocate for social reform in his novels.

8. Who was a major influence on Dickens’s imagination as a young boy?

A. His father, John Dickens
B. His nursemaid, who told him stories
C. Lord Crew
D. Miguel de Cervantes

B. His nursemaid, who told him stories

The scary and vivid stories his nursemaid, Mary Weller, told him had a lasting impact on his imagination.

9. What characteristic of picaresque novels influenced his idea to serialize his works?

A. Their focus on nobility
B. Their use of high prose
C. Their series of loosely linked adventures
D. Their short length

C. Their series of loosely linked adventures

The structure of these adventure stories was well-suited for publishing in separate, exciting monthly installments.

10. How did Dickens launch his career as a journalist with little formal schooling?

A. He inherited money for tuition.
B. He taught himself shorthand.
C. He secured a letter of recommendation.
D. He was taught by his father.

B. He taught himself shorthand.

His skill in shorthand allowed him to work as a reporter, giving him material for his stories and novels.

11. At what age did Dickens get a job as a court reporter?

A. Twelve
B. Fourteen
C. Sixteen
D. Twenty

C. Sixteen

He started his journalism career at a very young age due to his skill and determination.

12. The newspaper A Mirror of Parliament reported on the decisions of which body?

A. The Monarchy
B. The courts
C. Parliament
D. The Royal Society

C. Parliament

His time as a parliamentary reporter gave him a cynical view of politics and government bureaucracy.

13. To aid in his writing, Dickens was known to act out characters using what tool?

A. A stage
B. The mirror
C. A puppet
D. The pen

B. The mirror

He would make faces and speak his characters’ dialogue in a mirror to bring them to life before writing.

14. After becoming disillusioned with politics, Dickens contributed to which type of publication?

A. A scholarly journal
B. A financial newspaper
C. A radical newspaper, the True Sun
D. A children’s magazine

C. A radical newspaper, the True Sun

His disillusionment with mainstream politics led him to contribute to more radical publications.

15. What was Dickens doing professionally until the end of his life, besides writing novels?

A. Acting on stage
B. Editing magazines and continuing journalistic work
C. Practicing law
D. Teaching at a university

B. Editing magazines and continuing journalistic work

Dickens was a respected magazine editor, publishing his own work and that of other writers.

16. How many substantial novels did Charles Dickens complete?

A. Eight
B. Ten
C. Fifteen
D. Twenty

C. Fifteen

He was an incredibly productive writer, completing fifteen major novels in his lifetime.

17. What was the title of the novel Dickens left unfinished?

A. Barnaby Rudge
B. Our Mutual Friend
C. The Mystery of Edwin Drood
D. Bleak House

C. The Mystery of Edwin Drood

He died before completing this mystery novel, and the solution to the central crime remains unknown.

18. Which serialized work gave Dickens his first true success?

A. Oliver Twist
B. The Pickwick Papers
C. A Christmas Carol
D. Great Expectations

B. The Pickwick Papers

The monthly installments of this comic novel were a publishing sensation and made Dickens famous.

19. How many copies of each monthly issue of The Pickwick Papers were sold?

A. Under ten thousand
B. Exactly twenty thousand
C. Over forty thousand
D. Over one hundred thousand

C. Over forty thousand

The immense popularity of the series made Dickens a household name across Britain.

20. What major publishing practice did Dickens make profitable?

A. Writing historical fiction
B. Serialization of novels
C. Using famous illustrators
D. Publishing in hardback

B. Serialization of novels

By publishing his novels in cheap monthly or weekly parts, he made them accessible to a huge audience.

21. In 1836, Dickens married Catherine Hogarth, daughter of whom?

A. A close relative
B. Lord Crew
C. A fellow co-worker at his newspaper
D. His publisher

C. A fellow co-worker at his newspaper

He married the daughter of George Hogarth, the editor of the paper where he worked as a young journalist.

22. How many children did Dickens and Catherine Hogarth have?

A. Three
B. Six
C. Eight
D. Ten

D. Ten

Despite having a large family, his marriage to Catherine was not a happy one and ended in separation.

23. When did Dickens and Catherine Hogarth separate?

A. 1843
B. 1850
C. 1858
D. 1868

C. 1858

Their separation after a long marriage was a major public scandal at the time, especially given his fame.

