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.

Tess of the D’Urbervilles MCQs

1. In what year was Thomas Hardy’s novel Tess of the D’Urbervilles first published?

A. 1885
B. 1891
C. 1897
D. 1901

B. 1891
The novel was first serialized in a censored version before its complete book publication.

2. What is the novel’s famous and controversial subtitle?

A. A Pure Woman Faithfully Presented
B. The Maiden No More
C. A Story of Wessex
D. The Life and Death of Tess

A. A Pure Woman Faithfully Presented
This subtitle was a direct challenge to Victorian morality concerning a woman’s purity.

3. The novel is famously set in Hardy’s semi-fictional version of Dorset, which he calls by what name?

A. Mercia
B. South-umbria
C. Wessex
D. Glamorganshire

C. Wessex
Hardy used this ancient name for his fictionalized version of southwest England.

4. What was John Durbeyfield’s occupation?

A. Miller
B. Parson
C. Haggler
D. Dairyman

C. Haggler
A haggler, or itinerant dealer, was a humble job that highlighted the family’s poverty.

5. Who informed Jack Durbeyfield of his noble lineage?

A. A middle-aged man
B. Parson Tringham
C. The Lord of Estremavilla
D. Angel Clare

B. Parson Tringham
The parson’s casual revelation about the d’Urberville family sets the tragic plot in motion.

6. What two old family items did Durbeyfield mention having at home?

A. A gold brooch and a shield
B. A wooden cradle and a gun
C. A silver spoon and a graven seal
D. A velvet jacket and a hat

C. A silver spoon and a graven seal
These were the last remnants of the family’s heritage, symbolizing their long decline.

7. What advice did Parson Tringham give Durbeyfield about his new lineage?

A. To go to London immediately
B. To do nothing, except chasten himself
C. To reclaim his manors
D. To visit the local historian

B. To do nothing, except chasten himself
The sensible advice is ignored by Durbeyfield, who decides to celebrate his new status instead.

8. What event was the brass band playing for in the village?

A. A market-day celebration
B. The parson’s arrival
C. The women’s club-walking
D. A knighting ceremony

C. The women’s club-walking
This May Day dance is the setting for Tess’s first fleeting encounter with Angel Clare.

9. How did Tess initially react to her father riding home in the carriage?

A. She laughed joyously
B. She was proud of his status
C. She felt a slow heat rise at his foolishness
D. She joined him in the carriage

C. She felt a slow heat rise at his foolishness
Her embarrassment reveals her practical nature, which contrasts with her parents’ vanity.

10. What was the name of the youngest brother who joined the dance?

A. Felix
B. Cuthbert
C. Jack
D. Angel

D. Angel
Unlike his conventional brothers, Angel impulsively joins the dance, marking his connection to rural life.

11. What two languages or dialects did Tess speak?

A. Latin and English
B. English and French
C. Dialect and ordinary English
D. Victorian and Jacobean

C. Dialect and ordinary English
Her ability to switch between dialects shows she exists between two worlds: rural tradition and modern education.

12. Where did Durbeyfield go to “get up his strength”?

A. The Pure Drop
B. The Vicarage
C. Rolliver’s
D. Shaston market

C. Rolliver’s
This is an unlicensed pub. Durbeyfield’s choice to celebrate with drink establishes his weakness of character.

13. Why did Mrs. Durbeyfield send Tess to claim kin?

A. To find work for her father.
B. The Fortune-Teller said it would lead to marriage with a gentleman.
C. They needed help with the washing.
D. Angel Clare had suggested it.

B. The Fortune-Teller said it would lead to marriage with a gentleman.
Joan’s reliance on a fortune-telling book shows her superstitious nature.

14. What philosophical statement did Tess make to Abraham about the earth?

A. It is a splendid star.
B. It is a star where God is.
C. It is a blighted one.
D. It is far away from Nettlecombe-Tout.

C. It is a blighted one.
This pessimistic view reveals Tess’s thoughtful nature and foreshadows the suffering she will endure.

15. What caused the accident that killed the horse, Prince?

A. Tess’s lack of skill in managing the horse.
B. The rickety waggon collapsed.
C. The morning mail-cart drove into their unlighted waggon.
D. The horse stumbled on the high ground.

