The Man of the Crowd MCQs
1. What is the opening quote of the story, attributed to La Bruyère?
A. The man who seeks solitude often finds despair.
B. Ce grand malheur, de ne pouvoir être seul.
C. The essence of all crime is undivulged.
D. It does not permit itself to be read.
2. The German book mentioned at the beginning is described by what phrase?
A. ‘es lasst sich nicht verstehen’
B. ‘es lasst sich nicht lesen’
C. ‘das Geheimnis des Verbrechens’
D. ‘die schrecklichen Mysterien’
3. According to the narrator, what is the essence of all crime?
A. Greed
B. Violence
C. It is undivulged
D. Despair of heart
4. Where was the narrator sitting when the story began?
A. At a bow window of a London Coffee House
B. In a dimly lit tavern in Paris
C. At a window overlooking Broadway
D. In a bustling bazaar
5. What was the narrator’s physical state at the beginning of the story?
A. Seriously ill
B. Recently convalescent
C. Suffering from ennui
D. In robust health
6. The narrator describes his current happy mood as the precise converse of what negative state?
A. Malice
B. Despair
C. Ennui
D. Horror
7. When the intellect is “electrified,” it surpasses its everyday condition just as the vivid reason of Leibnitz surpasses the rhetoric of whom?
A. Retszch
B. Gorgias
C. La Bruyère
D. Tertullian
8. What was the narrator doing before becoming absorbed in the street scene?
A. Writing letters and conversing
B. Poring over ads and peering into the street
C. Studying the ceiling and drinking coffee
D. Reading a book on philosophy
9. How is the street outside the coffee house described regarding its nature?
A. Sparsely populated due to bad weather
B. One of the principal thoroughfares of the city
C. A narrow, little-used lane
D. Rapidly emptying as evening closed in
10. By the time the lamps were well lighted, the pedestrian traffic was described as:
A. A gentle river of people
B. Two dense and continuous tides of population
C. A scattered group of weary travellers
D. An orderly procession of citizens
11. What was the narrator’s initial approach to observing the passers-by?
A. Descending immediately to details
B. Focusing only on criminals
C. Looking at passengers in masses
D. Watching the swell pick-pockets
12. What characteristic marked the largest class of passers-by?
A. Gesticulating wildly and talking to themselves
B. Making their way through the crowd with knit brows
C. Bowing profusely when jostled
D. Wearing voluminous wristbands
13. The second numerous class observed was characterized by:
A. Calm, inquisitive interest
B. Wearing thick hose and gold chains
C. Restless movements, flushed faces, and talking to themselves
D. Abject humility and hawk eyes
14. If the restless class was impeded, how did they react?
A. They showed impatience
B. They cursed their impeders
C. Ceased muttering and awaited with an overdone smile
D. Adjusted their clothes and hurried on
15. What term is used to describe the general clothing of the two large classes?
A. Bon ton
B. Decent
C. Filthy and ragged
D. Dandies
16. The narrator defines the junior clerks as wearing:
A. The affectation of respectability
B. The cast-off graces of the gentry
C. Frogged coats and frowns
D. Only black or brown attire
17. What term does the narrator use for the characteristic carriage of junior clerks?
A. Bon ton
B. Deskism
C. Respectability
D. Excessive frankness
18. The manner of the junior clerks was a fac-simile of bon ton from when?
A. A day or two before
B. About six months before
C. Twelve or eighteen months before
D. Several years before
19. How were the ‘upper clerks of staunch firms’ typically known?
A. By tight coats and well-oiled hair
B. By black/brown coats, white cravats, and solid shoes
C. By voluminous wristbands
D. By long locks and smiles
20. What physical detail was noted about the right ears of the upper clerks?
A. They were covered by long locks
B. Their ears stood out from long use of pen-holding
C. They were adorned with heavy earrings
D. They were noticeably small
21. What objects worn by the upper clerks were of an ancient pattern?
A. Their gaiters
B. Their waistcoats
C. Their hats
D. Their watches and short gold chains
22. The narrator found it difficult to mistake swell pick-pockets for gentlemen due to what?
A. Their overly polite bowing
B. Their black, comfortable clothes
C. Their voluminous wristbands and excessive frankness
D. Their frogged coats
23. What physical trait distinguished the gamblers?
A. A bright, clear eye
B. Swarthy complexion, dim eyes, and pale, compressed lips
C. A ruddy complexion and solid shoes
D. Long locks and smiles
24. What are the two specific mannerisms by which the narrator could always detect gamblers?
A. Wearing gilt chains and filigreed buttons
B. Walking with a firm, springy step
C. A low tone and an unusual extension of the thumb
D. Gesticulating rapidly and adjusting clothing
25. The gentlemen who live by their wits are said to prey on the public in what two battalions?
A. Merchants and tradesmen
B. Eupatrids and commonplaces
C. Dandies and military men
D. Clerks and porters
26. What type of individual did the narrator observe with “hawk eyes flashing from countenances” of abject humility?
A. Gamblers
B. Upper clerks
C. Jew pedlars
D. Sturdy professional street beggars
27. What type of street person was described as “scowling upon mendicants of a better stamp”?
