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.

Great Expectations MCQs

1. What is Pip’s full family name?

A. Philip
B. Gargery
C. Pirrip
D. Wopsle

C. Pirrip.
He derived “Pip” from his family name, Pirrip, as it was all he could pronounce as an infant.

2. What is Pip’s Christian name?

A. Pirrip
B. Philip
C. Joe
D. Abel

B. Philip.
His Christian name was Philip, given to him in honour of his father.

3. Who married Joe Gargery, the blacksmith?

A. Georgiana
B. Miss Havisham
C. Miss Estella
D. Pip’s sister

D. Pip’s sister.
His much older sister, Mrs. Joe, raised Pip “by hand” after their parents’ death.

4. Pip’s idea of his father came from what object?

A. His mother’s description
B. His tombstone
C. An old portrait
D. Joe’s stories

B. His tombstone.
As an orphan, Pip’s only idea of his parents came from the lettering on their graves.

5. What inscription described Pip’s mother?

A. Late of this parish
B. Also Georgiana Wife of the Above
C. Beloved wife
D. Rest in peace

B. Also Georgiana Wife of the Above.
This inscription led Pip to conclude his mother was “freckled and sickly.”

6. How many little brothers did Pip have, commemorated by lozenges?

A. Three
B. Four
C. Five
D. Six

C. Five.
The five small stone lozenges near his parents’ graves represented his deceased brothers.

7. What did the convict ask Pip if he knew the meaning of?

A. A file and food
B. A gun and money
C. Prison and freedom
D. Church and sin

A. A file and food.
The convict, Magwitch, demanded Pip bring him “wittles” (food) and a file to remove his leg-iron.

8. What expression did Mrs. Joe use to boast about raising Pip?

A. By the collar
B. By hand
C. By grace
D. By the book

B. By hand.
Mrs. Joe constantly reminded Pip she had raised him “by hand,” implying great personal sacrifice.

9. Joe Gargery was described as a Hercules in strength and also in what?

A. Temper
B. Weakness
C. Pride
D. Wit

B. Weakness.
Despite his physical strength, Joe was mild-mannered and submissive to his wife’s temper.

10. Where did Mrs. Joe say the firing of the warning gun came from?

A. The marshes
B. The village
C. The Hulks
D. The port

C. The Hulks.
The Hulks were prison-ships moored in the marshes, from which the convicts had escaped.

11. What were the Hulks defined as?

A. Prison-ships
B. Warships
C. Coastal towns
D. Swampy areas

A. Prison-ships.
These decommissioned ships were used as floating prisons, a grim reality of the 19th-century penal system.

12. What did Pip fear the young man wanted from him?

A. His money
B. His heart and liver
C. His file
D. His sister’s brandy

B. His heart and liver.
The convict terrified Pip by describing a “young man” who would tear out and eat his heart and liver.

13. What was Mr. Wopsle’s official role in the church?

A. The vicar
B. The clerk
C. The sexton
D. The warden

B. The clerk.
He was the church clerk, but he had ambitions of becoming a great tragic actor.

14. What animal did Uncle Pumblechook propose as a great moral text?

A. Lamb
B. Pork
C. Beef
D. Chicken

B. Pork.
Pumblechook pompously suggested the clergyman should have delivered a sermon on the “Prodigal” nature of pork.

15. What beverage did Mrs. Joe offer Uncle Pumblechook that made Pip fear exposure?

A. Beer
B. Wine
C. Brandy
D. Tar-water

C. Brandy.
Pip, having stolen brandy for the convict, was terrified when his sister offered it to Pumblechook.

16. Why did the sergeant prefer wine over Mrs. Joe’s brandy?

A. It was stronger
B. It was free
C. It contained no Tar
D. It was his Majesty’s health

C. It contained no Tar.
Pip had refilled the brandy bottle with tar-water, which Pumblechook drank by mistake.

17. What gesture did Pip use to assure his convict of his innocence?

A. He pointed
B. Moved his hands and shook his head
C. He smiled
D. He gave him a nod

B. Moved his hands and shook his head.
When the convict claimed he stole the food, Pip silently tried to signal that he was not the one who betrayed him.

18. Who kept the evening school in the village?

A. Mr. Wopsle’s great-aunt
B. Mrs. Joe
C. Biddy
D. Uncle Pumblechook

A. Mr. Wopsle’s great-aunt.
Pip received his rudimentary education at this chaotic evening school run by Mr. Wopsle’s eldérly relative.

19. What stopped Joe’s attempts at getting schooling as a child?

A. His father hammered them
B. He was awful dull
C. They had no money
D. His mother kept him home

A. His father hammered them.
Joe’s abusive, alcoholic father would beat him and his mother, preventing Joe from getting an education.

