Thomas Hardy

Study question Thomas Hardy

Facts about Thomas Hardy

➾ Hardy was a healthy yet fragile child who showed unusual sensitivity to music and could read almost before walking.

➾ While apprenticed to an architect, Hardy intensely self-studied Greek daily between four and eight in the morning.

➾ His final architectural job, restoring a church in Cornwall, was how he met his first wife, Emma Lavinia Gifford.

➾ Hardy’s first published novel, Desperate Remedies, required him to advance £75, most of which was eventually returned.

➾ He stopped writing novels after the severe critical backlash and controversy caused by the publication of Jude the Obscure.

➾ Hardy often altered novels like Tess to soften his social satire and make them suitable for family readers during magazine serialization.

➾ He believed in ‘meliorism’ (gradual improvement of the world) until 1914, when the horrors of World War I shattered that view.

➾ Hardy’s love for architecture, music, and country folklore was fostered by the varied interests of his stonemason father and reading mother.

➾ Although his first marriage was unhappy, the death of his wife Emma in 1912 prompted him to write some of his most profound poetry.

➾ Hardy secretly wrote his own authorized autobiography, which was later published under the name of his second wife, Florence Dugdale.

➾ Hardy had a divided burial: his ashes were interred in Westminster Abbey while his heart was buried separately at Stinsford near his ancestors.

Thomas Hardy MCQs

1. When was Thomas Hardy born?

A. January 11, 1928
B. September 2, 1840
C. June 2, 1840
D. June 22, 1840

C. June 2, 1840
He was born on this date in Dorset, England.

2. In what location was Thomas Hardy born?

A. Dorchester, Dorset
B. Stinsford, Dorset
C. Higher Bockhampton, Stinsford, Dorset
D. Max Gate, Dorchester

C. Higher Bockhampton, Stinsford, Dorset
He was born in England, in a small cottage in this hamlet, where his father lived.

3. What was the primary business of Thomas Hardy’s father?

A. Farming and agriculture
B. Stone masoning and building
C. Teaching and schooling
D. Church restoration

B. Stone masoning and building
Thomas Hardy Sr. was a master mason and local builder.

4. Hardy was sensitive to which art form, often playing the dance fiddle for his family?

A. Painting
B. Drama
C. Architecture
D. Music

D. Music
Music, particularly local folk music, was a lifelong passion and influence on his writing.

5. Which ancient language did Hardy begin studying at the age of twelve?

A. Greek
B. French
C. Latin
D. German

C. Latin
He began the study of Latin at age twelve.

6. At what age did Hardy become a student of the architect John Hicks?

A. Twelve
B. Sixteen
C. Eighteen
D. Twenty-two

B. Sixteen
He began his apprenticeship in architecture under Hicks in Dorchester in 1856.

7. How did Hardy pursue his Greek studies while apprenticed to Hicks?

A. By attending night classes in Dorchester.
B. By receiving tutoring from John Hicks.
C. By studying between four and eight in the morning.
D. By reading books supplied by George Meredith.

C. By studying between four and eight in the morning.
This commitment to self-education highlights his early intellectual ambition.