C. The morning mail-cart drove into their unlighted waggon.
Prince’s death symbolizes the clash between old rural ways and the relentless pace of modernity.

16. How did Tess feel immediately after the death of Prince?

A. Guilty, like a murderess.
B. Relieved she had an excuse to go home.
C. Determined to find Alec d’Urberville.
D. Indifferent to the event.

A. Guilty, like a murderess.
Her profound guilt compels her to go to the d’Urbervilles to make amends for the family’s loss.

17. What was the name of the young man Tess met who called himself “Mr. d’Urberville”?

A. Angel
B. Alec
C. John
D. Fred

B. Alec
Alec is the novel’s antagonist. His family bought the ancient name, making him a fraudulent version of the aristocracy.

18. What job did Mrs. d’Urberville offer Tess?

A. Helping with general house duties.
B. Tending a little fowl-farm.
C. Being a lady’s companion.
D. Teaching the younger children.

B. Tending a little fowl-farm.
This seemingly innocent job places Tess under Alec’s power, as he uses the position to manipulate her.

19. What did Mrs. Durbeyfield believe was Tess’s “trump card”?

A. Her d’Urberville blood.
B. Her education.
C. Her face.
D. Her knowledge of fowl-farming.

C. Her face.
Joan sees Tess’s beauty as a commodity to be used to secure a wealthy husband.

20. What was the nickname of the dark virago, Car Darch?

A. Queen of Hearts
B. Queen of Diamonds
C. Queen of Spades
D. Queen of Clubs

C. Queen of Spades
Car Darch, Alec’s recently discarded mistress, represents the jealousy and violence Tess faces at Trantridge.

21. What comment was made by Car Darch’s mother as Tess rode away?

A. “She’ll be married by morning!”
B. “Out of the frying-pan into the fire!”
C. “That’s her trump card!”
D. “Poor simple maid!”

B. “Out of the frying-pan into the fire!”
This line is a powerful piece of foreshadowing, indicating Tess is heading toward a much greater danger.

22. What location, “the oldest wood in England,” did Alec take Tess to?

A. Marlott Vale
B. Kingsbere
C. The Chase
D. Stourcastle

C. The Chase
The ancient forest is the site of Tess’s seduction or rape, a setting outside of conventional morality.

23. What theological text greeted Tess on her way home from Trantridge?

A. THY, DAMNATION, SLUMBERETH, NOT.
B. THOU, SHALT, NOT, COMMIT—
C. COME, OUT, FROM, AMONG, THEM.
D. THE, WAGES, OF, SIN.

A. THY, DAMNATION, SLUMBERETH, NOT.
The judgmental signs represent the harsh, unforgiving social and religious morality that Tess will face.

24. Tess accused her mother of failing to warn her, suggesting ladies learned of “these tricks” from where?

A. From scripture
B. From novels
C. From other women
D. From history books

B. From novels
Tess blames her mother for her ignorance, suggesting her lack of worldly knowledge left her vulnerable.

25. What name did Tess choose for her baby during the impromptu baptism?

A. Angel
B. Durbey
C. Sorrow
D. Prince

C. Sorrow
The name poignantly reflects the circumstances of his conception and brief life, a symbol of Tess’s suffering.

26. Where was Sorrow the Undesired buried?

A. In the D’Urberville vault.
B. In a shabby corner with unbaptized infants.
C. Under the church porch.
D. Near Prince’s grave.

B. In a shabby corner with unbaptized infants.
The church’s refusal to grant a proper Christian burial is a brutal rejection by organized religion and society.

27. Where did Tess find work as a skilled milkmaid for the summer?

A. Marlott
B. Trantridge
C. A dairy-house far to the southward (Talbothays)
D. Shaston

C. A dairy-house far to the southward (Talbothays)
Talbothays Dairy represents a pastoral paradise, a place of healing and new beginnings where Tess falls in love.

28. Why did Angel Clare avoid being a parson like his brothers?

A. He felt the University was only for ordination.
B. He refused to enter the Church due to its tenets.
C. He disliked St. John.
D. He preferred farming.

B. He refused to enter the Church due to its tenets.
Angel’s intellectual doubts make him seem liberal, but ironically, he cannot apply this liberality to Tess.

