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.

At Fault MCQs

At Fault MCQs

1. Who was the previous owner of Place-du-Bois?

A. David Hosmer
B. Uncle Hiram
C. Jérôme Lafirme
D. Grégoire Santien

C. Jérôme Lafirme.
Jérôme Lafirme was the deceased husband of Thérèse, who inherited the large four-thousand-acre plantation.

2. How many acres was the Lafirme plantation?

A. One thousand
B. Four thousand
C. Nine hundred
D. Three hundred

B. Four thousand.
The plantation, known as Place-du-Bois, was described as covering four thousand acres when Thérèse inherited it.

3. What visible offence roused Thérèse from her grief?

A. Cotton being hauled
B. Disorder gathering
C. Hands demoralised
D. Neglect of the fields

A. Cotton is being hauled.
Uncle Hiram informed Thérèse that people had started hauling cottonseed off the plantation illegally.

4. What structure was rebuilt far from the river?

A. The cotton gin
B. The storehouse
C. The homestead
D. The mill office

C. The homestead.
The original homestead was abandoned due to railroad inroads, and Mrs Lafirme rebuilt many rods away.
5. What structure became a section house near the river?

A. The mill office
B. The Lafirme store
C. The old homestead
D. The negro quarters

C. The old homestead.
The former dwelling, mutilated by progressive civilisation, was converted into a section house near the water.

6. What was David Hosmer’s city of origin?

A. Centerville, Texas
B. Natchitoches
C. Saint Louis
D. New Orleans

C. Saint Louis.
Hosmer introduced himself specifically as being from Saint Louis when clarifying his vague Western origin.

7. What business opportunity did Hosmer first propose?

A. Raising cotton
B. Opening a store
C. Selling the land
D. Cutting timber

D. Cutting timber.
Hosmer offered a moneyed proposal for the privilege of cutting timber from Thérèse’s land.

8. What type of wood product quickly gained recognition at the mill?

A. Oak barrels
B. Cypress Funerall
C. Pine boards
D. Cotton-wood logs

B. Cypress Funeral.
The term “Cypresse Funerall,” referring to dense Louisiana forest timber, had won recognition within a year.

9. What reason did Thérèse give for visiting Hosmer at the mill?

A. To check orders
B. To discuss Melicent
C. To keep his promise
D. To view the timber

C. To keep his promise.
Thérèse asked, “Is this the way you keep a promise?” referring to his vow to do no work after five o’clock.
10. What did Thérèse see pictured in Hosmer’s desk?

A. Hosmer’s dead son
B. Melicent’s portrait
C. A Louisiana swamp
D. Her own profile

A. Hosmer’s dead son.
Thérèse saw the picture of a handsome boy; Hosmer confirmed, “He’s dead”.

11. What was the unruly mill hand’s name?

A. Henry
B. Grégoire
C. Joçint
D. Nathan

C. Joçint.
Hosmer mentioned that Joçint was “Always unruly” and the foreman believed they could not keep him.

12. Where was Melicent going in the pirogue with Grégoire?

A. Lac du Bois
B. Natchitoches
C. Cane River
D. Saint Louis

A. Lac du Bois.
Hosmer mentioned Melicent was out on the lake (Lac du Bois) with Grégoire in the pirogue.

13. What feature of Grégoire’s was criticised by Melicent?

A. His sharp features
B. His dark eyes
C. His soft voice
D. His brawny build

C. His soft voice.
Melicent could not reconcile his voice to her liking; it was too softly low and feminine.

14. What common Southern custom did Grégoire dislike doing himself?

A. Using a rifle
B. Riding a horse
C. Any undue toil
D. Going to the mill

C. Any undue toil.
Grégoire followed the axiom to do nothing that an available “nigger” might do for him.
15. Whom did local folklore say old McFarlane killed?

A. His wife
B. The Lafirmes
C. The negroes
D. His enemy

C. The negroes.
Folks said McFarlane walks because he “can’t rest in his grave for the niggas he’s killed”.

16. Where did Grégoire live before Aunt Thérèse sent for him?

A. In New Orleans
B. In Texas
C. In France
D. At Les Chênières

B. In Texas.
Grégoire admitted he was in Texas, going to the devil, I reckon, when she sent for me.

17. What caused the initial delay in Melicent hiring a cook?

A. Cynthy got sick
B. Suze was busy
C. Minervy was lazy
D. Thérèse refused

A. Cynthy got sick.
Betsy’s Aunt Cynthy failed to appear because she had been “tuck sick in de night”.

18. What peculiar reason did Nathan give for negroes avoiding Melicent?

A. She paid poorly
B. She cut off plaits
C. She was Northern
D. She was too strict

B. She cut off plaits.
Nathan said, “Dey ‘low you wants to cut de little gals’ plaits off,” which frightened the workers.

19. What was the deeper motive for servants shunning the Hosmers?

A. Too demanding work
B. Prejudice against Northerners
C. Low wages offered
D. Melicent’s flirting

B. Prejudice against Northerners.
Thérèse explained negroes were averse to working for Northern people whose speech and manners were unfamiliar.
20. What made Thérèse’s walk with Hosmer necessary in his view?

