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.

The Mystery of Edwin Drood MCQs

1. Which novel is the last and unfinished work by Charles Dickens, published in 1870, the year of his death?

A. Bleak House
B. Hard Times
C. The Mystery of Edwin Drood
D. Our Mutual Friend

C. The Mystery of Edwin Drood.
This is Charles Dickens’s final and unfinished work. Its central mystery remains unsolved due to his death.

2. What intervenes between the eye and the Cathedral tower?

A. A spike of rusty iron
B. A flock of birds
C. A ship mast
D. A church spire

A. A spike of rusty iron.
A spike of rusty iron intervenes the Cathedral tower. This is the opium den setting, contrasting Eastern mystery with English church life.

3. What did the Sultan go by to his palace in long procession?

A. White elephants
B. Dancing-girls
C. Ten thousand scimitars
D. Cymbals

A. White elephants.
The spike was allegedly set for impaling Turkish robbers. This detail introduces the theme of Eastern violence and menace.

4. What did the woman describe the current opium market price as?

A. Extremely low
B. Dreffle high
C. Moderate
D. Variable

B. Dreffle high.
The woman says opium is “dreffle high.” This highlights the poverty and desperation of the London slum dwellers.

5. What animal, described as infinite in number, followed the dancing-girls?

A. Horses
B. White elephants
C. Camels
D. Tigers

B. White elephants.
The woman’s spasmodic movements are compared to fitful lightning. This suggests a dangerous, sudden violence lurking beneath the calm exterior.

6. What did the man sit in, holding tight, to get the better of the “unclean spirit of imitation”?

A. A wooden chair
B. A lean arm-chair
C. His bed
D. The floor

B. A lean arm-chair.
Jasper holds the lean arm-chair to better the spirit of imitation. This implies his attempts to repress his opium-induced thoughts.

7. Mr. Tope discreetly noted that Mr. Jasper’s breathing was so remarkably what?

A. Loud
B. Short
C. Fast
D. Deep

B. Short.
Mr. Tope noted that Jasper’s breathing was remarkably short. This is an early sign of Jasper’s concealed physical distress and addíction.

8. What two qualities crept over Mr. Jasper during his episode?

A. Anger and resentment
B. Dimness and giddiness
C. Strength and power
D. Sleep and confusion

B. Dimness and giddiness.
Dimness and giddiness crept over Jasper. This is the immediate effect of the opium wearing off, showing his double life.

9. What word did Mr. Tope shoot out as defying improvement?

A. Sick
B. DAZED
C. Confused
D. Fit

B. DAZED.
Mr. Tope says the word “DAZED” defies improvement. This light observation shows the contrast between Tope and Jasper’s suffering.

10. Mr. Crisparkle was lately “Coach” upon what type of high roads?

A. Legal
B. Pagan
C. Classical
D. Roman

B. Pagan.
Mr. Crisparkle was formerly “Coach” upon pagan high roads. This refers to his time as a university tutor of Classics.

11. To what position was Mr. Crisparkle promoted by a grateful patron?

A. Dean
B. Canon
C. Minor Canon
D. Verger

C. Minor Canon.
Mr. Crisparkle was promoted to Minor Canon. This shows his kind, moderate success within the church hierarchy.

12. What physical item did Mr. Jasper tell Edwin to pull off?

A. His greatcoat
B. His boots
C. His gloves
D. His scarf

B. His boots.
Mr. Jasper tells Edwin to pull off his boots. This highlights Jasper’s strange, hungry focus on Edwin.

13. What adjective, paired with “exacting,” described Mr. Jasper’s affection?

A. Devoted
B. Hungry
C. Watchful
D. Vague

B. Hungry.
Jasper’s affection is described as hungry and exacting. This suggests an unnatural, consuming desire bordering on obsession.