8. Which Dorset poet, who kept a school next to Hicks’ office, influenced Hardy?

A. George Meredith
B. Horace Moule
C. Arthur Blomfield
D. The Reverend William Barnes

D. The Reverend William Barnes
Barnes, known for his dialect poetry, encouraged Hardy’s literary interests.

9. In what year did Hardy go to London to work for the architect Arthur Blomfield?

A. 1856
B. 1862
C. 1867
D. 1870

B. 1862
He moved to London to further his architectural career.

10. In what year did ill health force Hardy to leave London and return to Dorchester?

A. 1865
B. 1867
C. 1870
D. 1874

B. 1867
London life proved detrimental to his health, forcing him back to Dorset.

11. What was the title of Hardy’s first novel, which was rejected by publishers?

A. Desperate Remedies
B. Under the Greenwood Tree
C. The Poor Man and the Lady
D. A Pair of Blue Eyes

C. The Poor Man and the Lady
This novel, never published, dealt with social class and romantic ambition.

12. Which critic advised Hardy regarding his first rejected novel?

A. Horace Moule
B. Arthur Blomfield
C. George Meredith
D. The Reverend William Barnes

C. George Meredith
Meredith, working as a reader for Chapman and Hall, recommended Hardy abandon the book but try again.

13. Where did Hardy meet his first wife, Emma, while on a restoration job?

A. Higher Bockhampton
B. Weymouth
C. St. Juliot in Cornwall
D. Max Gate

C. St. Juliot in Cornwall
He met Emma Gifford in 1870 while surveying the restoration of a church there.

14. In what year did Thomas Hardy marry Emma Lavinia Gifford?

A. 1870
B. 1871
C. 1874
D. 1878

C. 1874
They married in London, coinciding with the success of Far From the Madding Crowd.

15. What was the title of Hardy’s first published novel in 1871?

A. Under the Greenwood Tree
B. Desperate Remedies
C. The Return of the Native
D. Far From the Madding Crowd

B. Desperate Remedies
This complex melodrama was his first novel to reach publication.

16. Which 1872 novel was Hardy’s first popular success?

A. A Pair of Blue Eyes
B. The Poor Man and the Lady
C. Under the Greenwood Tree
D. Tess of the d’Urbervilles

C. Under the Greenwood Tree
This gentle novel was his second published work and proved popular with critics and readers.

17. Which 1874 novel’s success allowed Hardy to give up architecture?

A. Desperate Remedies
B. The Mayor of Casterbridge
C. Far From the Madding Crowd
D. The Woodlanders

C. Far From the Madding Crowd
Its serialization in the Cornhill Magazine and subsequent popularity allowed him to dedicate himself entirely to writing.

18. For how many years did Hardy primarily concentrate on writing fiction?

A. Five years
B. Ten years
C. Fifteen years
D. Twenty years

D. Twenty years
He concentrated primarily on writing novels from 1870 until 1891 (Tess) and 1895 (Jude).

19. What fictional region did Hardy create for his novels?

A. Casterbridge
B. Stinsford
C. Wessex
D. Egdon Heath

C. Wessex
He named his fictionalized version of Dorset and the surrounding counties “Wessex,” drawing on Anglo-Saxon history.

20. Which 1878 novel was admired for its setting of Egdon Heath?

A. The Woodlanders
B. A Laodicean
C. The Return of the Native
D. Two on a Tower

C. The Return of the Native
Egdon Heath, the desolate, ancient landscape, functions almost as a character in this novel.

21. What was the name of the house Hardy built near Dorchester?

A. Stinsford Cottage
B. Egdon Hall
C. Max Gate
D. Casterbridge Manor

C. Max Gate
He designed and built this home where he lived for the rest of his life.

22. Which novel, set in a fictionalized Dorchester, features Michael Henchard?

A. The Return of the Native
B. The Woodlanders
C. The Mayor of Casterbridge
D. A Pair of Blue Eyes

C. The Mayor of Casterbridge
The Mayor of Casterbridge (1886) centers on the tragic rise and fall of the self-made Michael Henchard in the town of Casterbridge (Dorchester).

23. In what year did Tess of the d’Urbervilles begin its serial run?

A. 1889
B. 1891
C. 1894
D. 1897

B. 1891
It was serialized with modifications due to the controversial content.

24. Which novel’s controversy caused Hardy to abandon novel writing?

A. Tess of the d’Urbervilles
B. Far From the Madding Crowd
C. The Well Beloved
D. Jude the Obscure

D. Jude the Obscure
The vicious public outcry and moral outrage following the publication of Jude the Obscure (1895) led him to stop writing novels entirely.

25. What was the title of Hardy’s last novel, published in 1897?

A. Jude the Obscure
B. The Well Beloved
C. Tess of the d’Urbervilles
D. The Woodlanders

B. The Well Beloved
Although Jude the Obscure (1895) was his last major novel, The Well-Beloved was his final published novel.