24. What two early novels followed The Pickwick Papers?

A. Bleak House and Great Expectations
B. Oliver Twist and Nicholas Nickleby
C. A Tale of Two Cities and Barnaby Rudge
D. Hard Times and Little Dorrit

B. Oliver Twist and Nicholas Nickleby

These novels cemented his fame and showed his growing interest in social criticism and memorable characters.

25. Which 1843 work reflects Dickens’s disenchantment with society’s obsession with money?

A. David Copperfield
B. A Christmas Carol
C. Martin Chuzzlewit
D. The Old Curiosity Shop

B. A Christmas Carol

This famous holiday story is a powerful moral tale about greed, poverty, and personal redemption.

26. In which decade did Dickens’s travels abroad begin?

A. The 1820s
B. The 1840s
C. The 1850s
D. The 1860s

B. The 1840s

His travels to America and Italy in the 1840s provided material for travel books and his novels.

27. Which of Dickens’s weekly periodicals published A Tale of Two Cities and Great Expectations?

A. The Daily News
B. The Morning Chronicle
C. Household Words (later All the Year Round)
D. Bentley’s Miscellany

C. Household Words (later All the Year Round)

As an editor, he serialized some of his most famous novels in his own popular magazines.

28. Which book inspired him to write A Tale of Two Cities?

A. Shakespeare’s histories
B. Thomas Carlyle’s The French Revolution
C. Don Quixote
D. Arabian Nights

B. Thomas Carlyle’s The French Revolution

Dickens drew heavily on Carlyle’s vivid historical account for the events and atmosphere of his novel.

29. Dickens was inspired by his role in which play by Wilkie Collins?

A. The Woman in White
B. The Frozen Deep
C. The Moonstone
D. No Name

B. The Frozen Deep

His performance as a man who sacrifices himself for his rival gave him the core idea for *A Tale of Two Cities*.

30. In 1859, A Tale of Two Cities premiered in which new journal?

A. The True Sun
B. A Mirror of Parliament
C. All the Year Round
D. The Daily News

C. All the Year Round

This was the successor to his earlier magazine, *Household Words*, and a major vehicle for his later work.

31. What activity began to exact a great physical toll on Dickens in the 1860s?

A. Running the blacking warehouse
B. Public readings of his works
C. Editing The Daily News
D. Touring Europe

B. Public readings of his works

His dramatic public performances were immensely popular but were also physically and emotionally exhausting.

32. A series of readings in which country sped Dickens’s decline?

A. France
B. America
C. Italy
D. Scotland

B. America

An extensive and grueling reading tour in America left him in poor health from which he never fully recovered.

33. When did Charles Dickens die?

A. February 7, 1812
B. May 1, 1869
C. June 9, 1870
D. December 25, 1870

C. June 9, 1870

He died of a stroke at the age of 58, leaving his final novel, *The Mystery of Edwin Drood*, unfinished.

34. Where was Charles Dickens buried?

A. Poet’s Corner of Westminster Abbey
B. Portsmouth Cathedral
C. Gad’s Hill
D. London’s Royal Cemetery

A. Poet’s Corner of Westminster Abbey

Despite his wish for a private burial, he was given a national honor and interred in the famous London abbey.

35. In terms of fame, Dickens is considered second only to whom among English writers?

A. William Wordsworth
B. Jane Austen
C. William Shakespeare
D. Thomas Carlyle

C. William Shakespeare

His enduring popularity and vast cast of memorable characters place him second only to Shakespeare in English literature.

36. What were two of Dickens’s earlier jobs that provided him with knowledge?

A. Teacher and doctor
B. Law clerk and court reporter
C. Factory worker and soldier
D. Actor and stage manager

B. Law clerk and court reporter

These jobs gave him intimate knowledge of London’s legal world, which he often criticized in his novels.

37. What did Dickens’s writing provide a sympathetic chronicle of?

A. The plight of the aristocracy
B. The plight of the urban poor in nineteenth-century England
C. The history of Parliament
D. The wealth of factory owners

B. The plight of the urban poor in nineteenth-century England

His novels are famous for their vivid and compassionate portrayal of the struggles of the poor in Victorian cities.

38. The influx of urban workers in Dickens’s novels was associated with what?

A. The Age of Enlightenment
B. The Renaissance
C. The Industrial Revolution
D. The Agricultural Revolution

C. The Industrial Revolution

Dickens’s novels capture the massive social changes and urban poverty created by the Industrial Revolution.