14. What two words were prohibited between Edwin and Jasper?

A. Brother and friend
B. Uncle and Nephew
C. Master and pupil
D. Eddy and Jack

B. Uncle and Nephew.
The words “Uncle and Nephew” were prohibited. This was to foster a closer, fraternal relationship, but masks Jasper’s resentment.

15. What two items were placed on the table after the dinner cloth was drawn?

A. Wine and cheese
B. Walnuts and sherry
C. Port and biscuits
D. Tea and coffee

B. Walnuts and sherry.
Walnuts and sherry were placed on the table. These items signify the start of a serious, intimate, and often tense conversation.

16. Edwin noted that Rosa could learn anything if she possessed what quality?

A. Will
B. Patience
C. Intelligence
D. Humility

A. Will.
Edwin notes Rosa could learn anything if she possessed will. This suggests Rosa’s spirit is willful but lacks directed purpose.

17. What phrase did Edwin use to describe the marriage arrangement?

A. Anticipation
B. Good fortune
C. Curse
D. Necessity

A. Anticipation.
Edwin describes the marriage arrangement as anticipation. This reveals his shallow and childish outlook on the fixed engagement.

18. What did Edwin complain of regarding the marriage arrangement?

A. It was too sudden
B. Being cut off from choice
C. The woman was ugly
D. The fathers’ interference

B. Being cut off from choice.
Edwin complains of being cut off from choice. This reveals his resentment of the fixed engagement arranged by their fathers.

19. What did Mr. Jasper say was grinding him away by the grain?

A. The cramped monotony of his existence
B. His guilt
C. His love for Rosa
D. The terrible weather

A. The cramped monotony of his existence.
Jasper says the cramped monotony of his existence is grinding him away. This justifies his secret opium addíction and crime.

20. What activity did Jasper say wretched monks would take up for relief?

A. Carving demons out of the stalls
B. Praying louder
C. Drinking wine
D. Sleeping

A. Carving demons out of the stalls.
Jasper notes monks carved demons out of stalls for relief. This mirrors his own hidden, demonic internal struggle.

21. What did Jasper say he might have to take to carving out of his heart?

A. Angels
B. Demons
C. Names
D. Prayers

B. Demons.
Jasper hints he may have to carve out demons from his heart. This reveals the intensity of his inner torment and hidden evil.

22. What sweet item did Rosa have in her mouth when greeting Edwin?

A. A lemon drop
B. An acidulated drop
C. A peppermint
D. A chocolate

B. An acidulated drop.
Rosa had an acidulated drop in her mouth. This detail highlights her slightly sharp, independent, and contradictory personality.

23. Rosa wanted to go to the shop that sold what kind of sweetmeat?

A. Arabian
B. Turkish
C. Greek
D. Indian

B. Turkish.
Rosa wanted Turkish sweetmeat. This exótic flavor contrasts with the dull, conservative English life of Cloisterham.

24. Rosa noted her imaginary tall rival must be what, due to her height?

A. Beautiful
B. Gawky
C. Clever
D. Elegant

B. Gawky.
Rosa describes her imaginary rival as gawky due to her height. This shows Rosa’s petty jealousy and playful nature.

25. What did the organ and choir sound out sublimely as Edwin and Rosa spoke?

A. A discordance
B. A solemn swell
C. A trumpet fanfare
D. A battle hymn

B. A solemn swell.
The solemn swell of the organ contrasts sharply with Edwin and Rosa’s trivial, conflicted conversation. This highlights the setting’s gravity.

26. What quality did Mr. Sapsea possess, besides being dull?

A. Portentous
B. Wealthy
C. Charitable
D. Wise

A. Portentous.
Mr. Sapsea is described as portentous besides being dull. His self-important dullness is a source of comedy and local power.

27. Mrs. Sapsea’s knowledge of the world never brought her acquainted with a Spirit more capable of doing what to him?

A. Loving him
B. Looking up to him
C. Following him
D. Guiding him

B. Looking up to him.
Mrs. Sapsea’s spirit was capable of looking up to Mr. Sapsea. This highlights Sapsea’s profound vanity and self-delusion.