26. What was the title of Hardy’s first volume of poetry, published in 1898?

A. Late Lyrics and Earlier
B. Winter Words
C. Wessex Poems
D. Satires of Circumstance

C. Wessex Poems
This collection, published after he abandoned fiction, marked his full-time return to poetry.

27. What was the title of his three-part epic verse drama on the Napoleonic Wars?

A. Winter Words
B. The Dynasts
C. Poems of 1912–13
D. Wessex Tales

B. The Dynasts
This monumental work (1903–08) is a blend of poetry and drama.

28. What major honour did the King award Hardy in 1910?

A. Knight Commander of the Bath
B. Poet Laureate
C. The Order of Merit
D. The Nobel Prize in Literature

C. The Order of Merit
King George V appointed him to the Order of Merit, a high civilian honour.

29. When did Hardy’s first wife, Emma, die?

A. 1910
B. 1912
C. 1914
D. 1928

B. 1912
Emma died suddenly in November 1912, inspiring his most poignant love poems (Poems of 1912–13).

30. Whom did Hardy marry in 1914?

A. Jemima Hand
B. Florence Emily Dugdale
C. Grace Melbury
D. Eustacia Vye

B. Florence Emily Dugdale
He married his secretary, Florence Dugdale, in 1914.

31. What was the title of Hardy’s final volume of verse?

A. Late Lyrics and Earlier
B. Human Shows
C. Winter Words
D. Moments of Vision

C. Winter Words
This final collection was published in 1928, the year of his death.

32. On what date did Thomas Hardy die?

A. June 2, 1840
B. January 11, 1928
C. September 4, 1874
D. December 31, 1927

B. January 11, 1928
He died on this date at Max Gate.

33. Where were Hardy’s cremated remains interred?

A. Max Gate, Dorchester
B. Stinsford Churchyard
C. Westminster Abbey, Poets’ Corner
D. St. Juliot, Cornwall

C. Westminster Abbey, Poets’ Corner
His ashes were interred in Poets’ Corner, a high honour.

34. Where was Hardy’s heart buried?

A. Max Gate, Dorchester
B. Stinsford, near the graves of his ancestors
C. Poets’ Corner
D. St. Juliot in Cornwall

B. Stinsford, near the graves of his ancestors
His heart was removed and buried separately in the churchyard where he had played the fiddle as a young man.

35. Hardy published his novels in serial form, similar to which other English novelist?

A. Scott
B. Dumas
C. Dickens
D. Keats

C. Dickens
Like Charles Dickens, Hardy serialized many of his novels in monthly or weekly magazines.

36. Which collection was the first that Hardy released?

A. Life’s Little Ironies
B. A Changed Man
C. A Group of Noble Dames
D. Wessex Tales

D. Wessex Tales
This collection of short stories was published in 1888.

37. His mother inspired a taste for literature, while his father shared a love of architecture and what?

A. Science
B. Philosophy
C. Music
D. Theology

C. Music
Both parents fostered his cultural interests.

38. Darwinian evolutionism eventually made Hardy what?

A. A Meliorist
B. A severe critic of traditional religion/An agnostic
C. A fatalist
D. A church restorer

B. A severe critic of traditional religion/An agnostic
Scientific theories contributed to his loss of faith in a beneficent God.

39. Hardy lived during the industrial revolution, which led to the disintegration of what?

A. The British empire
B. The family building business
C. Rural customs and traditions
D. The London architectural scene

C. Rural customs and traditions
His novels often lament the passing of the traditional agricultural way of life.

40. The period of changing beliefs in Hardy’s time brought about what feeling?

A. The joy of modernism
B. The ‘ache of modernism’
C. The pursuit of happiness
D. The Immanent Will

B. The ‘ache of modernism’
He coined this phrase to describe the spiritual and existential pain resulting from the erosion of old beliefs.

41. Hardy read Darwin’s Origin of the Species and what other document that influenced his religious views?

A. The Dynasts
B. Wessex Poems
C. Essays and Reviews
D. A Changed Man

C. Essays and Reviews
This publication of liberal theology further challenged traditional Christian doctrines.

42. Hardy struggled to reconcile a beneficent God with the existence of what?

A. The inevitability of war
B. Omnipresent evil and unhappiness
C. The shifting of population
D. The success of his own novels

B. Omnipresent evil and unhappiness
The problem of suffering became central to his philosophical outlook.

43. Until 1914, Hardy considered himself a “meliorist,” believing that what was happening?

A. The universal scheme was unchanging.
B. The universe was completely governed by Fate.
C. The universal scheme was gradually improving.
D. Only poetry could capture human suffering.

