Kate Chopin

Kate Chopin study question

A Pair of Silk Stockings
At Fault
The Awakening

 

Facts about Kate Chopin

➾ Her father fled Ireland in 1823 specifically to escape the prosecution experienced by Irish Catholics.

➾ Kate grew up bilingual in St. Louis, speaking both French and English due to her mother’s family extraction.

➾ Her father died in a train accident when she was five, which made her mother a rich widow virtually overnight.

➾ During the Civil War, Kate lived in St. Louis where her family owned slaves, and her half-brother died fighting for the Confederacy.

➾ On her wedding trip, she visited Paris briefly in 1870 as the city was preparing for a long siege during the Franco-Prussian War.

➾ Her husband, Oscar Chopin, joined the notorious White League, a Democratic group involved in a violent confrontation in New Orleans.

➾ After her husband died of malaria, Kate was left with an overwhelming financial debt and crippling depression, leading her to start writing fiction.

➾ Before she began writing fiction, she published a piece of music called the “Lilia Polka” in 1888.

➾ Critics widely condemned her novel The Awakening, calling it “morbid, vulgar, and disagreeable”.

➾ She wrote the story “The Storm” in 1898 but did not send it out to publishers, apparently due to its sexual content.

➾ Kate died in 1904 shortly after returning home on a very hot day from a visit to the famous St. Louis World’s Fair.

Kate Chopin MCQs

1. Kate Chopin was born in 1850 in which city and country?

A. New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
B. St. Louis, Missouri, USA
C. St. Louis, Missouri, France
D. County Galway, Ireland

B. St. Louis, Missouri, USA
She was born Katherine O’Flaherty in St. Louis, Missouri, on February 8, 1850.

2. Which work is considered Kate Chopin’s first published novel?

A. The Awakening
B. Bayou Folk
C. At Fault
D. Emancipation: A Life Fable

C. At Fault
Her first novel, At Fault, was published in 1890, initially at her own expense.

3. What was the title of Kate Chopin’s last published story, appearing posthumously in 1905?

A. The Storm
B. A Vocation and a Voice
C. Her First Party
D. A No-Account Creole

C. Her First Party
This story was published after her death in 1904.

4. Kate Chopin is primarily known for writing fiction that focuses on the lives of which demographic?

A. Wealthy Irish immigrants
B. Sensitive, intelligent women
C. French planters in Louisiana
D. Children living in St. Louis

B. Sensitive, intelligent women
Her work, especially The Awakening, explores the inner lives, constraints, and desires of women.
5. Which literary genre best describes the setting and style of her best-known short stories?

A. Gothic Romance
B. Stream of Consciousness
C. Local Color/Regionalism
D. Transcendentalism

C. Local Color/Regionalism
Her stories in collections like Bayou Folk vividly capture the dialects, customs, and environment of Louisiana Creoles and Acadians.

6. What was a common critique directed at her controversial novel, The Awakening?

A. Too focused on Irish history
B. Morbid, vulgar, and disagreeable
C. Lacking artistic merit
D. Overly religious in tone

B. Morbid, vulgar, and disagreeable
Critics at the time were shocked by its honest depiction of female adultery and existential searching, condemning it on moral grounds.

7. According to critic Per Seyersted, why did Kate Chopin “break new ground in American literature”?

A. She promoted Catholic theology.
B. She mastered the short story form.
C. She accepted passion as a legitimate subject.
D. She documented Civil War trauma.

C. She accepted passion as a legitimate subject.
Seyersted’s 1969 biography was key in re-establishing her reputation, highlighting her treatment of female sexuality and passion.

8. What was Kate Chopin’s birth name?

A. Eliza Faris
B. Katherine O’Flaherty
C. Athénaïse Charleville
D. Kitty Garasché

B. Katherine O’Flaherty
She became Kate Chopin after marrying Oscar Chopin.

9. Kate’s father, Thomas O’Flaherty, emigrated from which country to escape prosecution?

A. Germany
B. France
C. England
D. Ireland

D. Ireland
He was a successful businessman who came to the US from County Galway, Ireland.
10. Kate Chopin’s mother, Eliza O’Flaherty, was of what extraction?

