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 Pickwick Papers MCQs

1. Which of the following is the first novel written by Charles Dickens, published in 1836–1837?

A. Oliver Twist
B. David Copperfield
C. Great Expectations
D. The Pickwick Papers

D. The Pickwick Papers.
This serial was Dickens’s first full-length work and established his international popularity.

2. The earliest history of the immortal Pickwick’s public career is derived from the perusal of an entry in the Transactions of which group?

A. The Royal Society
B. The Pickwick Club
C. The Scientific Union
D. The Literary Guild

B. The Pickwick Club.
The novel is presented as the papers of the club’s founder, Samuel Pickwick.

3. What scientific theory did Mr. Pickwick agitate the world with?

A. The Theory of Relativity
B. The Theory of Light
C. The Theory of Tittlebats
D. The Theory of Optics

C. The Theory of Tittlebats.
His inquiry into the “common Pickwickian Tittlebat” established his status as a pseudo-scientist.

4. Who is described as the “too susceptible” member of the Pickwick Club, whose ruling passion is the admiration of the fair sex?

A. Mr. Pickwick
B. Mr. Snodgrass
C. Mr. Tracy Tupman
D. Mr. Winkle

C. Mr. Tracy Tupman.
Mr. Tupman perpetually seeks romantic adventures despite his age and figure.

5. Who is the “poetic” member of the Pickwick Club?

A. Mr. Tracy Tupman
B. Mr. Snodgrass
C. Mr. Winkle
D. Mr. Pickwick

B. Mr. Snodgrass.
Augustus Snodgrass is designated the group’s poet, though he rarely writes any poetry.

6. Who is the “sporting” member of the Pickwick Club?

A. Mr. Winkle
B. Mr. Tupman
C. Mr. Snodgrass
D. Mr. Pickwick

A. Mr. Winkle.
Nathaniel Winkle claims to be an expert sportsman, yet is comically inept at every athletic activity.

7. What kind of garment, when worn by Mr. Pickwick, is said to have “inspired involuntary awe and respect”?

A. Tights and gaiters
B. Black silk waistcoat
C. Mysterious blue cloak
D. New green shooting-coat

A. Tights and gaiters.
This attire, along with his spectacles, defines Mr. Pickwick’s characteristic and respectable look.

8. What specific ancient object did Mr. Pickwick ‘discover’ that caused the club to vote him a pair of gold spectacles?

A. A Roman coin
B. A stone with a partially legible inscription
C. A Greek amphora
D. A parchment map

B. A stone with a partially legible inscription.
The inscription was later deciphered as “BILLE STUMPS HIS MARK,” satirizing antiquarian societies.

9. Who was the Pickwickian that called Mr. Pickwick a “humbug” during the debate?

A. Mr. Snodgrass
B. Mr. Winkle
C. Mr. Tupman
D. Mr. Blotton (of Aldgate)

D. Mr. Blotton (of Aldgate).
Mr. Blotton challenged Mr. Pickwick’s integrity, but the club affirmed its confidence in their founder.

10. Why did the cabman believe Mr. Pickwick was an informer?

A. Pickwick tried to run away.
B. Pickwick was recording notes in a book.
C. Pickwick was wearing a blue cloak.
D. Pickwick refused to pay the fare.

B. Pickwick was recording notes in a book.
The cabman mistakenly assumed Pickwick’s scientific note-taking was a record of his license number.

11. Who intervened to terminate the affray between the Pickwickians and the mob near the cab?

A. A policeman
B. A tall, thin, young man in a green coat
C. The cabman’s master
D. Mr. Snodgrass

B. A tall, thin, young man in a green coat.
This dramatic entrance introduces the pivotal character, the cunning trickster Mr. Alfred Jingle.

12. What was the name of the tall, thin, young man in the green coat who emerged from the coach-yard?

A. Mr. Tupman
B. Mr. Winkle
C. Mr. Jingle
D. Mr. Snodgrass

C. Mr. Jingle.
Alfred Jingle is recognizable by his eccentric, broken-English manner of speaking.

13. What letters were inscribed on the gilt button of the bright blue dress-coat that Mr. Winkle was wearing?

A. T. T.
B. P. P.
C. P. C.
D. W. W.

C. P. C.
The letters stand for Pickwick Club. This distinctive livery is mistaken for a military coat.

14. Why did Mr. Winkle accept the challenge to a duel?

A. He felt bound to maintain the honour of his coat/uniform.
B. He was an expert sportsman eager for a fight.
C. He was intoxicated and confused.
D. He wanted to impress the ladies.

A. He felt bound to maintain the honour of his coat/uniform.
Despite his fear, Winkle felt compelled by the societal code of gentlemanly honour.