C. The universal scheme was gradually improving.
Meliorism is the belief that the world can be made better through human effort.

44. What event shattered Hardy’s belief in meliorism in 1914?

A. The death of his first wife
B. The reaction to Jude the Obscure
C. The absurdity and horror of war
D. The publication of The Dynasts

C. The absurdity and horror of war
The outbreak of World War I made the idea of gradual moral improvement seem impossible.

45. What philosophical outlook is most readily associated with Hardy the novelist?

A. Meliorism
B. Naturalism
C. Romanticism
D. Fatalism

D. Fatalism
Although he considered himself a meliorist, his novels’ pervasive sense of doomed protagonists and tragic coincidence leads critics to label his work as fatalistic.

46. In Hardy’s philosophy, what motif is placed with tremendous importance?

A. Love
B. Nature
C. Time
D. Night

C. Time
His works often focus on the corrosive effects of the past and the relentlessness of time.

47. In Hardy’s philosophy, who is Fate’s most potent instrument against Man’s happiness?

A. The Wessex rustic
B. The Critic
C. Woman
D. The Deity

C. Woman
Hardy’s perception of women (e.g., Sue Bridehead, Tess) as unpredictable and often destructive forces is a recurring idea.

48. Hardy critiques ‘Convention and Law’ because they are contrived by whom, yet work against him?

A. Cruel Nature
B. The Immanent Will
C. Man himself
D. The established Church

C. Man himself
He argues that rigid social laws created by humanity often cause unnecessary suffering to the individuals they are meant to govern.

49. Hardy suggests that most of Tess’s misery was generated by her conventional aspect, and not by what?

A. Angel Clare’s judgment
B. Her innate sensations
C. Alec’s evil intentions
D. The agricultural life

B. Her innate sensations
He frames Tess as a pure woman whose suffering is caused by the cruel social conventions and judgments of others.

50. In The Dynasts, Hardy projects a universe governed by a blind force called what?

A. Fate
B. The Spirit of the Years
C. The Immanent Will
D. The Wessex destiny

C. The Immanent Will
This term refers to the unconscious, indifferent cosmic force that drives the universe, often resulting in human suffering.

A Laodicean MCQs

1. What is George Somerset’s profession?

A. Architect
B. Poet
C. Painter
D. Historian

A. Architect.
He is a young draughtsman, son of an Academician, starting his own architectural practice.

2. What is George Somerset’s “modern malady”?

A. Lack of motivation
B. Unlimited appreciativeness
C. Financial distress
D. Writing bad poetry

B. Unlimited appreciativeness.
His wide appreciation of many styles prevented him from committing to one and advancing his career.

3. What structure does Somerset describe as a “monstrosity”?

A. The old church
B. The new chapel
C. Stancy Castle
D. Myrtle Villa

B. The new chapel.
Entering the village, he finds the modern Nonconformist chapel ugly and artistically offensive.

4. Why did the young men carry water into the chapel?

A. To fill the font
B. For drinking
C. To extinguish a fire
D. For washing

A. To fill the font.
They were carrying water because the cistern leaked, preparing for a full immersion baptism.

5. What event did the crowd at the chapel await?

A. A sermon
B. A baptism
C. A wedding
D. A concert

B. A baptism.
The large congregation, dressed plainly, showed expectation for a grown-up immersion ceremony.

6. What was the key reason the young lady refused the baptism?

A. The water was dark
B. She was too shy
C. She was mistaken
D. The minister insulted her

C. She was mistaken.
She realized she was not fit for the public profession she undertook out of duty to her father.

7. Which biblical entity did the minister compare the reluctant lady to?

A. Mary
B. Martha
C. Laodicea
D. Jezebel

C. Laodicea.
The minister’s text spoke of the church at Laodicea, which was “neither cold nor hot.”

8. What item was taken into the carriage after the lady departed the chapel?

A. A dog
B. A white Persian
C. A painting
D. A hat

B. A white Persian.
After the lady’s exit, a white Persian cat suddenly mewed and was taken into her carriage.

9. What guided Somerset across the down toward the castle?

A. A map
B. A telegraph wire
C. A stream
D. A shepherd

B. A telegraph wire.
Somerset decided to follow the overhead wire, which hummed and sang, to find his way at night.

10. Stancy Castle is described as having what dual nature?

A. Half monastery, half fort
B. Half ruin, half residence
C. Half church, half school
D. Half farm, half manor

B. Half ruin, half residence.
The castle was dilapidated, muffled in creepers, but a modern wing showed that it was inhabited.

