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.

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 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, 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
Publishing novels in cheap monthly parts 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.

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 happy 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.

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 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 the novel.

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 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 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.

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 age 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 wishing for a private burial, he received a national honor 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 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 vividly and compassionately portrayed 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 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 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’s release.

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 love for the charming but childish Dora mirrors Dickens’s frustrating early romance.

47. 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.

48. 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 used the story of a poor orphan to criticize social institutions like the workhouse.

49. 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.

50. 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
Publishing novels in cheap monthly parts made them accessible to a huge audience.

Barnaby Rudge MCQs

1. In what year did the events described in Chapter 1 take place?

A. 1776
B. 1775
C. 1780
D. 1770

B. 1775.
The novel is set in 1775, five years before the Gordon Riots.

2. What is the name of the house of public entertainment on the borders of Epping Forest?

A. The Royal Standard
B. The Golden Key
C. The Maypole
D. The Red Lion

C. The Maypole.
The Maypole Inn is the central gathering place, symbolizing old English country life.

3. Who is the landlord of the Maypole Inn?

A. Joe Willet
B. Solomon Daisy
C. John Willet
D. Long Parkes

C. John Willet.
John Willet is the obstinate, dull landlord, representing the stagnation of the older generation.

4. Which crony of the Maypole was the parish-clerk?

A. Long Parkes
B. Tom Cobb
C. Solomon Daisy
D. Joe Willet

C. Solomon Daisy.
Solomon Daisy’s annual retelling of the murder mystery drives the initial plot’s sense of foreboding.

5. What did Solomon Daisy see when he was out that caused him to flee in terror?

A. The Maypole burning
B. The likeness of a murdered man
C. The assassin
D. A ghost

B. The likeness of a murdered man.
This refers to the murder of Reuben Haredale, which haunts the Maypole.

6. What was the large, old, red-brick mansion where Emma Haredale lived called?

A. Chigwell Hall
B. The Warren
C. Epping House
D. Carlisle House

B. The Warren.
The Warren is the Haredale family’s mansion, later destroyed during the riots.

7. What is the name of the locksmith?

A. Sim Tappertit
B. John Willet
C. Gabriel Varden
D. Reuben Rudge

C. Gabriel Varden.
Gabriel Varden is the honest locksmith, a key moral figure in the novel.

8. What was the name of the locksmith’s daughter?

A. Emma
B. Miggs
C. Dolly
D. Martha

C. Dolly.
Dolly Varden is the locksmith’s flirtatious daughter, a central love interest and symbol of beauty.

9. What book did Mrs. Varden rely on when she was at odds with her husband?

A. The Bible
B. The Protestant Manual
C. The Thunderer
D. The Pilgrim’s Progress

B. The Protestant Manual.
Mrs. Varden uses this book to oppose her husband, foreshadowing the anti-Catholic Gordon Riots.

10. What food did Mrs. Varden demand when she claimed to be ill from agitation?

A. Strong mixed tea and toast
B. Beef and ham cut thin
C. A and B
D. Nothing but water

C. A and B.
Mrs. Varden’s demand for strong tea and beef highlights her hypocrisy in feigning illness.

11. Who was the gentleman who used flattery and maxims delivered in a “charming voice”?

A. Joe Willet
B. Gabriel Varden
C. Mr. Chester
D. Hugh

C. Mr. Chester.
Mr. Chester is the master manipulator and antagonist, using polished manners to hide his villainy.

12. Sir John told Mrs. Varden that Edward was bound by duty and honour to do what?

A. Marry someone else
B. Join the army
C. Return to the Maypole
D. Apologise to her

A. Marry someone else.
Sir John sought to break Edward and Emma apart, falsely claiming Edward had other obligations.

13. Where did the ‘Prentice Knights secretly hold their meetings?

A. A dim, stuffy counting house
B. A cellar/vault below a tavern
C. The Golden Key attic
D. St. Dunstan’s Church

B. A cellar/vault below a tavern.
The secret cellar reflects the clandestine, radical nature of their political organization.

14. What did Simon Tappertit use as his symbol of authority as captain?

A. A broken sabre
B. A large key
C. A thigh-bone
D. A black flag

C. A thigh-bone.
Simon Tappertit uses a thigh-bone as a symbol, highlighting his absurd, self-important pretensions.

15. What task did Tappertit demand Gabriel Varden perform for the rioters at Newgate?

A. Write a letter
B. Pick the lock of the great door
C. Join the society
D. Forgive Sim

B. Pick the lock of the great door.
Tappertit demanded Varden pick the lock, as the locksmith’s skill was critical to the rioters.

16. What injuries did Sim Tappertit suffer during the riots?

A. Gunshot wounds and crushed legs
B. Severe burns
C. Loss of an arm
D. A beating from Hugh

A. Gunshot wounds and crushed legs.
Tappertit suffered gunshot wounds and crushed legs, effectively ending his foolish, criminal career.

17. What did Sir John compare his relationship with Edward’s mother to?

A. A great passion
B. A simple exchange of objects
C. A financial transaction
D. A holy union

C. A financial transaction.
Sir John compared his marriage to a financial transaction, revealing his cynical approach to relationships.