15. Who was the fat and red-faced boy sitting on the box of the barouche?

A. Joe, the dispenser of the hamper contents
B. Mr. Wardle’s son
C. The post-boy
D. A relative of Mr. Tupman

A. Joe, the dispenser of the hamper contents.
Joe, the fat boy, is a famous comic figure whose existence centers on sleeping and eating.

16. Who was supposed to ride a horse, which he struggled to mount, when the party left the inn for Manor Farm?

A. Mr. Tupman
B. Mr. Snodgrass
C. Mr. Pickwick
D. Mr. Nathaniel Winkle

D. Mr. Nathaniel Winkle.
Winkle, the purported sportsman, fails repeatedly to mount his horse, cementing the running joke about his ineptitude.

17. When Mr. Winkle was having trouble mounting the horse, what did the post-boy whisper to the waiter?

A. The horse was too tall.
B. The gentleman was getting up on the wrong side.
C. The gentleman was afraid.
D. The saddle was loose.

B. The gentleman was getting up on the wrong side.
The observation confirms Winkle’s total inexperience, hilariously exposing his social pretensions.

18. Which member of the Wardle family did Mr. Jingle run away with from Manor Farm?

A. Miss Wardle
B. Mrs. Wardle (the mother)
C. Rachael, the spinster aunt
D. Emily Wardle

C. Rachael, the spinster aunt.
Jingle targets Miss Rachael because she is wealthy and emotionally vulnerable, revealing his mercenary character.

19. What was the name of Mr. Wardle’s lawyer?

A. Dodson
B. Fogg
C. Perker
D. Snubbin

C. Perker.
Mr. Perker, a shrewd London attorney, assists Mr. Pickwick and Mr. Wardle in tracking down Jingle.

20. What action was Mrs. Bardell engaged in when she fainted in Mr. Pickwick’s arms, just before his friends entered?

A. She was attempting to serve him tea.
B. She was clinging to him.
C. She was dusting the room.
D. She was reading the resolutions.

B. She was clinging to him.
Mrs. Bardell, misunderstanding Pickwick as proposing marriage, faints dramatically, creating the lawsuit’s false evidence.

21. Who immediately followed Master Bardell into the room just as Mrs. Bardell fainted in Mr. Pickwick’s arms?

A. Mr. Jingle
B. Mr. Wardle and Mr. Trundle
C. Mr. Tupman, Mr. Winkle, and Mr. Snodgrass
D. Messrs. Dodson and Fogg

C. Mr. Tupman, Mr. Winkle, and Mr. Snodgrass.
Their unexpected entrance made them key “witnesses” to the compromising scene, fueling the later lawsuit.

22. What was Sam Weller’s job before becoming Mr. Pickwick’s servant?

A. Boots
B. Vaginer’s boy
C. Coachman
D. Pieman

A. Boots.
Sam worked as a boots (shoe cleaner) at the White Hart Inn, where Pickwick first encountered his wit.

23. What type of establishment did Sam’s father get a marriage licence at, after being persuaded by a “touter”?

A. A church in Paul’s Churchyard
B. The Commons (Doctors’ Commons)
C. The Marquis of Granby
D. Gray’s Inn

B. The Commons (Doctors’ Commons).
Mr. Weller Senior’s account provides a humorous critique of the marriage business.

24. Where did Mr. Pickwick wake up after drinking cold punch and falling asleep during the shooting trip?

A. In the inn
B. In the pound
C. In a hay cart
D. Under a tree

B. In the pound.
Mistaken for a drunk vagrant, Mr. Pickwick was placed in the village pound, an enclosure for stray animals.

25. Who is the sanctimonious and hypocritical clergyman that Mr. Weller Senior is connected to?

A. Rev. Mr. Melchisedech
B. Rev. Dr. Slammer
C. Rev. Mr. Stiggins
D. Rev. Mr. Walker

C. Rev. Mr. Stiggins.
Mr. Stiggins, a drinker and hypocrite, is the main object of Sam Weller’s father’s comical satire.

26. What were the two main political parties in the town of Eatanswill?

A. Whig and Tory
B. Blue and Buff
C. Conservative and Liberal
D. Democrat and Federalist

B. Blue and Buff.
The fictional Blue and Buff parties satirize the intense rivalry and corruption of 19th-century British elections.

27. Who were the two candidates running in the Eatanswill election?

A. Mr. Perker and Mr. Pott
B. Mr. Pickwick and Mr. Winkle
C. Mr. Horatio Fizkin and Honourable Samuel Slumkey
D. Mr. Snodgrass and Mr. Tupman

C. Mr. Horatio Fizkin and Honourable Samuel Slumkey.
Slumkey (Blue) and Fizkin (Buff) are the candidates whose campaign tactics epitomize the ridiculous election.