A. Spanish
B. French
C. German
D. Creole

B. French
Her mother, Eliza Faris, was a member of the French-Creole community in St. Louis.

11. Which two languages did Kate grow up speaking, making her bilingual and bicultural?

A. Spanish and English
B. German and English
C. French and English
D. Latin and English

C. French and English
Her home environment, particularly her French-speaking mother and great-grandmother, made her fluent in both.

12. What specific tragedy happened when Kate was five years old?

A. Her mother passed away
B. Her father was killed in a train accident
C. The family house burned down
D. Her brother was captured in the Civil War

B. Her father was killed in a train accident
In 1855, her father died when a train bridge collapsed during its inaugural run.

13. What institution did Kate attend in St. Louis and form lifelong female bonds?

A. Academy of the Visitation
B. St. Louis University
C. Sacred Heart
D. Vocation and a Voice Academy

C. Sacred Heart
She attended the Academy of the Sacred Heart, where she formed close bonds with the nuns and her friend, Kitty Garasché.

14. Who served as early mentors to Kate as she was growing up?

A. Male family members and priests
B. Her mother, grandmother, great grandmother, and nuns
C. Only her husband and obstetrician
D. French writers like Guy de Maupassant

B. Her mother, grandmother, great grandmother, and nuns
After her father’s death, she was raised in a household dominated by three generations of independent, intelligent women.
15. Whom did Catherine O’Flaherty marry in 1870?

A. Thomas O’Flaherty
B. Dr. Frederick Kolbenheyer
C. Oscar Chopin
D. Robert McAlpin

C. Oscar Chopin
She married Oscar Chopin, the son of a prominent French-Creole family from Louisiana.

16. Where did the Chopins settle immediately after their wedding trip to Europe?

A. Cloutierville, Louisiana
B. Grand Isle, Gulf of Mexico
C. St. Louis, Missouri
D. New Orleans, Louisiana

D. New Orleans, Louisiana
They lived in New Orleans for the first nine years of their marriage.

17. What was Oscar Chopin’s business in New Orleans?

A. Running a small village store
B. Selling insurance
C. Cotton factor, dealing in commodities
D. Railroad operations

C. Cotton factor, dealing in commodities
He worked as a cotton factor, a type of broker in the cotton trade, a major industry in New Orleans.

18. How many children did Kate and Oscar Chopin have?

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

D. Six
Between 1871 and 1879, she gave birth to five sons and one daughter.

19. In what small French village did the Chopins move to in 1879 due to financial hardship?

A. Grand Isle
B. Natchitoches Parish
C. Cloutierville
D. Bayou Folk

C. Cloutierville
When Oscar’s business failed, they moved to his family’s property in Cloutierville, in Natchitoches Parish.
20. What was the cause of death for Kate Chopin’s husband, Oscar, in 1882?

A. A railroad accident
B. A confrontation with Republican Radicals
C. Malaria
D. Tuberculosis

C. Malaria
He died of what was likely malaria or swamp fever, leaving Kate a widow at 32 with six children and significant debt.

21. What two major events spurred Kate Chopin to begin writing fiction?

A. The loss of her home and her divorce
B. Her husband’s death and her mother’s death
C. The Civil War and her father’s death
D. Critical rejection of her third collection

B. Her husband’s death and her mother’s death
After Oscar’s death in 1882, she moved back to St. Louis. Her mother died shortly after, in 1885, plunging her into depression.

22. Who was the family friend and obstetrician who encouraged Kate Chopin to write?

A. Per Seyersted
B. Thomas O’Flaherty
C. Dr. Frederick Kolbenheyer
D. George Arms

C. Dr. Frederick Kolbenheyer
Dr. Kolbenheyer suggested writing as a way to cope with her grief and as a potential source of income.