29. What musical instrument did Angel Clare play?

A. Fiddle
B. Piano
C. Harp
D. Lute

C. Harp
His “second-hand harp” symbolizes his romantic and somewhat ethereal nature, which enchants Tess at the dairy.

30. What traditional belief explains why butter won’t come in the churn?

A. The milk is too cold.
B. Somebody in the house is in love.
C. The churn is damaged.
D. The cow is sick.

B. Somebody in the house is in love.
This folklore connects the natural processes of the dairy to the human emotions of Tess and Angel.

31. Who were the three dairymaids, besides Tess, in love with Angel Clare?

A. Car Darch, Nancy, Deborah Fyander
B. Marian, Izz Huett, Retty Priddle
C. Christianner, Beck Knibbs, Frances
D. Elizabeth, ’Liza-Lu, Hope

B. Marian, Izz Huett, Retty Priddle
These friends represent unrequited love and highlight the depth of Tess’s own happiness and later suffering.

32. When Angel carried Tess across the flooded road, what classical analogy did he use?

A. Three Fates to get one Muse
B. Three Leahs to get one Rachel
C. Three Nymphs to get one Goddess
D. Three Graces to get one Venus

B. Three Leahs to get one Rachel
This Biblical allusion shows Angel’s preference for Tess (Rachel) over her friends, emphasizing how he idealizes her.

33. What was the name of the woman Angel’s parents hoped he would marry?

A. Izz Huett
B. Mercy Chant
C. Retty Priddle
D. Joan Durbeyfield

B. Mercy Chant
Mercy represents the conventional and socially acceptable match for Angel, a contrast to the natural, passionate Tess.

34. When Angel first proposed, what was Tess’s inevitable answer?

A. Yes, soon.
B. I cannot be your wife.
C. I must consult my mother.
D. I am already engaged.

B. I cannot be your wife.
Her refusal is driven by guilt over her past, creating the conflict of whether to confess.

35. How did Tess prepare to confess her past on her wedding eve?

A. She spoke to Angel’s mother.
B. She wrote a narrative and slipped it under his door.
C. She sent a telegram to Alec.
D. She spoke to the other dairymaids.

B. She wrote a narrative and slipped it under his door.
Her attempt fails when Angel doesn’t receive the letter, a tragic turn of fate.

36. What superstition did the old carriage remind Tess of?

A. The d’Urberville Coach, a bad omen.
B. The carriage of King Charles II.
C. The White Lady of the Chase.
D. The coachman being dead drunk.

A. The d’Urberville Coach, a bad omen.
This legend, about a phantom coach signaling a crime, foreshadows the tragic events of their marriage.

37. What ill-omen occurred as Angel and Tess departed the dairy?

A. The carriage wheel broke.
B. Marian fell down.
C. The white cock crowed.
D. They forgot the luggage.

C. The white cock crowed.
The cock crowing in the afternoon is seen as a terrible omen, another sign of impending doom.

38. When Angel walked in his sleep, where did he carry and lay Tess?

A. On the riverbank.
B. In the empty stone coffin of an abbot.
C. On the cold stone bridge.
D. Back in her bed.

B. In the empty stone coffin of an abbot.
This surreal scene reveals Angel’s subconscious. He sees Tess as dead to him, symbolizing the death of their love.

39. What decree did Angel give Tess regarding contact?

A. She could write only if ill; she must not come to him.
B. They were to communicate only through his father.
C. They were divorced and must never speak again.
D. They would meet again in six months in London.

A. She could write only if ill; she must not come to him.
These cruel terms effectively abandon Tess, leaving her in a powerless situation.

40. What country did Angel Clare travel to for a new start?

A. Australia
B. Canada
C. Texas
D. Brazil

D. Brazil
His journey is an escape. His hardships there eventually lead him to reconsider his harsh judgment of Tess.

41. Whom did Angel encounter who confessed her love and willingness to go to Brazil?

A. Marian
B. Mercy Chant
C. Izz Huett
D. ‘Liza-Lu

C. Izz Huett
Izz’s devotion forces Angel to ask if she loves him as much as Tess. Her honest answer is the first crack in his resolve.

42. What did Tess do to mar her appearance after being harassed?

A. She cut her hair short.
B. She put on an old gown and nipped her eyebrows off.
C. She wore a veil constantly.
D. She refused to wash her face.