28. What final command was written on Mrs. Sapsea’s monument inscription?

A. Stop and pray
B. Live humbly
C. With a blush retire
D. Ask thy question

C. With a blush retire.
The final command on the monument is a request to retire. This highlights Sapsea’s egotism, even regarding his dead wife’s memory.

29. What was Durdles’s primary occupation?

A. Stonemason
B. Architect
C. Auctioneer
D. Verger

A. Stonemason.
Durdles is the stonemason. His job connects him directly to the tombs, death, and the Cathedral’s ancient secrets.

30. With which part of the Cathedral was Durdles better acquainted than any living authority?

A. The great tower
B. The chancel
C. The crypt
D. The choir loft

C. The crypt.
Durdles was most acquainted with the crypt. This secret knowledge makes him crucial to the mystery of the grave.

31. Durdles often spoke of himself in what person?

A. First
B. Second
C. Third
D. Fifth

C. Third.
Durdles often spoke of himself in the third person. This eccentric habit highlights his isolation and oddity.

32. Durdles claimed to have a touch of what specific affliction?

A. Rheumatism
B. The fever
C. The Tombatism
D. Gout

C. The Tombatism.
Durdles claimed to have “The Tombatism.” This ailment is characteristic of his life spent among the dead and cold stones.

33. What did Mr. Jasper assent was a bitter cold place?

A. The crypt
B. The chancel
C. The Gate House
D. The Nuns’ House

B. The chancel.
Jasper assents that the chancel is cold. This is a subtle attempt to connect with Durdles and gain his confidence.

34. What did Durdles request from Mr. Sapsea to begin the monument inscription?

A. The money
B. The key
C. The drawing
D. More wine

B. The key.
Durdles requested the key from Mr. Sapsea. This highlights the stonemason’s essential role in the Cathedral’s monuments.

35. Mr. Crisparkle was doing what to assist his circulation in the morning?

A. Running by the river
B. Boxing at a looking-glass
C. Swimming in the weir
D. Lifting weights

B. Boxing at a looking-glass.
Mr. Crisparkle assisted his circulation by boxing at a looking-glass. This shows his energetic, practical nature.

36. What game did the Reverend Septimus wind up by getting his mother’s cap into?

A. A knot
B. A twist
C. Chancery
D. A drawer

C. Chancery.
Crisparkle wound up by getting his mother’s cap into Chancery. This symbolizes the chaotic and entangling nature of the law.

37. What did Mr. Crisparkle rub his ear vexedly over regarding Philanthropists?

A. Generous
B. Miscreant
C. Charity
D. Humble

B. Miscreant.
Mr. Crisparkle rubbed his ear over the word miscreant. This reflects his vexation at Mr. Honeythunder’s aggressive charity.

38. What violent action were Philanthropists “given to seizing their fellow-creatures by”?

A. The arm
B. The scruff of the neck
C. The hand
D. The throat

B. The scruff of the neck.
Philanthropists were given to seizing fellows by the scruff of the neck. This suggests the aggressive, domineering nature of their “charity.”

39. What did the passenger (Honeythunder) claim the driver was legally bound to provide for?

A. His master’s wealth
B. His fellow-man’s comfort
C. His own health
D. The horse’s safety

B. His fellow-man’s comfort.
The passenger demanded the driver provide for his fellow-man’s comfort. This illustrates Honeythunder’s loud, self-serving philanthropy.

40. What was the driver’s response to the offer of brotherhood?

A. Thankee, my mother was contented with myself
B. I already have brothers
C. I accept your offer
D. I refuse your card

A. Thankee, my mother was contented with myself.
The driver responded with this independent phrase. This highlights the clash between honest laborers and overbearing philanthropists.

41. Neville and Helena were described as being of almost what type?

A. Nordic
B. Gípsy
C. Turkish
D. English

B. Gípsy.
Neville and Helena were described as being of almost gípsy type. This highlights their foreign origins and passionate temperaments.