23. Which French author is explicitly mentioned as an influence on Kate Chopin’s fiction writing?

A. Émile Zola
B. Edgar Degas
C. Guy de Maupassant
D. George Sand

C. Guy de Maupassant
She greatly admired his writing style, his objectivity, and his willingness to write about subjects not considered polite.

24. In what year did Kate Chopin’s first novel, At Fault, appear?

A. 1889
B. 1890
C. 1894
D. 1899

B. 1890
At Fault was published in 1890.
25. What was the central conflict explored by the character Thérèse Lafirme in At Fault?

A. The trauma of the Civil War
B. Reconciling her Catholic faith with love for a divorced man
C. Dealing with financial ruin and debt
D. Searching for her family’s Irish heritage

B. Reconciling her Catholic faith with love for a divorced man
The novel explores the tension between Thérèse’s strict Catholic beliefs, which forbid divorce, and her love for a man who is divorced.

26. Which of the following major magazines published Kate Chopin’s short stories?

A. The New Yorker
B. The Atlantic Monthly
C. Harper’s Bazaar
D. Scribner’s Magazine

B. The Atlantic Monthly
Her stories appeared in many prestigious national magazines, including Vogue, The Century, and The Atlantic Monthly.

27. Which story, written in 1892, focused on the tragic consequences of racial identity?

A. Ripe Figs
B. The Story of an Hour
C. Désirée’s Baby
D. A Respectable Woman

C. Désirée’s Baby
This famous story explores themes of racism, miscegenation, and hypocrisy in antebellum Louisiana.

28. Which short story collection, published in 1894, was a critical and public success?

A. A Night in Acadie
B. A Vocation and a Voice
C. Bayou Folk
D. At Fault

C. Bayou Folk
This collection of 23 stories established her national reputation as a leading local color writer.

29. What specific element of Bayou Folk did reviewers find pleasant and charming?

A. Its depiction of slavery
B. Its use of local dialects
C. Its adherence to conventional standards
D. Its modern urban setting

B. Its use of local dialects
Reviewers praised her accurate and charming portrayal of the unique dialects and customs of the Louisiana Creoles and Acadians.
30. Kate Chopin’s second published collection of short stories was called:

A. The Awakening
B. Bayou Folk
C. Lilacs and Letters
D. A Night in Acadie

D. A Night in Acadie
Published in 1897, this second collection continued her exploration of Louisiana life, though with slightly darker themes.

31. What is Kate Chopin’s most widely known and controversial novel?

A. At Fault
B. The Awakening
C. A Night in Acadie
D. Lourdes

B. The Awakening
Published in 1899, it is her masterpiece and the work that famously destroyed her career at the time.

32. When was The Awakening published, leading to widespread condemnation?

A. 1890
B. 1897
C. 1899
D. 1904

C. 1899
The novel was published in 1899 and was immediately attacked by critics for its perceived immorality.

33. Which famous 20th-century author labeled The Awakening “trite and sordid”?

A. Sandra Gilbert
B. Willa Cather
C. George Sand
D. Harriet Beecher Stowe

B. Willa Cather
In a review, Willa Cather, an otherwise progressive author, condemned the novel and its heroine, Edna Pontellier.

34. What specific event occurred regarding The Awakening at an Illinois Public Library in 1902?

A. It was purchased for the first time.
B. It was removed from open shelves.
C. It was translated into French.
D. It won a literary prize.

B. It was removed from open shelves.
The library in Evanston, Illinois, removed the book from its open stacks, reflecting its controversial reputation.
35. Which story did Chopin write in 1898 but did not send to publishers due to its sexual content?

A. A Pair of Silk Stockings
B. The Storm
C. The Story of an Hour
D. Athénaïse

B. The Storm
This story, a sequel to an earlier work, depicts a brief, happy adulterous affair and was not published until 1969.