A. Jew pedlars
B. Feeble and ghastly invalids
C. Sturdy professional street beggars
D. Ragged artisans
28. The beautiful woman of the town reminded the narrator of a statue in Lucian with what description?
A. Adorned with emeralds and rubies
B. A surface of marble, interior filled with filth
C. Wasting away from illness
D. A perfect image of innocence
29. One group of drunkards was noted for having well-brushed clothing and what fearful facial features?
A. Thick sensual lips and rubicund faces
B. A bruised visage and lack-lustre eyes
C. Fearfully pale faces with wild, red eyes
D. Knit brows and quick-rolling eyes
30. The noisy vivacity of the lower classes had what effect on the narrator?
A. It filled him with joy.
B. It caused him to look away in boredom.
C. It jarred the ear and gave an aching sensation to the eye.
D. It made him reflective.
31. As the night deepened, how did the general character of the crowd alter?
A. Its gentler features retired and harsher ones emerged.
B. It became calmer and quieter.
C. The density increased exponentially.
D. Everyone retired quickly due to the fog.
32. The style of Tertullian is likened to what description of the scene’s lighting?
A. Vague and indistinct
B. Dark yet splendid, like ebony
C. Fitful and mournful
D. Natural daylight
33. What effect did the gas-lamps have on the overall scene?
A. They eliminated all shadows.
B. They threw a fitful and garish lustre.
C. They made the crowd seem less threatening.
D. They struggled against the increasing fog.
34. What did the narrator feel he could frequently read in a brief glance at individual faces?
A. The person’s immediate destination
B. The history of long years
C. The contents of their pockets
D. Their current profession
35. What was the approximate age of the decrepit old man who arrested the narrator’s attention?
A. About fifty
B. Sixty-five or seventy
C. Over ninety
D. Less than sixty
36. What quality defined the old man’s expression that absorbed the narrator?
A. Its absolute commonality
B. Its absolute idiosyncrasy
C. Its intense sadness
D. Its peacefulness
37. The narrator thought the artist Retszch would have preferred this face to what?
A. His paintings of the Christ
B. His own pictural incarnations of the fiend
C. His depictions of avarice
D. The statue in Lucian
38. The narrator’s initial analysis of the old man’s expression included what paradoxical combination of ideas?
A. Vast mental power, avarice, and despair
B. Joy, innocence, and humility
C. Quietude, contentment, and lack of ambition
D. Respectability, honour, and reason
39. What immediate action did the narrator take after analyzing the old man’s face?
A. He called the police.
B. He dismissed the man as a drunkard.
C. He put on an overcoat and pursued the man.
D. He wrote down a description.
40. What was noted about the old man’s size and apparent strength?
A. Tall, muscular, and robust
B. Short, very thin, and apparently feeble
C. Bulky, with a strong, springy step
D. Medium height and weight
41. What detail about the old man’s attire suggested past wealth?
A. His gloves were immaculate
B. His hat was new
C. His linen was of beautiful texture
D. His boots were bright and well-oiled
42. What two objects did the narrator glimpse through a rent in the old man’s cloak?
A. A book and a pen
B. A diamond and a dagger
C. A gun and a wad of money
D. A map and a lantern
43. What weather change occurred soon after the pursuit began?
A. A heavy blizzard
B. The sun broke through
C. A thick fog was followed by heavy rain
D. A strong wind began to blow
44. When the old man passed into a cross street, how did his demeanor change?
A. He walked rapidly and purposefully.
B. He walked slowly, hesitatingly, and crossed the way without aim.
C. He stopped to talk to people.
D. His eyes ceased to roll wildly.
45. Upon reaching a brilliantly lighted square, what surprising action did the old man take?
A. He entered a church.
B. He retraced his steps, repeating the walk several times.
C. He suddenly spoke to the narrator.
D. He darted down a people-less alley.
46. What allowed the narrator to follow the old man in the bazaar without being noticed?
A. He wore caoutchouc over-shoes, allowing silent movement.
B. The old man was preoccupied with shopping.
C. The thick fog obscured his presence.
D. The sheer density of the crowd.
47. How did the old man react when a shop-keeper jostled him?
A. He became angry and shouted.
B. He shuddered and ran into the street with incredible swiftness.
C. He bowed profusely.
D. He stopped to purchase an object.
48. After the old man threw himself into the crowd near a theatre, what happened to the agony on his face?
A. It increased tenfold.
B. It remained the same.
C. It had, in some measure, abated.
D. He fainted from exhaustion.
49. Where did the relentless pursuit ultimately lead the narrator near daybreak?
A. Back to the D—- Coffee House
B. To a noisome quarter of London and a Gin Palace
C. To a deserted cemetery
D. To the old man’s family residence
50. What final conclusion did the narrator draw about the old man?
A. He was a common thief destined for the gallows.
B. He was merely a lost invalid, too old to be followed.
C. He is the genius of deep crime, the man of the crowd.
D. He was an undercover officer whose deeds could not be revealed.