11. What symbolizes “cosmopolitan views” near the feudal castle?

A. The old mosses
B. The modern clock
C. The electric wire
D. The battlemented parapet

C. The electric wire.
The little buzzing wire represented the exchange of ideas and the intellectual kinship of all mànkind.

12. What feature marked all the pure De Stancy family portraits?

A. An indent on the nose
B. A mole on the cheek
C. Very blue eyes
D. Long flowing hair

A. An indent on the nose.
Every portrait, even if lacking other commonalities, had a specific indentation on the upper part of the nose.

13. What kind of architectural style did Miss Power first wish for the inner court?

A. Saxon
B. Perpendicular
C. Greek
D. Palladian

C. Greek.
Charlotte revealed that Paula had thought of making the inner court a Greek colonnade or peristyle.

14. What was Miss Power’s vision for the pottery manufacture?

A. Utilitarian vessels
B. Hellenic pottery
C. Plain white china
D. Blue glazed plates

B. Hellenic pottery.
Paula planned to develop the manufacture of Greek (Hellenic) pottery using the local clay found by her father.

15. What items lay in Paula Power’s blue and white sleeping-room?

A. Bible and Baptist Magazine
B. Architectural plans
C. Hunting rifles
D. Modern sculpture

A. Bible and Baptist Magazine.
Her dressing room contained a mix of items, including a Bible and the Baptist Magazine alongside society journals.

16. What financial reason did the landlord suggest for the number of Baptists?

A. To save on taxes
B. To reduce rent
C. To gain allowances
D. To save burial costs

D. To save burial costs.
The landlord suggested that they did it to save the expense of a Christian burial for their unchristened children.

17. Who owned Stancy Castle at the time George Somerset visited?

A. Sir William De Stancy
B. Mr. Wilkins
C. John Power
D. Miss Paula Power

D. Miss Paula Power.
The castle was sold by Sir William’s father, bought by Wilkins, and was now owned by Paula Power.

18. What was Paula Power’s father known for building?

A. Railways
B. Ships
C. Churches
D. Castles

A. Railways.
Miss De Stancy pointed toward a white streak of steam, explaining that Paula’s father “made that.”

19. Who revealed the story of the failed baptism to George Somerset?

A. Mrs. Goodman
B. The minister
C. Miss De Stancy
D. William Dare

C. Miss De Stancy.
Charlotte told Somerset that Paula refused the rite because the water “looked so cold and dark and fearful.”

20. Who was revealed to be Miss De Stancy’s deceased cousin?

A. John Ravensbury
B. Mr. Wilkins
C. George Somerset
D. Mr. Woodwell

A. John Ravensbury.
John Ravensbury, known as “that unlucky boy,” was Charlotte’s cousin and a friend of Somerset’s.

21. What did Somerset successfully argue in the theological debate?

A. Paedobaptism
B. Apostolic succession
C. Universal salvation
D. Free will

A. Paedobaptism.
Drawing on his prior studies of baptismal history, Somerset used patristic citations to defend infant baptism.

22. What did Paula initially mistake Somerset for, leading to her friendly manner?

A. The new curate
B. A journalist
C. A photographer
D. A solicitor

A. The new curate.
Somerset realized she thought he was the newly arrived curate of the local church due to his theological knowledge.

23. Why did Somerset follow the minister (Woodwell) after the debate?

A. To apologize
B. To challenge him
C. To retrieve his bag
D. To retrieve the book

D. To retrieve the book.
Woodwell, in his haste and distress, had forgotten his worn Bible, so Somerset impulsively went after him.

24. Who was Dare’s eventual accomplice in the rivalry against Somerset?

A. Charlotte De Stancy
B. Mrs. Goodman
C. Mr. Havill
D. Abner Power

C. Mr. Havill.
Dare met Havill at the garden party and proposed an alliance to help the architect win the competition.

25. What did Dare and Havill conspire to obtain?

A. Architectural ideas
B. Paula’s jewels
C. A new commission
D. The chapel key

A. Architectural ideas.
Dare suggested that Havill copy Somerset’s unique design to ensure winning the castle competition.