36. When was Chopin’s proposed third collection, A Vocation and a Voice, finally published?

A. 1904
B. 1932
C. 1991
D. 1969

C. 1991
Following the hostile reception of The Awakening, her publisher cancelled this third collection, which was only published in 1991.

37. In an 1894 essay, Kate Chopin noted that “truth rests upon a shifting basis and is apt to be” what?

A. Absolutist
B. Conventional
C. Kaleidoscopic
D. Unchanging

C. Kaleidoscopic
This quote from her essay reflects her modern, nuanced view of morality and truth.

38. Chopin’s 1894 comment suggested that the highest art should depict human existence stripped of what veil?

A. Critical scrutiny
B. Financial instability
C. Ethical and conventional standards
D. Southern folklore

C. Ethical and conventional standards
She argued that fiction should explore human existence without being bound by the moral conventions of the time.

39. For which themes is Kate Chopin considered a pioneer?

A. War and patriotism
B. Existential authenticity and sexuality
C. Childhood development and education
D. Financial stability and business

B. Existential authenticity and sexuality
She was decades ahead of her time in exploring a woman’s search for self, apart from her roles as wife and mother, and her sexuality.
40. What was the name of the polka Kate Chopin wrote before she began her fiction career?

A. The Chopin Waltz
B. The Thomas Polka
C. The Lilia Polka
D. The New Orleans Rag

C. The Lilia Polka
She composed this piece, named for her daughter, early in her creative life.

41. After her death in 1904, what happened to Kate Chopin’s novels?

A. They were widely translated immediately.
B. They were mostly forgotten.
C. They became standard school texts.
D. They continued to receive harsh criticism.

B. They were mostly forgotten.
Due to the scandal of The Awakening, her work fell out of print and was largely ignored for decades.

42. When did a significant literary revival begin for Kate Chopin?

A. 1905
B. The 1930s
C. The 1950s
D. 1969

C. The 1950s
Critics in the 1950s began to reassess her work, but the major revival began in 1969.

43. The 1930s biography of Chopin praised her short fiction but dismissed The Awakening as what?

A. Groundbreaking
B. Brilliant
C. Unfortunate
D. Essential

C. Unfortunate
Daniel Rankin’s 1932 biography praised her local color stories but saw The Awakening as an unfortunate lapse in taste.

44. Which critic published the influential and sympathetic biography of Kate Chopin in 1969?

A. Emily Toth
B. Daniel Rankin
C. Per Seyersted
D. George Arms

C. Per Seyersted
Per Seyersted’s ‘Kate Chopin: A Critical Biography’ launched the modern revival of her work, especially* The Awakening*.
45. Since 1969, what is the dominant focus of most academic writing about Kate Chopin?

A. Historical analysis of Louisiana culture
B. Financial history of the 1890s
C. Feminist criticism and women’s positions
D. Biographical studies of her father

C. Feminist criticism and women’s positions
The rise of the women’s movement coincided with Seyersted’s biography, making her a key figure in feminist literary studies.

46. Which scholar published the most recent and influential biography, Unveiling Kate Chopin (1999)?

A. Margo Culley
B. Emily Toth
C. Janet Beer
D. Thomas Bonner, Jr.

B. Emily Toth
Emily Toth is considered the leading modern scholar on Chopin, and this biography is the most comprehensive.

47. According to George Arms, what approach did Kate Chopin take regarding extracting a final truth?

A. She insisted on a single moral truth.
B. She was unwilling to extract a final truth.
C. She always supported conventional truth.
D. She only presented abstract statements.

B. She was unwilling to extract a final truth.
This critical view highlights her modern approach of presenting life objectively, without imposing a simple moral lesson.

48. Which short story is noted for its sensitive depictions of women’s lives?

A. “The Lilia Polka”
B. “Emancipation: A Life Fable”
C. “The Story of an Hour”
D. “A Point at Issue!”

C. “The Story of an Hour”
This micro-story is one of her most famous, depicting a wife’s complex, forbidden joy upon hearing (incorrectly) of her husband’s death.