39. Who was the actress Dickens fell in love with, leading to his separation?

A. Lucie Manette
B. Ellen Ternan
C. Catherine Hogarth
D. Maria Beadnell

B. Ellen Ternan

His relationship with the young actress Ellen Ternan was a major factor in the breakdown of his marriage.

40. The love triangle in The Frozen Deep became the basis for which novel?

A. Great Expectations
B. David Copperfield
C. A Tale of Two Cities
D. Oliver Twist

C. A Tale of Two Cities

The plot of self-sacrifice for a rival in love was directly inspired by the play he acted in.

41. Which novel was Dickens’s only historical fiction before A Tale of Two Cities?

A. Nicholas Nickleby
B. Barnaby Rudge
C. Dombey and Son
D. Little Dorrit

B. Barnaby Rudge

*Barnaby Rudge*, set during the Gordon Riots of 1780, was his first major attempt at a historical novel.

42. A Tale of Two Cities showed Dickens in transition before writing which two later novels?

A. Sketches by “Boz” and The Pickwick Papers
B. Great Expectations and Our Mutual Friend
C. Oliver Twist and A Christmas Carol
D. Martin Chuzzlewit and Bleak House

B. Great Expectations and Our Mutual Friend

This novel marks a shift towards the more complex and psychologically deep novels of his late career.

43. In which town did Dickens spend his happiest childhood years?

A. London
B. Portsmouth
C. Chatham
D. Dover

C. Chatham

His time in Chatham, before his family’s financial troubles, was a period of relative stability and happiness.

44. Which character in David Copperfield dramatizes his father’s failings?

A. Bill Sikes
B. Mr. Micawber
C. Fagin
D. Sydney Carton

B. Mr. Micawber

The financially troubled but ever-optimistic Mr. Micawber is a famous and affectionate caricature of his own father.

45. Dickens resented his mother for wanting him to stay at work where?

A. At his law clerk job
B. In the blacking warehouse
C. As a court reporter
D. At the Naval Pay office

B. In the blacking warehouse

He never forgave his mother for wanting him to continue working at the factory after his father was released from prison.

46. Dickens’s rejection by Maria Beadnell is reflected in David Copperfield’s adoration of whom?

A. Lucie Manette
B. Dora Spenlow
C. Catherine Hogarth
D. Little Nell

B. Dora Spenlow

David’s youthful and impractical love for the charming but childish Dora mirrors Dickens’s own frustrating early romance.

47. What did Dickens write in 1836, besides novels?

A. Two historical novels
B. Two plays and a pamphlet
C. Two scholarly articles
D. Three short stories

B. Two plays and a pamphlet

In addition to his fiction, Dickens was also active in the theatre and wrote non-fiction on social issues.

48. What type of novel did Dickens attempt with Barnaby Rudge?

A. Comic satire
B. Picaresque novel
C. Historical novel
D. Romance novel

C. Historical novel

This was his first attempt at the genre, preceding the more famous *A Tale of Two Cities*.

49. What innovation did Oliver Twist contribute to English fiction?

A. A focus on purely factual education
B. An occasion for pathos and social criticism
C. A means of elevating the aristocracy
D. A focus on the joys of city life

B. An occasion for pathos and social criticism

*Oliver Twist* was groundbreaking for using the story of a poor orphan to criticize social institutions like the workhouse.

50. Who was the illustrator for Sketches by “Boz” and Oliver Twist?

A. “Phiz” (Hablot K. Browne)
B. George Cruikshank
C. Thomas Carlyle
D. Wilkie Collins

B. George Cruikshank

Cruikshank’s famous illustrations helped create the iconic images of characters like Fagin and the Artful Dodger.

Martin Chuzzlewit MCQs

1. From whom did the Chuzzlewit family undoubtedly descend in a direct line?

A. William the Conqueror
B. Adam and Eve
C. Diggory Chuzzlewit
D. Lord No Zoo

B. Adam and Eve.

The novel opens with this satirical claim, suggesting that the family’s defining trait, selfishness, is a universal human flaw inherited from the very beginning.

2. What great event in English history was a Chuzzlewit associated with?

A. The War of the Roses
B. The Norman Invasion
C. The Gunpowder Plot
D. The Great Fire of London

C. The Gunpowder Plot.

This absurd ancestral claim, linking the family to both Guy Fawkes and his accusers, adds to the satirical genealogy that lampoons family pride.