18. What kind of animal was Grip?

A. A parrot
B. A magpie
C. A raven
D. A dog

C. A raven.
Grip is Barnaby’s raven. The bird’s grotesque phrases provide comic relief and dark foreshadowing.

19. What mark did Barnaby clasp when he felt a physical manifestation of fear about the murder?

A. The sign of a cross
B. The mark upon his wrist
C. His mother’s hand
D. His throat

B. The mark upon his wrist.
Barnaby clasped the mark upon his wrist, a physical sign of his congenital weakness and fear.

20. What had the widow been an example of, according to Mr Haredale?

A. Piety and devotion
B. Patience and fortitude
C. Wealth and honour
D. Silence and respect

B. Patience and fortitude.
Mrs. Rudge showed immense patience and fortitude, bearing the secret of the murder alone.

21. What did the man in the hackney-coach give Barnaby?

A. Money
B. A blue cockade
C. A letter
D. A horse

B. A blue cockade.
Barnaby received a blue cockade, an item symbolizing his unwitting involvement in the riots.

22. Barnaby was sentenced to death for being involved in what riotous activity?

A. Destroying chapels
B. Attacking the Maypole
C. Breaking into Newgate
D. Leading the crowd

C. Breaking into Newgate.
Barnaby was sentenced to death for breaking into Newgate, his low intellect making him an easy target.

23. Barnaby was ultimately spared his fate due to whom?

A. Lord George Gordon
B. The locksmith and Mr Haredale
C. His mother
D. The hangman

B. The locksmith and Mr Haredale.
Barnaby was spared due to the locksmith and Mr. Haredale, showing humanity overcoming chaos.

24. Who did Hugh (the centaur) receive his orders and advice from?

A. Geoffrey Haredale
B. Lord George Gordon
C. Sir John Chester
D. John Willet

C. Sir John Chester.
Hugh received orders from Sir John Chester, the polished villain who manipulated him into action.

25. What was the profession of the man who joined Hugh and Tappertit in the riots?

A. A footpad
B. An executioner (hangman)
C. A bailiff
D. A farrier

B. An executioner (hangman).
Dennis, the hangman, joined the riots, a grotesque figure highlighting the perverse nature of the mob.

26. What did Dennis admire about Hugh, wishing he could apply his “professional emoluments” to it?

A. His strong arms
B. His throat/neck
C. His fighting spirit
D. His hatred of Papists

B. His throat/neck.
Dennis admired Hugh’s neck, a dark joke reflecting Dennis’s profession and Hugh’s eventual fate.

27. Hugh’s final speech, before his own death, expressed faith that which life would be spared?

A. His own
B. Dennis’s
C. Barnaby’s
D. Rudge’s

C. Barnaby’s.
Hugh’s final speech expressed faith that Barnaby’s life would be spared, showing his last act of compassion.

28. What was the fate of Dennis the hangman?

A. He escaped
B. He was pardoned
C. He was hanged
D. He was transported

C. He was hanged.
Dennis the hangman was eventually hanged, poetic justice showing the revolution consumed its own agents.

29. What colour distinguished the cockades worn by the Protestant Association?

A. Black
B. Red
C. Blue
D. White

C. Blue.
The cockades worn by the association were blue, which became the primary symbol of the Protestant rioters.

30. Who was the secretary to Lord George Gordon?

A. John Grueby
B. Mr. Haredale
C. Mr. Gashford
D. Sir John Chester

C. Mr. Gashford.
Mr. Gashford was Lord George Gordon’s secretary, a manipulative figure who fueled the riots.

31. What did Rudge’s wife say the crime (murder) had put its curse on?

A. The money
B. Their son, before his birth
C. Her father
D. Her religion

B. Their son, before his birth.
Rudge’s wife claimed the crime cursed their son before birth, linking the father’s sin to the son’s affliction.

32. Who was revealed to be Rudge, the murderer, living in Newgate?

A. The blind man
B. Barnaby’s father
C. Sir John Chester
D. The turnkey

B. Barnaby’s father.
Barnaby’s father was revealed to be the murderer Rudge, who had been hiding for years.

33. Who was the most astonished person when Dolly was kidnapped?

A. Simon Tappertit
B. Emma Haredale
C. Poor little Dolly
D. Hugh

C. Poor little Dolly.
Dolly was astonished by her own kidnapping, highlighting the confusing and sudden nature of the riots.

34. What was Joe Willet’s injury sustained in the wars?

A. He lost his arm
B. He lost his leg
C. He lost his eyesight
D. He lost his hearing

A. He lost his arm.
Joe Willet lost his arm in the wars, returning as a humble hero.

35. Who did Edward Chester marry?

A. Dolly Varden
B. Miss Miggs
C. Emma Haredale
D. Miss Wackles

C. Emma Haredale.
Edward Chester married Emma Haredale, symbolizing reconciliation and the triumph of sincere feeling.

36. What did John Willet say about the Maypole’s clock after the riots?

A. It was faster than ever.
B. It was “full two minutes” slow.
C. It had stopped completely.
D. It was the only thing that survived.