49. In what year did Kate Chopin die?

A. 1899
B. 1904
C. 1905
D. 1910

B. 1904
She died on August 22, 1904, in St. Louis.
50. What was the cause of Kate Chopin’s death in St. Louis?

A. Malaria
B. Train accident
C. Cerebral hemorrhage
D. Typhoid fever

C. Cerebral hemorrhage
She suffered a cerebral hemorrhage (a stroke) on August 20, 1904, after a day at the St. Louis World’s Fair, and died two days later.

The Awakening MCQs

The Awakening MCQs

1. What creature repeats “Allez vous-en” at the start?

A. A little dog
B. A green parrot
C. A tropical crane
D. Mr. Pontellier

B. A green parrot.
The annoying green and yellow parrot constantly repeats French phrases outside the door of the cage.

2. Where are the Lebrun cottages located?

A. New Orleans
B. Mississippi
C. Grande Terre
D. Grand Isle

D. Grand Isle.
Mr Pontellier is reading a day-old paper because Sunday papers had not yet reached Grand Isle.

3. What is Mr Pontellier’s approximate age?

A. Around twenty
B. About forty
C. Nearing sixty
D. Thirty years old

B. About forty.
Mr Pontellier is described as being a man who is forty years old and of medium height.

4. What were the Farival twins playing on the piano?

A. “Solitude” piece
B. An opera duet
C. A waltz tune
D. “The Awakening” song

B. An opera duet.
The Farival twins were playing a duet from the opera titled “Zampa” upon the piano.
5. Who is Mrs Pontellier accompanied by when returning from the beach?

A. Mr. Pontellier
B. Léonce’s father
C. Young Robert Lebrun
D. The quadroon nurse

C. Young Robert Lebrun.
Mrs Pontellier arrives at the cottage, accompanied by young Robert Lebrun, beneath a sunshade.

6. How does Mr Pontellier view his wife’s sunburn?

A. A sign of health
B. Damage to property
C. Proof of folly
D. An amusing sight

B. Property damage.
He views her as a valuable piece of personal property that has suffered damage from the sun.

7. Where does Mr Pontellier go for billiards?

A. The main house
B. Klein’s hotel
C. Chênière Caminada
D. Robert’s room

B. Klein’s hotel.
Mr Pontellier suggests he might go over to Klein’s hotel to play a game of billiards.

8. What colour are Mrs Pontellier’s eyes?

A. Deep blue
B. Yellowish brown
C. Bright green
D. Dark hazel

B. Yellowish brown.
Mrs Pontellier’s eyes are described as quick, bright, and having a yellowish-brown colour.

9. Why does Robert Lebrun smoke cigarettes?

A. He prefers them
B. He cannot afford cigars
C. Cigars are scarce
D. They are forbidden

B. He cannot afford cigars.
Robert explains that he smokes cigarettes because he says he cannot afford to purchase cigars.
10. What is Robert always intending to do in the autumn?

A. Start college
B. Go to Mexico
C. Open a shop
D. Visit Kentucky

B. Go to Mexico.
Robert spoke frequently of his plan to go to Mexico in the autumn, seeking fortune there.

11. What describes the feeling that caused Edna to weep late that night?

A. Joyful anticipation
B. Indescribable oppression
C. Physical exhaustion
D. Moral outrage

B. Indescribable oppression.
An indescribable oppression, generating in her consciousness, filled her entire being with vague anguish.

12. What did Mr Pontellier send Edna from New Orleans?

A. A dozen cigars
B. A box of friandises
C. A sketch pad
D. A gold thimble

B. A box of friandises.
A few days after Léonce left, a box filled with friandises, fruit, and bonbons arrived for Edna.

13. What is Adèle Ratignolle described as?

A. Not a mother-woman
B. A mother-woman
C. An ambitious artist
D. A self-contained person

B. A mother-woman.
Madame Ratignolle is characterised as the embodiment of charm and grace, prevailing as a “mother-woman”.