3. What was Mr. Pecksniff’s profession?

A. Doctor and surveyor
B. Architect and land surveyor
C. Lawyer and builder
D. Priest and teacher

B. Architect and land surveyor.

Pecksniff’s profession is ironic; he teaches architecture but produces no original work, stealing his pupils’ designs instead, symbolizing his fraudulent nature.

4. Who was the youth described as coming shortly to join Mr. Pecksniff’s establishment for an architectural education?

A. Tom Pinch
B. Jonas Chuzzlewit
C. Martin Chuzzlewit (Jr.)
D. John Westlock

C. Martin Chuzzlewit (Jr.).

The arrival of the novel’s protagonist at the house of its main antagonist sets the primary plot in motion.

5. Who was the former pupil that Mr. Pinch defended, noting his “little difference” with Mr. Pecksniff?

A. Martin Chuzzlewit
B. Montague Tigg
C. John Westlock
D. Chevy Slyme

C. John Westlock.

Westlock is the first character to see through Pecksniff’s hypocrisy, and his departure serves as an early warning that Tom Pinch fails to heed.

6. What was the name of the Inn where the sick gentleman was staying?

A. The Half Moon and Seven Stars
B. The Griffin
C. The Blue Dragon
D. Todgers’s

C. The Blue Dragon.

The Blue Dragon, run by the kindly Mrs. Lupin, serves as a central hub for the novel’s events and a symbol of warmth and community.

7. What was the “peculiarity” of the gentleman named Slyme, according to Mr. Tigg?

A. He was perpetually round the corner
B. He wrote philosophical articles
C. He was extremely wealthy
D. He was a great artist

A. He was perpetually round the corner.

This memorable description perfectly captures the character of Chevy Slyme, a man of great but perpetually unrealized expectations and potential.

8. What organization were the Chuzzlewit family members said to be making a “union” against?

A. The gentleman with the dark lantern
B. The Spottletoes
C. The common enemy (the favorite/stranger)
D. Montague Tigg

C. The common enemy (the favorite/stranger).

The only thing that can unite the selfish Chuzzlewit clan is their shared, paranoid belief that a stranger (Mary Graham) might usurp their inheritance.

9. What action was described as the whole family sitting down before the Blue Dragon to perform?

A. Eating a feast
B. Formally investing it (a state of siege)
C. Writing letters of appeal
D. Holding a prayer service

B. Formally investing it (a state of siege).

This military metaphor humorously depicts the greedy relatives laying siege to the inn where Old Martin lies ill, each hoping to be named heir.

10. What dramatic news did Mr. Spottletoe gasp out regarding Old Martin Chuzzlewit?

A. He had left them a fortune
B. He had disappeared/gone
C. He was dying immediately
D. He had married the stranger

B. He had disappeared/gone.

Old Martin’s sudden departure thwarts the family’s greedy plans and officially begins his elaborate scheme to test their characters.

11. What quality did Pecksniff’s horse share with his master, according to slanderers?

A. Always going to go, but never going (full of promise, no performance)
B. Extreme modesty
C. A handsome figure
D. Stubbornness

A. Always going to go, but never going (full of promise, no performance).

This famous analogy perfectly encapsulates Pecksniff’s character: he is a man of grand moral pronouncements and architectural promises, yet he achieves nothing.

12. What was Tom Pinch’s customary mood when talking about Mr. Pecksniff?

A. Anger
B. Tears of gratitude
C. Sarcastic wit
D. Indifference

B. Tears of gratitude.

Tom’s unwavering, tearful gratitude highlights his innocence and complete delusion regarding Pecksniff’s true nature, making his eventual disillusionment more powerful.

13. What did Mark Tapley call Mrs. Lupin upon seeing her in the bar?

A. The Queen of England
B. The very pink and pine-apple
C. The strong-minded woman
D. The sweetest and best of women

B. The very pink and pine-apple.

This is a characteristic expression of admiration from Mark, who feels that his comfortable life with the excellent Mrs. Lupin offers no “credit” for being jolly.

14. What did Jonas Chuzzlewit advise Mr. Pecksniff to ask his father to be excused for?

A. Being a bully
B. Having a cold on his chest
C. Snoring too loudly
D. Dying so quickly

B. Having a cold on his chest.

This casual, callous remark about his father’s health is an early and stark indicator of Jonas’s brutal and unfeeling selfishness.