42. Neville and Helena Landless originated from where?

A. London
B. India
C. Ceylon
D. Africa

C. Ceylon.
Neville and Helena originated from Ceylon. Their exótic origin contributes to the general suspicion surrounding their behavior.

43. What violent emotion had Neville had to suppress since his earliest remembrance?

A. Deadly and bitter hatred
B. Fear of men
C. Love for Helena
D. Desire for wealth

A. Deadly and bitter hatred.
Neville suppressed deadly and bitter hatred. This emotion explains his intense, violent temper and passionate nature.

44. What type of man did Mr. Grewgious remark he was, as he was unfit for social spheres?

A. Angular man
B. Unnatural man
C. Chip
D. Bachelor

A. Angular man.
Mr. Grewgious remarks that he is an angular man. This describes his eccentric, isolated personality.

45. What did Neville suddenly ask if Edwin Drood read with Mr. Crisparkle?

A. History
B. Latin
C. Nothing
D. Engineering

C. Nothing.
Neville asked if Edwin read nothing. This was a subtle insult, highlighting Edwin’s lack of intellectual commitment.

46. What caused the rush and clattering of glasses in Jasper’s room?

A. Edwin’s anger
B. Neville throws the goblet down
C. Jasper is rushing in
D. The wind

B. Neville throws the goblet down.
Neville threw the goblet down, causing the clatter. This incident confirms his immediate, volatile hostility toward Edwin.

47. What did the cook say Neville ‘up’d’ with and threw at Edwin?

A. The chair
B. The table
C. Bottle, knife, fork, and decanter
D. His fist

C. Bottle, knife, fork, and decanter.
The cook claimed Neville threw these items. This dramatic exaggeration fuels the rumors of Neville’s violent temper.

48. What did Mr. Grewgious believe he was born as, instead of a bud?

A. A chip
B. A blockhead
C. A stone
D. A weed

A. A chip.
Mr. Grewgious believed he was born a chip, not a bud. This suggests his nature is hard, dry, and lacking vitality.

49. What was the clerk’s name who had written a tragedy?

A. Edwin Drood
B. Mr. Crisparkle
C. Bazzard
D. Mr. Grewgious

C. Bazzard.
Bazzard is the clerk who wrote a tragedy. This unused manuscript symbolizes his unfulfilled hopes and ambitions.

50. Who did Rosa say had made love to her, causing her to flee?

A. Edwin Drood
B. Mr. Grewgious
C. Her uncle
D. His uncle (Mr. Jasper)

D. His uncle (Mr. Jasper).
Rosa fled because his uncle, Mr. Jasper, had made love to her. This revelation exposes Jasper’s manipulative, abusive nature.

Brief Overview

The Mystery of Edwin Drood is the final novel by Charles Dickens. Sadly, Dickens died before he could finish the story. This leaves the central mystery of the book famously unsolved.

The story is set in the fictional cathedral town of Cloisterham. It focuses on a young man named Edwin Drood. Edwin is engaged to marry Rosa Bud, but their parents arranged their marriage, and they are not truly in love.

Edwin’s uncle is John Jasper, the cathedral choirmaster. Jasper seems respectable, but he lives a secret life as an opium addíct. He is also secretly and dangerously obsessed with Rosa Bud.

After Edwin and Rosa agree to end their engagement, Edwin disappears mysteriously. Suspicion immediately falls on Neville Landless, a newcomer who had argued with Edwin. Jasper, Edwin’s uncle, actively pushes the idea that Neville is the murderer.

The rest of the novel follows Jasper’s seeming hunt for the killer, though Jasper himself acts very suspiciously. A strange new detective named Datchery also appears in town to investigate.

Because Dickens died, readers never find out what really happened. No one knows if Edwin is truly dead, who the killer was, or what secrets Jasper was hiding.