14. What garment was Adèle Ratignolle sewing?

A. A silk dress
B. A lawn skirt
C. Winter night-drawers
D. A tapestry

C. Winter night-drawers.
Madame Ratignolle was sewing upon a diminutive, heavily fashioned pair of winter night-drawers.
15. What characterises the Creole women’s conversations, shocking Edna?

A. Complete silence
B. Intense prudery
C. Freedom of expression
D. Lack of education

C. Freedom of expression.
Edna was shocked by the Creoles’ freedom of expression and overall absence of prudery in conversation.

16. What does Edna do to the sketch she made of Madame Ratignolle?

A. Frames it nicely
B. Rips it up
C. Draws a smudge across it
D. Gives it to Robert

C. Draws a smudge across it.
After surveying it, Edna drew a broad smudge of paint across the picture’s surface.

17. What theme does the voice of the sea represent for Edna?

A. Seduction and solitude
B. Danger and cold
C. Silence and fear
D. Commerce and travel

A. Seduction and solitude.
The voice of the sea is seductive, inviting the soul to wander in abysses of solitude and contemplation.

18. What influence most encourages Edna to loosen her reserve?

A. Léonce’s absence
B. Mademoiselle Reisz
C. Robert Lebrun
D. Adèle Ratignolle

D. Adèle Ratignolle.
The most obvious influence encouraging Edna to speak freely was the extreme candour of Adèle Ratignolle.

19. What term describes Edna’s innate tendency for emotional seclusion?

A. Outward conformity
B. A dual life
C. Vague anguish
D. Artistic aptitude

B. A dual life.
Edna had instinctively apprehended the “dual life”: outward conformity and questioning inward life.
20. Why did Edna marry Léonce Pontellier?

A. For great passion
B. Because of opposition
C. For shared interests
D. To gain property

B. Because of opposition.
She married Léonce due to the violent opposition from her father and sister to her marrying a Catholic.

21. Who warns Robert against taking Mrs Pontellier seriously?

A. Madame Lebrun
B. Adèle Ratignolle
C. Mr. Pontellier
D. Alcée Arobin

B. Adèle Ratignolle.
Adèle Ratignolle warns Robert to “Let Mrs Pontellier alone” because she fears Edna might take him seriously.

22. How does Robert react to the warning about Edna?

A. He is indifferent
B. He is relieved
C. He is annoyed
D. He agrees readily

C. He is annoyed.
Robert flushed with annoyance and sharply demanded why she shouldn’t take him seriously.

23. Where is Madame Lebrun’s room located?

A. Near the kitchen
B. Ground floor
C. Top of the house
D. The main parlour

C. Top of the house.
Madame Lebrun’s room is situated at the top of the house, looking out toward the Gulf.

24. What colours are the clothes of the Farival twins?

A. Yellow and green
B. Red and black
C. Blue and white
D. White and gold

C. Blue and white.
The Farival twins are always clad in the Virgin’s colours, which are described as blue and white.
25. What emotion does Mademoiselle Reisz’s playing first evoke in Edna?