15. What gift did Tom Pinch pin inside the turned-down leaf of Martin’s book?

A. A bank note for twenty pounds
B. The address of Mary Graham
C. A half-sovereign
D. A letter of recommendation

C. A half-sovereign.

This small, secret act of generosity is typical of Tom Pinch’s selfless character, giving what little he has to help Martin.

16. Who was Martin surprised to find himself travelling with, waiting at the coach?

A. Mark Tapley
B. Tom Pinch
C. Anthony Chuzzlewit
D. Montague Tigg

A. Mark Tapley.

The cheerful Mark Tapley’s decision to accompany the selfish Martin to America provides the novel with its central companionship and moral foil.

17. What was the name of the “war correspondent” and associate of Colonel Diver?

A. La Fayette Kettle
B. Elijah Pogram
C. Major Pawkins
D. Jefferson Brick

D. Jefferson Brick.

The self-important young Jefferson Brick is a key figure in Dickens’s sharp satire of the boastful and sensationalist American press.

18. What settlement were Martin and Mark traveling to, known for its “awful lovely” location?

A. New York
B. New Thermopylae
C. Eden
D. Massachusetts

C. Eden.

The ironically named “Eden” is in fact a deadly, swampy, and uninhabited wasteland, the site of the fraudulent land deal that ruins Martin.

19. What did the agent Mr. Scadder immediately produce when Martin enquired about Eden?

A. A list of rich residents
B. Maps and plans
C. A rifle
D. A shovel

B. Maps and plans.

The beautifully drawn but entirely fictional maps are the primary tool of the Eden land scam, representing the deceptive gap between American promise and reality.

20. What animal did General Choke denounce in his letter, claiming its “rampant cruelty” afflicted the world?

A. The American Eagle
B. The British Lion
C. The White Ant
D. The Wild Irish Bull

B. The British Lion.

This denunciation is part of the satire on American Anglophobia, where public figures gain popularity by fiercely criticizing the former colonial power.

21. What did Martin resolve to do regarding his former conduct upon leaving Eden?

A. Write a book about America
B. Not be a bad scholar to Mark’s advice
C. Return to England in disgrace
D. Challenge Pecksniff to a duel

B. Not be a bad scholar to Mark’s advice.

This resolution marks the turning point in Martin’s character. Humbled by sickness and failure, he finally recognizes his own selfishness and Mark’s virtue.

22. After Anthony Chuzzlewit’s death, what phrase did Jonas take for his motto regarding funeral expenses?

A. Save where you can
B. Spend, and spare not!
C. Silence is golden
D. Filial piety

B. Spend, and spare not!.

Jonas’s motto is deeply cynical; he spends lavishly on the funeral not out of grief, but to create a public image of a sorrowful, wealthy son.

23. What was Mrs. Gamp’s profession?

A. Undertaker
B. Midwife/nurse
C. Inn hostess
D. Coal merchant

B. Midwife/nurse.

Mrs. Gamp is one of Dickens’s most famous comic creations, a notoriously incompetent and drunken nurse whose ramblings satirize the medical practices of the time.

24. What name did Mrs. Gamp frequently cite as her good friend?

A. Mrs. Prig
B. Mrs. Lupin
C. Mrs. Mould
D. Mrs. Harris

D. Mrs. Harris.

The fictional Mrs. Harris is Mrs. Gamp’s constant companion in conversation, an imaginary friend whose opinions always conveniently match and praise Mrs. Gamp’s own.

25. What did Mrs. Gamp always request be left on the chimney-piece for her?

A. A copy of a paper
B. A glass of water
C. The bottle of liquor
D. A new blanket

C. The bottle of liquor.

This constant request for gin (“the bottle on the chimley-piece”) is a running gag that underscores Mrs. Gamp’s unreliability and love of drink.

26. What was the name of the insurance company Montague Tigg and David Crimple founded?

A. The London Life and Loan
B. The Anglo-Bengalee Disinterested Loan and Life Insurance Company
C. The Golden Ball Investment Firm
D. The Chuzzlewit Family Assurance

B. The Anglo-Bengalee Disinterested Loan and Life Insurance Company.

The company’s absurdly long and virtuous-sounding name is a satirical jab at the fraudulent investment schemes that were common in the era.