28. Who was the editor of the Eatanswill Gazette?

A. Mr. Fizkin
B. Mr. Perker
C. Mr. Pott
D. Mr. Slumkey

C. Mr. Pott.
Mr. Pott is the bombastic editor of the Blue party’s paper, satirizing the partisan political press.

29. What type of action was the famous lawsuit of Bardell against Pickwick?

A. Libel
B. Breach of promise of marriage
C. Assault and battery
D. Criminal conspiracy

B. Breach of promise of marriage.
The lawsuit forms the major plot conflict, driving Mr. Pickwick’s later imprisonment and moral stand.

30. What was the name of the pompous, self-important Queen’s Counsel who handled Mrs. Bardell’s case?

A. Mr. Serjeant Snubbin
B. Mr. Serjeant Buzfuz
C. Mr. Serjeant Bumple
D. Mr. Serjeant Flowery

B. Mr. Serjeant Buzfuz.
Serjeant Buzfuz is famous for his ludicrously dramatic speech misinterpreting Pickwick’s innocent notes.

31. What did Serjeant Buzfuz interpret Pickwick’s note about “chops and tomato sauce” to mean?

A. A secret meeting place
B. A declaration of undying love and passionate feasting
C. A plan to run away
D. A code for transferring property

B. A declaration of undying love and passionate feasting.
This farcical misinterpretation of an ordinary note demonstrates the absurd manipulation of evidence.

32. What was the verdict in the case of Bardell v. Pickwick?

A. For the Defendant
B. For the Plaintiff, damages of 750 pounds
C. For the Plaintiff, damages of 50 pounds
D. For the Plaintiff, damages of 1000 pounds

B. For the Plaintiff, damages of 750 pounds.
The large damages amount solidifies the injustice, as Pickwick resolutely refuses to pay this baseless claim.

33. What was the name of the prison where Mr. Pickwick was confined after refusing to pay the damages to Mrs. Bardell?

A. Newgate Prison
B. The Fleet Prison
C. Marshalsea Prison
D. Coldbath Fields Prison

B. The Fleet Prison.
The Fleet Prison is the setting for the novel’s most somber and socially critical chapters.

34. Who did Mr. Pickwick unexpectedly find also imprisoned in the Fleet?

A. Mr. Wardle
B. Alfred Jingle and Job Trotter
C. Sam Weller’s father
D. Dodson and Fogg

B. Alfred Jingle and Job Trotter.
Finding Jingle in extreme poverty leads to an act of compassion and moral redemption.

35. What did Sam Weller do to join Mr. Pickwick in the Fleet Prison?

A. He was arrested for an assault charge.
B. He feigned an illness and got himself committed.
C. He arrested himself for a fictitious debt.
D. He became a prison warden.

C. He arrested himself for a fictitious debt.
Sam’s loyal act of self-imprisonment highlights his deep devotion to his master.

36. Why was Mrs. Bardell finally imprisoned in the Fleet?

A. She was arrested for fraud.
B. She refused to pay the costs of her own case to Dodson and Fogg.
C. She was caught stealing from Mr. Pickwick.
D. She failed to appear in court.

B. She refused to pay the costs of her own case to Dodson and Fogg.
Her imprisonment reveals the cruelty of the system, as her own lawyers betray her to extract fees.

37. What final amount did Mr. Pickwick pay to secure both his own release and Mrs. Bardell’s release from the Fleet?

A. Dodson and Fogg’s legal costs
B. The original 750 pounds damages
C. The total sum of damages plus all costs
D. Only the debt owed by Sam Weller

A. Dodson and Fogg’s legal costs.
Pickwick pays the lawyers’ costs to release Mrs. Bardell, ending the debacle on his own terms.

38. What happened to the Pickwick Club at the very end of the novel?

A. It disbanded immediately.
B. It continued its explorations without Mr. Pickwick.
C. It was dissolved, and the members retired from public life.
D. It merged with the Royal Society.

C. It was dissolved, and the members retired from public life.
Mr. Pickwick dissolves the Club to devote himself to a quieter, domestic life with his friends.

39. What was the Pickwickian that called Mr. Pickwick a “humbug” during the debate?

A. Mr. Snodgrass
B. Mr. Winkle
C. Mr. Tupman
D. Mr. Blotton (of Aldgate)

D. Mr. Blotton (of Aldgate).
Mr. Blotton publicly challenged Mr. Pickwick’s integrity regarding his antiquarian discovery.