B. She put on an old gown and nipped her eyebrows off.
Tess tries to make herself unattractive to avoid male attention, a desperate act to protect herself.

43. What was Tess’s job at Flintcomb-Ash?

A. Haymaking
B. Swede-grubbing/trimming
C. Milking
D. Reed-drawing

B. Swede-grubbing/trimming
Flintcomb-Ash is the opposite of Talbothays: a barren, unforgiving landscape where Tess performs grueling labor.

44. How had Alec d’Urberville altered his appearance when he returned?

A. He wore a mask.
B. He wore a clerical costume and cut off his whiskers.
C. He wore rough farm clothes.
D. He grew a thick beard.

B. He wore a clerical costume and cut off his whiskers.
Alec’s improbable conversion to an evangelical preacher sets up the final temptation for Tess.

45. What physical action did Tess perform, striking Alec on the mouth?

A. She hit him with a bill-hook.
B. She slapped him with her leather glove.
C. She kicked him.
D. She pushed him off the rick.

B. She slapped him with her leather glove.
This act of physical resistance, drawing blood, is a powerful moment of defiance that foreshadows the ultimate violence.

46. What news brought ’Liza-Lu to Tess at Flintcomb-Ash?

A. Her mother was dying.
B. Their house was sold.
C. Their father, Sir John, was dead.
D. Angel Clare had returned.

C. Their father, Sir John, was dead.
Her father’s death triggers the family’s eviction and final descent into poverty, forcing Tess into an impossible position.

47. Where did the Durbeyfield family set up a temporary camp in Kingsbere?

A. At the local inn.
B. In the d’Urberville Aisle of the church.
C. On the uplands of Egdon Heath.
D. In the ruined manor-house.

B. In the d’Urberville Aisle of the church.
Homeless, they take shelter in the tomb of their ancestors, an ironic scene highlighting their fallen state.

48. Where did Angel Clare finally track Tess down after returning from Brazil?

A. Marlott.
B. A stylish lodging-house called The Herons.
C. Flintcomb-Ash.
D. Kingsbere.

B. A stylish lodging-house called The Herons.
He finds her living as Alec’s mistress, having succumbed to his pressure to save her family. His arrival is tragically too late.

49. Where did Tess and Angel spend five days in “absolute seclusion”?

A. In a barn on the Plain.
B. In an empty mansion in the New Forest.
C. On a boat heading to London.
D. In the Vicarage.

B. In an empty mansion in the New Forest.
After murdering Alec, Tess and Angel have a brief, dreamlike honeymoon period while on the run.

50. Upon what massive stone structure did Tess fall asleep before her capture?

A. The Kingsbere vault.
B. Melchester Cathedral.
C. Stonehenge.
D. Bulbarrow.

C. Stonehenge.
In the final scene, Tess is arrested on a stone “altar” at the ancient monument, a symbolic sacrifice by society.

Brief Overview

Tess of the d’Urbervilles is a tragic novel by Thomas Hardy. It was first published in 1891. The novel is set in rural England and is a profound indictment of social injustice and the moral double standards imposed on women in Victorian society.

The story begins when the poor Jack Durbeyfield learns his family is descended from the ancient, noble d’Urberville line. His daughter, Tess, is sent to the wealthy relatives for help. She meets Alec d’Urberville, a harsh man who seduces her. Tess becomes pregnant, and her baby, named Sorrow, tragically dies soon after birth.

Tess attempts to start a new life as a dairymaid. She meets Angel Clare, a kind gentleman who is studying farming. Tess and Angel fall deeply in love. Tess hides her troubled past with Alec. After they marry, Tess confesses her history. Angel is shocked and cruel; he immediately leaves her and travels to Brazil.

Tess faces harsh fieldwork and poverty. Alec, who briefly became a preacher, finds her and tries to win her back. When Tess’s father dies, Alec uses the family’s intense financial need to force Tess to live with him. Angel returns, filled with regret and love. He finds Tess living with Alec, who had tricked her into believing Angel would never come back.

Tess kills Alec in despair. Angel protects her, and they flee, hiding for a short time. They are found asleep by the authorities at Stonehenge. Tess is arrested. The novel concludes with Angel walking away with Tess’s young sister, Liza-Lu, who is implied to be his new companion.