A. Material pictures
B. Passion and tears
C. Boredom and fatigue
D. Artistic inspiration

B. Passion and tears.
The music aroused passions within her soul, and she trembled and was choked with tears.

26. What natural accomplishment does Edna achieve during the night swim?

A. Floating peacefully
B. Regaining the shore
C. Learning to swim
D. Finding a treasure

C. Learning to swim.
Edna suddenly realised her powers and learned to swim, feeling immense exultation and confidence.

27. What natural item does Edna refuse to give up, insisting on staying outside?

A. Her satin mules
B. The white shawl
C. The wicker rocker
D. The hammock

D. The hammock.
Edna settles more securely in the hammock, resisting Léonce’s commands to come inside.

28. What awakens in Edna during the silence with Robert in the hammock?

A. Deep fatigue
B. Throb of desire
C. Sudden anger
D. Fear of Léonce

B. Throb of desire.
The silence between them was pregnant with the first-felt throbbings of desire in Edna’s soul.

29. Who does Edna send to awaken Robert early the next morning?

A. Her husband
B. A little negro girl
C. Madame Lebrun
D. The quadroon nurse

B. A little negro girl.
Edna sends the little negro girl, who typically operates Madame Lebrun’s sewing machine, to awaken Robert.
30. What condition overcomes Edna during the church service?

A. Intense joy
B. Oppression and drowsiness
C. Profound faith
D. Extreme hunger

B. Oppression and drowsiness.
Edna feels an oppression and drowsiness, causing her head to ache, forcing her to leave the church.

31. Where does Robert take Edna to rest after she leaves the church?

A. Klein’s hotel
B. Grande Terre
C. Madame Antoine’s
D. The Lebrun house

C. Madame Antoine’s.
Robert leads Edna away from the stifling church atmosphere to rest at Madame Antoine’s cot.

32. How does Edna describe the feeling of resting alone in the strange bed?

A. Luxuriously restful
B. Cold and cramped
C. Full of anguish
D. Disappointingly strange

A. Luxuriously restful.
Edna stretched her tired limbs and found resting in the quaint bed felt luxurious and pleasing.

33. What song did Robert sing that haunted Edna’s memory?

A. “Zampa” duet
B. “The Impromptu”
C. “Ah! Si tu savais”
D. “The Poet and the Peasant”

C. “Ah! Si tu savais”.
As Edna waited for Léonce, she sang softly a little song Robert had sung: “Ah! Si tu savais”.

34. Why does Robert claim he is going to Mexico?

A. Financial prospects
B. Family emergency
C. To meet Montel
D. He always intended to

A. Financial prospects.
Robert cried out that he had been saying he was going to Mexico for years.
35. How does Edna react to Robert’s sudden departure for Mexico?

A. With happiness
B. With indifference
C. With bewilderment
D. With gentle sadness

C. With bewilderment.
When Edna hears the news, her face is a blank picture of bewilderment, and she is surprised.

36. What happens when Edna refuses to receive callers on Tuesday?

A. Léonce ignores it
B. Léonce praises her
C. Léonce is disturbed
D. Léonce cancels dinner

C. Léonce is disturbed.
Edna’s husband expresses genuine consternation upon learning she was “out” during her reception day.

37. What does Edna try to crush under her heel in a sweeping passion?

A. A glass vase
B. Her wedding ring
C. A statuette
D. A silk garment

B. Her wedding ring.
Edna seized a vase and flung it, then threw her wedding ring and stamped her heel upon it.

38. Who is Doctor Mandelet?

A. Léonce’s business partner
B. The family physician
C. A famous psychologist
D. Edna’s artistic tutor

B. The family physician.
Doctor Mandelet is identified as Mr Pontellier’s old friend and the family physician.

39. What does Léonce think is causing Edna’s odd behaviour?

A. Infidelity
B. Hereditary disease
C. Mental unbalance
D. Artistic obsession

C. Mental unbalance.
Mr Pontellier wonders if his wife is growing mentally unbalanced because she is abandoning her duties.
40. What physical feature does Edna’s father emphasise using padding?

A. His feet
B. His shoulders and chest
C. His arms
D. His stomach

B. His shoulders and chest.
The Colonel wears coats that are padded, which gives a fictitious breadth and depth to his shoulders.