26. How did Dare gain access to Somerset’s studio to view the plans?

A. He picked the lock
B. He bribed the butler
C. He took the key
D. He used a skeleton key

C. He took the key.
Dare went to the butler’s pantry, took a key from behind the door, and unlocked the studio.

27. What was Dare’s alleged new profession, which he pursued with vigor?

A. Photographer
B. Professor of Chances
C. Architect
D. Lawyer

B. Professor of Chances.
Dare carried “Moivre’s Doctrine of Chances” and believed he could win money through calculation.

28. What was Captain De Stancy’s primary motive for avoiding attractive women?

A. A religious vow
B. A military order
C. A previous vow
D. Financial difficulty

C. A previous vow.
He vowed to his former mistress (Dare’s mother) that no other woman would become his wife.

29. What was Captain De Stancy’s relationship to Dare?

A. He was Dare’s uncle
B. He was Dare’s father
C. He was Dare’s cousin
D. He was Dare’s employer

B. He was Dare’s father.
Dare referred to De Stancy as “dad” and “captain,” acknowledging their secret filial bond.

30. What was the key condition Dare placed on Captain De Stancy regarding Paula?

A. He must marry her quickly
B. He must avoid her
C. He must see her quickly
D. He must change his name

C. He must see her quickly.
Dare wanted De Stancy to see Paula “in the most love-kindling, passion-begetting circumstances” immediately.

31. Where did Dare suggest Captain De Stancy could best view Paula?

A. In the chapel
B. In the library
C. In the gymnasium
D. In the dining hall

C. In the gymnasium.
Dare learnt from the maid that Paula looked her best when exercising in the private gymnasium.

32. What object was Captain De Stancy instructed to look through to spy on Paula?

A. A keyhole
B. A wood billet hole
C. A window
D. A broken panel

B. A wood billet hole.
Dare led De Stancy to the back of the gym, where he withdrew a wooden billet from the wall.

33. How did Captain De Stancy react to seeing Paula in the gymnasium?

A. He felt ashamed
B. He felt committed
C. He felt rage
D. He felt cured

B. He felt committed.
The sight gave him the overwhelming impulse to commit himself, removing the question of retreat.

34. What item was Sir William De Stancy examining when Somerset visited?

A. Crocuses
B. Daffodils
C. Roses
D. Weeds

A. Crocuses.
Somerset found Sir William ambulating in the garden, looking closely at the crocuses that bordered the path.

35. Why did Paula send for a magnificent diamond and pearl necklace?

A. For her own vanity
B. To sell the jewels
C. For Charlotte to wear
D. As a costume piece

C. For Charlotte to wear.
Somerset realized Paula fetched the necklace so Charlotte could “not appear to disadvantage” among county people.

36. What play did the officers of the Royal Horse Artillery decide to perform?

A. Romeo and Juliet
B. Love’s Labour’s Lost
C. Macbeth
D. Hamlet

B. Love’s Labour’s Lost.
Mrs. Camperton told Somerset that the officers were staging Shakespeare’s romantic comedy, Love’s Labour’s Lost.

37. Why did Captain De Stancy take over the role of the King of Navarre?

A. Mild was too nervous
B. He was the best actor
C. Mild broke down
D. Paula requested it

C. Mild broke down.
The original actor, Lieutenant Mild, failed, allowing De Stancy to step in for the King’s part.

38. What specific lines did De Stancy interpolate into the play?

A. Lines from Othello
B. Lines from Romeo and Juliet
C. Lines from Hamlet
D. Lines he wrote himself

B. Lines from Romeo and Juliet.
De Stancy inserted warm lines, including an implied kiss, from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.