A. His sister’s presence
B. Daily society of Thérèse
C. His horse’s management
D. His dignity avoidance

C. His horse’s management.
Hosmer felt at ease because his hands were occupied with the management of his horse, freeing his demeanor.

21. What did Joçint habitually do to sabotage the mill’s work?

A. Damaging the tools
B. Stealing timber
C. Letting logs roll off
D. Threatening workers

C. Letting logs roll off.
The men reported Joçint’s habit of “letting the logs roll off the carriage,” causing annoyance and delay.

22. What was Hosmer’s horse named?

A. Beauregard
B. Nelson
C. Torpedo
D. Buckskin

B. Nelson.
Thérèse compared her blooded horse, Beauregard, favorably against Hosmer’s heavily built iron-grey, poor Nelson.

23. What did Hosmer say would take the “soul out of his life”?

A. Business failure
B. Melicent’s leaving
C. Thérèse’s departure
D. Returning to St. Louis

C. Thérèse’s departure.
Hosmer stated the insupportable condition for him was “If you were to go away”.

24. What comparison did Melicent make when praising Thérèse?

A. Thérèse was a sage
B. Thérèse was a queen
C. Thérèse was a saint
D. Thérèse was a muse

B. Thérèse was a queen.
Melicent claimed, “When she stands at the end of the veranda… she’s positively a queen”.
25. Why did Thérèse lock her door before supper?

A. To keep Aunt Belindy out
B. To avoid her duties
C. For a moment of solitude
D. To change her habit

C. For a moment of solitude.
Thérèse took “the needless precaution of bringing lock and bolt to the double security of her moment of solitude”.

26. What essential fact did Melicent reveal to Thérèse during their chat?

A. Hosmer was wealthy
B. Hosmer was engaged
C. Hosmer was divorced
D. Hosmer was leaving

C. Hosmer was divorced.
Melicent, realising her indiscretion, revealed that Hosmer’s wife was not dead; “they were divorced two years ago”.

27. What was Hosmer’s immediate fear upon Thérèse learning of the divorce?

A. She would fire him
B. It changed life’s aspect
C. She would forget him
D. She would marry him

B. It changed life’s aspect.
Hosmer was immediately struck by the sharp conviction that this disclosure had “changed the aspect of life for him”.

28. Why did Thérèse argue religion did not influence her view on Hosmer’s divorce?

A. She was Unitarian
B. She accepted the necessity
C. It was a moral principle
D. She was not devoted

C. It was a moral principle.
Thérèse stated, “religion doesn’t influence my reason in this,” citing morality as purely one’s own.

29. What was Hosmer’s first wife’s name?

A. Melicent Larimore
B. Belle Worthington
C. Fanny Larimore
D. Lou Dawson

C. Fanny Larimore.
Hosmer met her on a river excursion and referred to her as “Fanny Larimore”.
30. What was Hosmer doing when his wife first showed signs of alcoholism?

A. Arguing about money
B. Returning with Melicent
C. Leaving for the mill
D. Reading the newspaper

B. Returning with Melicent.
Hosmer and Melicent returned home early and found Fanny lying on the sofa, intoxicated.

31. Who did Hosmer believe he owed the consequence of his actions to?

A. His friends
B. His manhood
C. His business
D. His sister

B. His manhood.
Thérèse told Hosmer that a man owes his manhood “to face the consequences of his own actions”.

32. What reason did Hosmer give Thérèse for doing the “right thing”?

A. It was his moral duty
B. It was because she wanted it
C. It was an act of faith
D. It would bring happiness

B. It was because she wanted it.
Hosmer said, “Whatever I do must be because you want it; because I love you”.

33. What kind of party did Melicent attend in St. Louis?

A. A Unitarian meeting
B. A supper party
C. A euchre party
D. A philosophical debate

C. A euchre party.
In St. Louis, Melicent recalled attending a painful progressive euchre party.

34. What did Hosmer and Fanny do immediately after his return to St. Louis?

A. Filed divorce papers
B. Re-married each other
C. Visited Homeyer
D. Went to a matinée

B. Remarried each other.
They went to Dr Martin’s, and “we’ve got married again,” Fanny informed her friends.
35. Who was Fanny’s friend who struggled with her weight?

A. Lou Dawson
B. Mrs. Duplan
C. Belle Worthington
D. Lucilla

C. Belle Worthington.
Mrs Worthington’s friends teased her about weighing “a hundred and eighty pounds”.

36. Who was the gentleman who worked at the custom house?

A. Mr. Grant
B. Jack Dawson
C. Mr. Rodney
D. Mr. Worthington

D. Mr. Worthington.
Lorenzo Worthington was a gentleman employed for many years past in the custom house.

37. What did Hosmer want to strike and destroy in Forest Park?

A. A passing car
B. A train of cars
C. His own horse
D. The cable car

B. A train of cars.
Hosmer longed to be at the front of a train of cars speeding somewhere overhead to drive it to chaos.