20. What fear motivated Joe to be lenient towards Pip and Mrs. Joe?

A. The fear of jail
B. The fear of his father
C. His mother slaving and breaking her heart
D. The fear of Mrs. Joe leaving

C. His mother slaving and breaking her heart.
Joe’s own childhood trauma made him protective of women, leading him to endure his wife’s temper.

21. What rumour was widely known about Miss Havisham?

A. She was generous
B. She lived in seclusion
C. She was married to a blacksmith
D. She was a great traveller

B. She lived in seclusion.
She was the eccentric, wealthy recluse who lived in Satis House and never saw the light of day.

22. What was Uncle Pumblechook’s supposed financial role related to Miss Havisham?

A. Her banker
B. Her tenant
C. Her agent
D. Her lawyer

B. Her tenant.
Pumblechook was the tenant of her property in town, a connection he used to gain access for Pip.

23. When did Miss Havisham’s watch and clock stop?

A. Quarter past seven
B. Twenty minutes to nine
C. Noon
D. Midnight

B. Twenty minutes to nine.
All clocks were stopped at this exact time, the moment she received the letter ending her wedding.

24. What did Miss Havisham say Estella could do to Pip?

A. Flatter him
B. Teach him
C. Break his heart
D. Entertain him

C. Break his heart.
Miss Havisham explicitly states her cruel intention of using Estella to exact revenge on the male sex.

25. What card game did Estella play with Pip?

A. Whist
B. Beggar my neighbour
C. Poker
D. Cribbage

B. Beggar my neighbour.
Estella playing this particular game symbolizes how she and Miss Havisham plan to ruin Pip emotionally.

26. Besides being pretty, what did Pip whisper that Estella was?

A. Very proud and very insulting
B. Very kind and gentle
C. Very wise and educated
D. Very shy and simple

A. Very proud and very insulting.
This was Pip’s honest assessment after Estella mocked his “coarse hands” and “thick boots.”

27. What description did Pip give Pumblechook of Miss Havisham?

A. Short and pale
B. Very tall and dark
C. Old and withered
D. Gentle and kind

B. Very tall and dark.
Ashamed of the truth, Pip lied and fabricated a completely false image of Miss Havisham.

28. Where did Pip claim Miss Havisham was sitting when he went in?

A. In her chair
B. In a black velvet coach
C. At the table
D. By the fire

B. In a black velvet coach.
This was one of the elaborate lies Pip told Pumblechook to satisfy his meddling curiosity.

29. What was the subject that Pip told Joe the lies had come of?

A. Joe’s low station
B. Estella calling him common
C. His sister’s temper
D. The convict’s needs

B. Estella calling him common.
This is the moment Pip confesses his new, deep-seated shame about his social class to Joe.

30. Joe said Pip must be a common scholar before becoming a …..?

A. Clever one
B. Good one
C. Uncommon one
D. Working one

C. Uncommon one.
Joe’s simple wisdom comforts Pip, explaining that everyone must start commonly before becoming “uncommon.”

31. What object did the strange man at the Jolly Bargemen carry that made Pip recognize him?

A. A knife
B. Joe’s file
C. A gun
D. A piece of bread

B. Joe’s file.
The man, a messenger from Magwitch, used the file to secretly identify himself to Pip.

32. What items did Mrs. Joe discover in the paper with the shilling?

A. A golden coin
B. Two One-Pound notes
C. A letter
D. A receipt

B. Two One-Pound notes.
The money, given by the stranger, was the first anonymous payment Pip received from Magwitch.

33. What did Estella do immediately after Pip said she was “Not so much” insulting this time?

A. She laughed
B. She slapped his face
C. She kissed him
D. She left the room

B. She slapped his face.
Her violent and unpredictable behavior continued to confuse and fascinate Pip.

34. What was the prominent object in the damp, dust-covered feast-chamber?

A. A broken coffin
B. A long table with a cloth spread on it
C. A chair and a desk
D. An old bed

B. A long table with a cloth spread on it.
The table was covered with the decaying remnants of her wedding feast, including the bride-cake.

35. What was the burden of the song Joe used to hum at the forge?

A. Old King Cole
B. Old Clem
C. Rule Britannia
D. The Blacksmith’s Song

B. Old Clem.
This song, a traditional blacksmith’s tune, represents the simple, honest life Pip begins to despise.

36. Who did Joe persistently address throughout the interview with Miss Havisham?

A. Estella
B. Miss Havisham
C. Pip
D. Mr. Pumblechook

C. Pip.
Too uncomfortable to address Miss Havisham directly, Joe spoke only to Pip, which embarrassed Pip greatly.

37. How much was the premium Pip earned at Miss Havisham’s?

A. Five shillings
B. Ten guineas
C. Five-and-twenty guineas
D. Forty pounds

C. Five-and-twenty guineas.
This payment bound Pip as Joe’s apprentice, seemingly ending his association with Satis House.