39. Who was the mysterious stranger who applauded the stage kiss?

A. Abner Power
B. Mr. Woodwell
C. George Somerset
D. The stranger

D. The stranger.
A peculiar, thin-lipped man in the commonalty seats paid the landlord to applaud the kiss.

40. Who was the unexpected relative of Paula’s that appeared after the play?

A. Her cousin
B. Her grandfather
C. Her uncle
D. Her sister

C. Her uncle.
Paula introduced the stranger, who had been conversing with De Stancy, as her uncle, Mr. Abner Power.

41. How did Somerset learn of the false paragraph about Paula’s engagement?

A. From Charlotte
B. From the newspaper
C. From Dare
D. From Havill

B. From the newspaper.
Somerset saw the startling paragraph in a local paper while waiting for his carriage at the inn.

42. Who did Somerset eventually learn was the source of the false engagement report?

A. Captain De Stancy
B. Abner Power
C. Mr. Havill
D. William Dare

B. Abner Power.
The reporter informed Somerset that the gentleman who gave the false information was Paula’s uncle.

43. Why did Paula insist on writing her business letters on separate sheets?

A. To hide emotion
B. To avoid confusion
C. To save postage
D. To appease her uncle

D. To appease her uncle.
Somerset suspected the rule was designed to avoid “invidious remarks” from Abner Power.

44. What news prompted Somerset to abandon his stoicism and visit Nice?

A. Paula was ill
B. The building collapsed
C. De Stancy was visiting
D. He ran out of funds

C. De Stancy was visiting.
Sir William revealed that the captain was spending his leave seeing his sister (and Paula) at Nice.

45. What was the content of the fraudulent telegram sent to Paula?

A. Request for architectural plans
B. Request for a loan
C. Request for a telegram
D. Request to postpone

B. Request for a loan.
Dare, using Somerset’s name, asked Paula to send him £100 because he had lost money gambling.

46. What critical information did Dare fail to reveal when Somerset asked him for money?

A. That Paula was leaving
B. That he was De Stancy’s son
C. That he had seen Paula
D. That he was starving

C. That he had seen Paula.
Dare only confirmed that he had seen the Powers and knew where they were going later in the conversation.

47. Why did Dare confess to De Stancy about sending the telegram?

A. De Stancy was suspicious
B. Dare felt remorse
C. Paula was coming
D. Somerset was returning

A. De Stancy was suspicious.
Under pressure from De Stancy, who feared disgrace, Dare admitted to concocting the message as a joke.

48. What was Abner Power’s ultimate, effective threat to Dare?

A. Imprisonment
B. Exposure to Paula
C. Exiling him
D. Denying him money

A. Imprisonment.
Power threatened to inform the police about Dare’s criminal past (telegram, libel) unless he exiled himself.

49. What did Charlotte discover about the photograph of Somerset?

A. It was faked
B. It was misdated
C. It was genuine
D. It was accidental

A. It was faked.
A Markton photographer explained to Charlotte that such pictures were “libellous” photographic hoaxes.

50. What caused the sudden conflagration that destroyed the Long Gallery?

A. A servant’s mistake
B. A thunderstorm
C. Arson
D. An accident

C. Arson.
The gallery fire was not accidental; Dare suggested it would be a “light night” and then left.

Brief Overview

A Laodicean is a novel by Thomas Hardy. It was first published as a serial from December 1880 to November 1881. The novel centers on the clash between tradition and progress and the protagonist’s own indecision, which is the meaning of “Laodicean.”

The story begins with George Somerset, a young architect who travels to an English village. He meets Paula Power, the wealthy owner of Stancy Castle, a large, ruined house. Somerset becomes Paula’s architect for the restoration, and he quickly falls in love with her.

Paula, who represents the modern spirit, is also drawn to the old aristocratic family, the De Stancys. Captain De Stancy, whose family formerly owned the castle, seeks to marry Paula and regain his ancestral home. His dishonest helper, William Dare, is secretly his son.

Dare works to ruin Somerset’s reputation. He steals Somerset’s architectural plans and sends a false telegram asking Paula for money in the architect’s name. These deceptive actions mislead Paula and becomes engaged to De Stancy.

Charlotte De Stancy, the Captain’s sister, discovers Dare’s plot and reveals the truth to Paula. When Paula learns that Dare is De Stancy’s criminal son, she immediately breaks the engagement.

Paula travels to France to apologize to Somerset. They reconcile and marry quickly. After their return, Stancy Castle tragically burns down, allowing them the freedom to build a new home in a modern, eclectic style.