27. What was the peculiar profession/role of Mr. Nadgett?

A. Chairman of the Board
B. Underwriter
C. Investigator/spy (the man who made enquiries)
D. Medical officer

C. Investigator/spy (the man who made enquiries).

The quiet, secretive Mr. Nadgett functions as a private detective, gathering the information that ultimately leads to the downfall of Jonas Chuzzlewit.

28. What did the old man Anthony Chuzzlewit give to Mr. Pecksniff, almost with his latest breath, to remember?

A. A large sum of money
B. A caution regarding Jonas
C. A warning about Tigg
D. Advice about Charity

B. A caution regarding Jonas.

Anthony’s deathbed warning to Pecksniff adds to the suspense surrounding Jonas’s character and hints at his son’s villainous nature.

29. Which daughter did Jonas eventually marry?

A. Mercy
B. Charity
C. The deaf cousin
D. Mrs. Lupin’s niece

A. Mercy.

Jonas cruelly chooses the lively Mercy (Merry) over the sour Charity, whom he initially courted, setting the stage for his abusive and tragic marriage.

30. What did Jonas use as an analogy for his determination to crush his wife’s spirit?

A. Breaking nutshells
B. Killing an enemy
C. Taming a horse
D. Winning a fortune

A. Breaking nutshells.

This chillingly casual analogy reveals the depth of Jonas’s cruelty and his sadistic pleasure in systematically destroying his young wife’s joyful nature.

31. What shocking fact did Jonas learn from Montague that caused his face to change color?

A. Montague knew a secret about Jonas’s past
B. Tigg was cheating him financially
C. His wife was leaving him
D. The Anglo-Bengalee was bankrupt

A. Montague knew a secret about Jonas’s past.

Montague Tigg reveals that he knows about Jonas’s attempt to poison his father, a secret that gives him absolute power over Jonas and leads to the murder.

32. What was the name of the man who died, whose murder Jonas was apprehended for?

A. Anthony Chuzzlewit
B. Mr. Montague (Tigg)
C. Chevy Slyme
D. Mr. Mould

B. Mr. Montague (Tigg).

Driven by blackmail and hatred, Jonas murders Tigg in the woods, the central crime of the novel that ultimately leads to his own destruction.

33. What had Lewsome procured for Jonas, for which he was paid five pounds?

A. Poisonous drugs
B. A ticket to America
C. A forged letter
D. A false identity

A. Poisonous drugs.

Lewsome’s guilt-ridden confession about providing the poison Jonas intended for his father becomes a key piece of evidence in the investigation.

34. What did Anthony Chuzzlewit take into his possession after discovering Jonas’s intention to poison him?

A. The knife
B. The money
C. The mixture/drugs
D. A gun

C. The mixture/drugs.

This revelation, delivered by the old clerk Chuffey, proves Jonas’s guilt in intent, even if his father died of natural causes before he could act.

35. What was Anthony Chuzzlewit’s dying plea to Chuffey?

A. Get revenge
B. Keep quiet
C. Spare him, Chuff!
D. Tell the truth

C. Spare him, Chuff!.

Chuffey misinterpreted this plea, thinking Anthony was asking to be spared *from* Jonas, when in fact Anthony was begging Chuffey to spare Jonas from exposure.

36. How did Jonas attempt to stop his ears when Nadgett revealed the details of the murder?

A. By yelling loudly
B. By running away
C. With his fettered arms
D. By throwing nuts at them

C. With his fettered arms.

This image of Jonas, trapped and defeated, trying to block out the methodical recitation of his crimes, marks his complete and utter downfall.

37. When Tom left Pecksniff’s house, what did he miss most about Salisbury market?

A. The noise of fowls
B. The array of vegetables
C. A statue he had set up in his heart (of Pecksniff)
D. The bustling crowds

C. A statue he had set up in his heart (of Pecksniff).

This metaphor represents the shattering of Tom’s idealized image of Pecksniff. His disillusionment is the most significant event in his personal journey.

38. After his disappointment in Pecksniff, what piece of wisdom (upheld by poets) did Tom refrain from acting on?

A. Mistrusting all mánkind
B. Seeking vengeance immediately
C. Writing a novel
D. Returning home to Wiltshire

A. Mistrusting all mánkind.

Despite being deceived by Pecksniff, Tom’s inherent goodness prevents him from becoming cynical, and he chooses to continue seeing the good in the world.