38. Biddy asked if Pip wanted to be a gentleman to spite Estella or to do what to her?

A. Impress her
B. Gain her over
C. Prove his worth
D. Rival her

B. Gain her over.
Biddy astutely identifies that Pip’s ambition is not for himself, but to win Estella’s approval.

39. The stranger had a large head, deep-set eyes, and even the smell of what on his hand?

A. Iron
B. Scented soap
C. Whiskey
D. Dust

B. Scented soap.
This detail of Jaggers, the lawyer, washing his hands obsessively, becomes a recurring motif.

40. What was the first stipulation given to Pip regarding his benefactor?

A. He must leave Joe
B. The name remains a profound secret
C. He must move to London
D. He must work at the bank

B. The name remains a profound secret
Jaggers informs Pip he is to be a gentleman of “great expectations” but must never know the source.

41. What relative of Miss Havisham did Mr. Jaggers suggest as Pip’s tutor?

A. Mr. Pumblechook
B. Mr. Matthew Pocket
C. Mr. Wopsle
D. Mr. Wemmick

B. Mr. Matthew Pocket.
This suggestion reinforces Pip’s mistaken belief that Miss Havisham is his benefactor.

42. What odd items, besides a pistol and sword, were on a shelf in Jaggers’s room?

A. Law books
B. Two dreadful casts of faces
C. Old hats
D. A golden bird

B. Two dreadful casts of faces.
These were the death masks of two of his most famous clients, symbolizing his dark profession.

43. What did Mr. Pocket do when domestic affliction was announced?

A. Put his hands in his disturbed hair and tried to lift himself up
B. Began shouting
C. Complained to the cook
D. Asked for help

A. Put his hands in his disturbed hair and tried to lift himself up.
Mr. Pocket’s habit of pulling his hair illustrates his frustration with his chaotic, mismanaged household.

44. What did Pip’s benefactor say his real name was?

A. Provis
B. Compeyson
C. Magwitch
D. Abel

C. Magwitch.
The convict’s reappearance, revealing his name as Magwitch (and Provis), shatters Pip’s illusions.

45. Miss Havisham asked Pip how much money was wanting to complete Herbert’s purchase?

A. Five hundred pounds
B. Seven hundred pounds
C. Nine hundred pounds
D. A thousand pounds

C. Nine hundred pounds.
Pip’s request for Herbert, an act of true generosity, prompts Miss Havisham’s first show of remorse.

46. What was the name of the woman convicted and acquitted of murder who was also Estella’s mother?

A. Miss Havisham
B. Molly
C. Miss Skiffins
D. Mrs. Joe

B. Molly.
Pip realizes that Jaggers’s housekeeper, Molly, is Estella’s mother, linking his two worlds.

47. What did Mr. Jaggers principally rest Molly’s case on for acquittal?

A. Her beauty
B. Her lack of motive
C. The improbabilities of her having been able to do it
D. The strength of her hands

C. The improbabilities of her having been able to do it.
Jaggers argued she was too small and weak, dressing her to hide the true, powerful nature of her hands.

48. What did Pip realize was Estella’s father?

A. Mr. Jaggers
B. Compeyson
C. Magwitch
D. Mr. Pumblechook

C. Magwitch.
Pip’s final discovery is that his benefactor is the father of the woman he loves.

49. Who was the other convict who betrayed Magwitch?

A. Provis
B. Arthur
C. Compeyson
D. Jaggers

C. Compeyson.
Compeyson was the second convict on the marshes and Magwitch’s lifelong mortal enemy.

50. What was Compeyson’s connection to Miss Havisham?

A. Her long-lost brother
B. Her former lover
C. Her lawyer
D. Her cousin

B. Her former lover.
Compeyson was the man who jilted Miss Havisham at the altar, ruining her life.

Brief Overview

Great Expectations tells the story of an orphan named Pip. He lives with his harsh sister and her kind husband, Joe, who is a blacksmith. Pip’s life changes after two key events.

He helps a scary escaped convict in a graveyard. He also starts visiting a strange, rich woman named Miss Havisham. Miss Havisham lives in a dark, decaying house and always wears her old wedding dress.

There, Pip meets Estella, her beautiful but cruel adopted daughter. Pip falls in love with her. Estella makes Pip ashamed of his “common” life and his work. Because of this, Pip desperately wants to become a gentleman, hoping to win Estella’s love.

One day, a lawyer announces Pip has a secret benefactor. He has been given a large fortune! Pip moves to London to begin his new life. He assumes Miss Havisham gave him the money. He spends time and makes new friends, but sadly, he neglects his oldest friend, Joe.

The book’s biggest twist comes when Pip learns the truth. His money did not come from Miss Havisham at all. It came from Magwitch, the very convict Pip helped as a boy.

Pip must then figure out what kind of man he truly wants to be. The story is about social class, love, and learning the difference between simple wealth and real goodness.