B. It was “full two minutes” slow.
This comment shows that even after the traumatic riots, John Willet remains comically dull and unchanged.

37. What was the fate of Sir John Chester?

A. He was killed in a duel by Mr. Haredale.
B. He became a respected politician.
C. He died in poverty.
D. He was imprisoned for his role in the riots.

A. He was killed in a duel by Mr. Haredale.
Mr. Haredale finally avenged his brother’s name by killing the manipulative Sir John Chester.

38. What happened to Mr. Haredale after the duel?

A. He was celebrated as a hero.
B. He retired to a monastery in Italy.
C. He married Mrs. Rudge.
D. He became the new landlord of the Maypole.

B. He retired to a monastery in Italy.
Devastated by the loss of his home and his niece’s marriage, Haredale renounced the world.

39. What happened to Lord George Gordon?

A. He was executed for treason.
B. He fled the country.
C. He was acquitted of high treason but later died in Newgate.
D. He became a celebrated Protestant hero.

C. He was acquitted of high treason but later died in Newgate.
Despite instigating the riots, he was acquitted, though he died in prison years later on other charges.

40. What was the final fate of Sim Tappertit?

A. He became a great political leader.
B. He was executed with Hugh.
C. He became a shoeblack, married a shrew, and lost his legs.
D. He married Dolly Varden.

C. He became a shoeblack, married a shrew, and lost his legs.
His grand ambitions ended in a pathetic, humbled state, a fitting end for his vanity.

41. What happened to Miss Miggs?

A. She married Sim Tappertit.
B. She became a jailer at a female prison.
C. She married Joe Willet.
D. She became Mrs. Varden’s loyal companion.

B. She became a jailer at a female prison.
After being rejected by all, the spiteful Miggs found a suitable role as a harsh prison turnkey.

42. Who became the landlord of the rebuilt Maypole Inn?

A. John Willet
B. Joe Willet
C. Solomon Daisy
D. Gabriel Varden

B. Joe Willet.
Joe returned from the war, married Dolly, and transformed the Maypole into a thriving, happy inn.

43. What happened to Grip the raven?

A. He was killed in the riots.
B. He died peacefully of old age.
C. He flew away and was never seen again.
D. He was stuffed and preserved after death.

D. He was stuffed and preserved after death.
Grip remained with Barnaby and, after a full life, was preserved as a memento.

44. What was the central historical event depicted in the novel?

A. The French Revolution
B. The American Revolution
C. The Gordon Riots
D. The Jacobite Rising

C. The Gordon Riots.
The novel uses the 1780 anti-Catholic Gordon Riots as its historical backdrop and central climax.

45. What was the secret ambition of Simon Tappertit?

A. To marry Dolly Varden
B. To become the King’s locksmith
C. To crush the nobility and become a dictator
D. To earn Gabriel Varden’s respect

C. To crush the nobility and become a dictator.
Sim’s grandiose fantasies of revolution were the driving force behind his ‘Prentice Knights society.

46. Who was the mysterious stranger who visited the Maypole 22 years ago?

A. Mr. Haredale
B. Sir John Chester
C. Rudge, Barnaby’s father
D. A highwayman

C. Rudge, Barnaby’s father.
The stranger was Rudge, who murdered Reuben Haredale and the gardener that same night.

47. What did the rioters burn that belonged to Mr. Haredale?

A. His stables
B. The Maypole Inn
C. His house, The Warren
D. His crops

C. His house, The Warren.
As a prominent Catholic, Mr. Haredale was a primary target, and his ancient home was completely destroyed.

48. What was the name of the hangman?

A. Hugh
B. Sim Tappertit
C. Ned Dennis
D. Gashford

C. Ned Dennis.
Dennis, the public executioner, gleefully joined the riots, seeing it as an extension of his work.

49. What did Sir John Chester have in his snuff-box?

A. Tobacco
B. A hidden miniature
C. A set of false teeth
D. Poison

C. A set of false teeth.
This detail adds to Chester’s character, revealing his charming exterior is built on artificiality.

50. Who was revealed to be Sir John Chester’s illegitimate son?

A. Barnaby Rudge
B. Hugh
C. Sim Tappertit
D. Joe Willet

B. Hugh.
It is revealed that Hugh, the saváge ostler of the Maypole, is Sir John’s abandoned son.

Brief Overview

Barnaby Rudge is a historical novel by Charles Dickens. It is set during the real-life Gordon Riots, which were violent anti-Catholic protests in London in 1780.

The story follows two main plots. The first is a mystery about an unsolved murder 22 years before the novel begins. The second follows the title character, Barnaby Rudge.

Barnaby is a simple, good-natured young man who is easily influenced. He lives with his caring mother and his clever talking raven, Grip. Barnaby gets swept up in the chaos of the riots, believing he is doing something important.

Other characters include the stubborn innkeeper John Willet, his son Joe, and Joe’s beloved, Dolly Varden. As the riots grow, the mob burns Newgate Prison and attacks the homes of Catholics, including the Haredale family.

The novel’s climax connects the two plots. The rioters are stopped, and the old murder mystery is finally solved, revealing a shocking connection to Barnaby’s own family.