39. What name was on the office door of Tom’s employer’s chambers, confusing John Westlock?

A. Mr. Fips, of Austin Friars
B. Martin Chuzzlewit
C. Mr. Slyme
D. Mr. Nadgett

A. Mr. Fips, of Austin Friars.

The mysterious “Mr. Fips” is an alias for Old Martin Chuzzlewit, who secretly employs Tom Pinch as part of his elaborate plan to observe events in London.

40. Upon returning to the Dragon, what did Martin tell Mrs. Lupin the less they spoke of, referring to America?

A. The cost of the trip
B. The experience
C. The country
D. The American people

C. The country.

Martin’s desire to avoid the topic reflects his deep shame and disillusionment with the America he experienced, a stark contrast to his earlier grand expectations.

41. When Martin (Sr.) confronted Pecksniff, what did Pecksniff call the assembled family members?

A. Allies
B. Vermin and swarmers
C. Gentle friends
D. Good people

B. Vermin and swarmers.

Having secured what he thinks is the entire inheritance, Pecksniff reveals his true contempt for the relatives he previously flattered.

42. What did Martin (Sr.) claim Pecksniff failed to do, confirming his servile nature, when Martin suggested disinheriting his grandson?

A. Offer one word of remonstrance
B. Demand money
C. Refuse the terms
D. Look him in the eye

A. Offer one word of remonstrance.

This was the final piece of Old Martin’s test. Pecksniff’s failure to defend Young Martin proved his hypocrisy and sealed his fate.

43. What final, highly emotional statement did Pecksniff make, regarding his burial, as he took his leave of Martin (Sr.)?

A. That he was without reproach
B. That he forgave Martin
C. That he would be revenged
D. That he was a victim

B. That he forgave Martin.

Even in total disgrace, Pecksniff maintains his hypocritical facade to the very end, casting himself as a benevolent victim and forgiving the man who exposed him.

44. What was the underlying “root of the vile tree” that old Martin sought to suppress in his final scheme?

A. Pride
B. Avarice
C. Self (selfishness)
D. Hypocrisy

C. Self (selfishness).

Old Martin explicitly states the novel’s central theme, admitting that his own actions were rooted in the same selfishness he condemned in his relatives.

45. What condition did Merry set for marrying Jonas, which she claimed she told him?

A. That she would hate and teaze him all her life
B. That he must give her all his money
C. That she would leave him in America
D. That he must apologize to her sister

A. That she would hate and teaze him all her life.

Merry’s thoughtless, flippant “condition” is tragically prophetic, as her light-hearted teasing turns into a life of misery under Jonas’s brutal control.

46. Who was the dismal young gentleman engaged to Miss Charity Pecksniff?

A. Mr. Moddle
B. Mr. Jinkins
C. Mr. George Chuzzlewit
D. John Westlock

A. Mr. Moddle.

The perpetually melancholic Augustus Moddle provides a comic subplot as the reluctant fiancé of the aggressive and unpleasant Charity.

47. Why did Martin (Sr.) allow Mary Graham to remain his companion, despite his general coldness to his grandson?

A. He felt pity and tenderness for her
B. She had nowhere else to go
C. She was his true relation
D. Pecksniff insisted on it

A. He felt pity and tenderness for her.

Mary’s gentle goodness is one of the few things that can penetrate Old Martin’s hardened heart, and she becomes his one true companion.

48. What news was revealed about Augustus Moddle just before his marriage to Charity?

A. He had run off to Van Diemen’s Land
B. He had married Mercy instead
C. He was sick in bed
D. He inherited a fortune

A. He had run off to Van Diemen’s Land.

Mr. Moddle’s escape from his impending marriage provides a humiliating and comic comeuppance for the perpetually sour Charity Pecksniff.

49. What was the symbolic change regarding Tom Pinch’s harpsichord that indicated Mary Graham’s influence?

A. He bought a new one
B. It was sold for money
C. An incorrigible note was fixed
D. He stopped playing it

C. An incorrigible note was fixed.

This small detail symbolizes how Mary’s presence brings harmony and completeness to Tom’s life, even though his romantic love for her remains unfulfilled.

50. What did Martin (Jr.) and Ruth begin doing for Tom Pinch after learning his secret sorrow?

A. They bought him a select library and built him an organ
B. They offered him money
C. They took him travelling
D. They hired him a servant

A. They bought him a select library and built him an organ.

The novel concludes with Tom finding quiet contentment, surrounded by the love of his friends and his passions for books and music, a peaceful end for the story’s moral hero.