38. How did Hosmer describe his action to himself in the park?

A. Always the coward
B. Always the martyr
C. Always the businessman
D. Always the lover

A. Always the coward.
Hosmer thought: “Am I never to be the brave man? always the coward, flying even from my own thoughts?”.

39. What was Fanny’s immediate reaction upon reaching the Place-du-Bois cottage?

A. Joyful surprise
B. Feeling home-like
C. Soothing silence
D. Sobbing bitterly

D. Sobbing bitterly.
When Hosmer returned after unloading the luggage, Fanny sat on the sofa “sobbing bitterly”.
40. What action did Grégoire take when overcome by love for Melicent?

A. He confessed his feelings
B. He crushed a flower
C. He promised to leave
D. He embraced her

B. He crushed a flower.
Grégoire was so distressed by the thought of separation that he paled and crushed the flower between his nervous fingers.

41. What item did Morico offer Fanny for her distress after the ride?

A. A turkey fan
B. A rocking chair
C. A glass of toddy
D. A corn bread wedge

C. A glass of toddy.
Morico unlocked his garde manger and drew forth a flask of whisky, offering Fanny a glass half filled with strong “toddy”.

42. What local event caused the servants to avoid working after dark?

A. Mardi-Gras
B. Tous-saint’ eve
C. Spring planting
D. A mill accident

B. Tous-saint’ eve.
Grégoire told Fanny it was “‘Tous-saint’ eve—w’en the dead git out o’ their graves an’ walk about”.

43. Who was Joçint’s father?

A. Nathan
B. Morico
C. Pierson
D. Sampson

B. Morico.
Morico was Joçint’s old father, who lived on the place and had been protected by Thérèse.

44. What was Joçint doing immediately before Grégoire confronted him?

A. Cutting timber
B. Sprinkling oil
C. Hiding his dog
D. Playing poker

B. Sprinkling oil.
Joçint was caught “sprinkling the contents of his pail here and there along the dry timbers”.
45. What fatal weapon did Grégoire hold over the arsonist?

A. A rifle
B. A poker
C. A pistol
D. A crowbar

C. A pistol.
Joçint saw Grégoire, not twenty paces away, “covering him with the muzzle of a pistol”.

46. What was the cause of old Morico’s death?

A. Burned in the fire
B. Shock/grief over his son
C. Shot by Grégoire
D. Illness during the night

B. Shock/grief over his son.
After dragging his son’s body to safety, Morico tottered and fell, having gone beyond the knowledge of all earthly happenings.

47. Why did Melicent immediately shun Grégoire after the fire?

A. He was aggressive
B. She was bored
C. She found him crude
D. He murdered a man

D. He murdered a man.
Melicent asked Thérèse, “Think what he’s done; murdered a defenceless man! How can you have him near you?”.

48. What literary device did Grégoire use in his tirade at Chartrand’s store?

A. Quotations
B. Similes
C. Sarcasm
D. Biblical reference

C. Sarcasm.
Grégoire sarcastically called Pierson “A gemmen w’at fit to drink wid a Sanchun”.

49. What realisation hit Hosmer during Fanny’s verbal attack at breakfast?

A. She was drinking
B. She hated him
C. She was jealous of Thérèse
D. She wanted a divorce

C. She was jealous of Thérèse.
Fanny accused Thérèse of “trying to take other women’s husbands,” revealing her jealousy.
50. What happened to Fanny Hosmer?

A. She returned to North
B. She died in the flood
C. She ran away
D. She remarried

B. She died in the flood.
Fanny appeared at the door of Marie Louise’s cabin just before the land section plunged to the other, and the whole mass was submerged.

Brief Overview

At Fault is the debut novel by Kate Chopin, published in 1890. The story is set in post-Civil War Louisiana and centers on a complex love triangle, examining themes of love, duty, and moral conviction.

The novel introduces Thérèse Lafirme, a handsome, wealthy widow who owns the plantation Place-du-Bois. David Hosmer arrives to run a successful sawmill business nearby. Thérèse and Hosmer quickly fall in love.

A moral conflict arises when Hosmer’s sister, Melicent, reveals that David is divorced, not widowed. Hosmer explains that his ex-wife, Fanny, struggled with alcohol. Thérèse believes Hosmer acted wrongly by leaving Fanny. She tells him he must return to Fanny to correct his past fault.

Hosmer returns to St. Louis and remarries Fanny. They move back to the plantation, but Fanny is lonely and unhappy. Meanwhile, tragedy strikes: Thérèse’s nephew, Grégoire, murders a mill worker named Joçint after Joçint burns down the mill.

Hosmer and Fanny have a violent argument. Fanny crosses the dangerous river; the bank collapses, and Fanny drowns. Hosmer is injured while attempting to save her. After a year, Hosmer and Thérèse meet again. They decide that their love must be fulfilled. They marry shortly after and find great happiness together.