41. Who accompanies Edna to the races along with Alcée Arobin?

A. Mrs. Merriman
B. Mrs. Highcamp
C. Madame Ratignolle
D. Miss Mayblunt

B. Mrs. Highcamp.
Alcée Arobin and Mrs Highcamp call for Edna to join them at the Jockey Club to witness the turf event.

42. What is the significance of the scar Arobin shows Edna?

A. Injury from a duel
B. A childhood mark
C. Military service
D. A hunting accident

A. Injury from a duel.
Alcée Arobin shows Edna the scar he received in a duel outside of Paris when he was nineteen years old.

43. What happens to Edna when Arobin kisses her?

A. She feels remorse
B. It kindles desire
C. She rejects him
D. She thinks of Léonce

B. It kindles desire.
The kiss was the first to which her nature truly responded; it was a flaming torch that kindled desire.

44. What name does the housemaid Ellen give the new small house?

A. The studio
B. The hideaway
C. The pigeon-house
D. The cottage

C. The pigeon-house.
The small four-room house where Edna moves is referred to as the “pigeon-house” by Ellen.
45. What does Léonce worry people will say about Edna’s move?

A. She is unfaithful
B. They have met reverses
C. She is ill
D. They are separating

B. They have met reverses.
Léonce worried people would think the Pontelliers had met reverses, forced to live on a humbler scale.

46. What is Mademoiselle Reisz’s requirement for a successful artist?

A. Wealth and fame
B. A devoted mentor
C. The courageous soul
D. Innate physical beauty

C. The courageous soul.
Mademoiselle Reisz tells Edna that the artist must possess the courageous soul that dares and defies.

47. Why did Robert say he didn’t write to Edna from Mexico?

A. He was too busy
B. He was fighting against loving her
C. He thought she didn’t care
D. Léonce forbade it

B. He was fighting against loving her.
Robert confesses he was fighting against his love for her because she was Léonce Pontellier’s wife.

48. What does Edna assert about herself to Robert, contrasting with Léonce?

A. She is still married
B. She belongs to herself
C. She will wait
D. She is financially free

B. She belongs to herself.
Edna states, “I am no longer one of Mr Pontellier’s possessions,” asserting her self-ownership.

49. What does Adèle Ratignolle whisper to Edna during her childbirth agony?

A. Go to Robert
B. Think of the children
C. Be a good wife
D. Find happiness

B. Think of the children.
As Edna leaves Adèle, Adèle presses her cheek and whispers the imperative, “Think of the children”.
50. What realisation drives Edna to swim fatally into the Gulf?

A. Robert’s abandonment
B. Her strength was gone
C. Children’s possessiveness
D. Mademoiselle Reisz’s laugh

C. Children’s possessiveness.
She sees the children as antagonists who had overpowered her, dragging her into “the soul’s slavery”.

Brief Overview

The Awakening is a landmark novel by Kate Chopin, first published in 1899. It is widely recognized as an early work of feminist literature. The novel details the emotional and sexual liberation, and eventual demise, of its protagonist, Edna Pontellier.

The story centers on Edna Pontellier, a married woman and mother of two sons. While spending a summer at Grand Isle, she feels a new sense of freedom and realizes she is “not a mother-woman.”

Edna becomes deeply attached to Robert Lebrun. Her act of learning to swim gives her a profound feeling of self-power. Robert leaves suddenly for Mexico to seek his fortune, leaving Edna feeling immense sadness and longing.

Back in New Orleans, Edna begins to ignore her social duties. She pursues her passion for painting and seeks physical independence by moving into a small house she calls the “pigeon-house.” She also starts a physical relationship with Alcée Arobin.

Robert returns because he loves her. He explains he left earlier only because she was Léonce Pontellier’s wife. Edna asserts her independence, declaring that she is no longer property and will choose where she gives herself. Robert leaves again, leaving a note that says: “I love you. Good-bye—because I love you.”

Edna returns to Grand Isle and walks into the sea. She decides she will not sacrifice herself for her children or conform to societal roles. Believing an artist must have a “courageous soul,” she swims far out into the Gulf of Mexico. Overcome by tiredness and the vast indifference of the sea, she tragically drowns.