40. What did the Pickwick Club vote to give Mr. Pickwick in token of their confidence and approbation after the Blotton affair?

A. A gold watch
B. A silver inkstand
C. A pair of gold spectacles
D. A bronze bust

C. A pair of gold spectacles.
The spectacles symbolized the club’s renewed faith in Mr. Pickwick’s “clear-sightedness” after the dispute.

41. What happened immediately after the firing ceased at the military review?

A. The regiments packed up and left.
B. The half-dozen regiments charged with fixed bayonets.
C. The commander-in-chief congratulated the men.
D. Mr. Pickwick fainted.

B. The half-dozen regiments charged with fixed bayonets.
The sudden charge caused widespread panic, leading directly to the accidental assault on Mr. Pickwick.

42. What position were the soles of Mr. Pickwick’s boots elevated to after the military charge?

A. Resting on a bench
B. Elevated in air
C. Hidden in the mud
D. Running away quickly

B. Elevated in air.
This visual description of Pickwick being knocked heels-over-head is an iconic piece of slapstick comedy.

43. Who was left at home in charge of the females while Mr. Pickwick, Mr. Winkle, and Mr. Snodgrass went to the cricket match?

A. Mr. Wardle
B. Mr. Tupman
C. Mr. Trundle
D. The clergyman

B. Mr. Tupman.
Tupman, valuing romance over sport, chose to stay behind to advance his flirtatious agenda.

44. The cricket match featured the Dingley Dell Club against which other town?

A. Eatanswill
B. Rochester
C. Muggleton
D. Dorking

C. Muggleton.
The match between Dingley Dell and All-Muggleton depicts the lively and chaotic sporting culture of the time.

45. Who did the Pickwickians meet in the tent at the cricket match, whom they had previously met on the Rochester coach?

A. Mr. Tupman
B. Mr. Jingle (the green-coated friend)
C. Mr. Wardle
D. Mr. Miller

B. Mr. Jingle (the green-coated friend).
Jingle’s opportunistic reappearance proves he is following the Wardle family to execute his scheme.

46. What amount did Jingle finally demand as compensation for his expenses, breach of honour, and loss of the lady?

A. Seventy pounds
B. Eighty pounds
C. One hundred and twelve pounds
D. One hundred and fifty pounds

C. One hundred and twelve pounds.
Jingle successfully extorts this specific amount from the Wardle family, demonstrating his skill as a con artist.

47. What items did the crowd throw at Mr. Pickwick when he was in the pound?

A. Mud and stones
B. Turnip, potato, and egg
C. Apples and hops
D. Snowballs

B. Turnip, potato, and egg.
The vegetable and egg assault is the hilarious culmination of the farce, highlighting the mob mentality.

48. What scandalous act did the opposing party perform to prevent fourteen unpolled electors from voting the day before the election?

A. Bribed them with money
B. Locked them in a room
C. Hocussed their brandy-and-water
D. Stole their carriages.

C. Hocussed their brandy-and-water.
To “hocus” the voters meant to drug their drinks, a typical example of crude electoral manipulation.

49. What was the name of the unprincipled lawyer, or attorney, who took Sam Weller’s deposition?

A. Mr. Perker
B. Mr. Winkle
C. Mr. Lowten
D. Mr. Jackson

D. Mr. Jackson.
Mr. Jackson, from the firm of Dodson and Fogg, attempts to confuse Sam Weller but is met with his sharp wit.

50. What happened to the Pickwick Club at the very end of the novel?

A. It disbanded immediately.
B. It continued its explorations without Mr. Pickwick.
C. It was dissolved, and the members retired from public life.
D. It merged with the Royal Society.

C. It was dissolved, and the members retired from public life.
Mr. Pickwick dissolves the Club to devote himself to a quieter, domestic life with his friends.

Brief Overview

The Pickwick Papers, written by Charles Dickens and published in 1836, follows the adventures of Mr. Samuel Pickwick, a kind and curious gentleman. He travels across England with his friends Mr. Tupman, Mr. Snodgrass, and Mr. Winkle to study human behavior.

Their innocent intentions often lead them into humorous misunderstandings and curious situations, making their journey both entertaining and unpredictable. Along the way, they meet Sam Weller, a witty and loyal servant who becomes Mr. Pickwick’s trusted companion.

Through these comedic episodes, Dickens presents a vivid picture of English society, using satire to highlight foolishness and social flaws. Despite the light-hearted tone, the novel explores themes such as friendship, kindness, honesty, and moral responsibility.

As Mr. Pickwick faces challenges, he grows more understanding and compassionate toward others. The story ends with reconciliation and happiness, emphasizing the importance of loyalty and good-heartedness in human relationships.