William Congreve

Study questions William Congreve

Facts about William Congreve

➾ Congreve published Incognita, a light parody of fashionable romance, using the pseudonym Cleophil in 1692.

➾ Though he entered law studies at the Middle Temple, Congreve was never a serious reader of the legal texts.

➾ His friend, the great writer Jonathan Swift, was also tutored by his elder schoolfellow, St. George Ashe.

➾ Congreve wrote his first enormous success, The Old Bachelor, in 1690 to simply amuse himself during convalescence.

➾ The Old Bachelor, praised by John Dryden, ran for the time’s unprecedented length of a fortnight.

➾ Congreve was rewarded for his literary merit with a sinecure post, licensing five London hackney coaches.

➾ His tragedy, The Mourning Bride (1697), became his most popular play, though now his least regarded drama.

➾ Congreve’s theatrical masterpiece, The Way of the World, despite a brilliant cast, shockingly failed with the audience.

➾ He stopped writing plays after 1700, partly due to Jeremy Collier’s attack on stage immorality and profaneness.

➾ He held the lucrative post of secretary of the island of Jamaica, improving his civil service position.

➾ Upon his death, Congreve left almost all of his large fortune to the second Duchess of Marlborough.

William Congreve MCQs

1. When was William Congreve born?

A. January, 1670
B. March, 1693
C. November, 1696
D. January, 1729

A. January, 1670.
William Congreve was born on January 24, 1670, in Yorkshire, England, before moving to Ireland.

2. Where was William Congreve born?

A. Kilkenny, Ireland
B. Bardsey, Yorkshire, Eng.
C. London, England
D. Stretton, Staffordshire, Eng.

B. Bardsey, Yorkshire, Eng.
Congreve was born in Bardsey, located near Leeds in Yorkshire, England, before his family relocated to Ireland.

3. What was the title of Congreve’s first published literary work in 1692?

A. The Double-Dealer
B. Incognita
C. The Old Bachelor
D. Love for Love

B. Incognita.
Incognita: or, Love and Duty reconcil’d was Congreve’s first published work, appearing in 1692 under the name Cleophil.

4. Under what pseudonym did Congreve publish his first prose work, Incognita?

A. Junius
B. Cleophil
C. Philander
D. Astrophel

B. Cleophil.
Congreve used the pseudonym Cleophil when publishing his early, skilful near-parody of a fashionable romance in 1692.

5. What was the title of Congreve’s first play produced on stage?

A. The Way of the World
B. The Double-Dealer
C. The Old Bachelor
D. The Mourning Bride

C. The Old Bachelor.
The Old Bachelor was produced in March 1693, bringing Congreve sudden and enormous fame as a playwright.

6. What was Congreve’s final play written and produced for the stage in 1700?

A. The Double-Dealer
B. Love for Love
C. The Way of the World
D. The Mourning Bride

C. The Way of the World.
The Way of the World (1700) was Congreve’s final attempt to write a play, despite being his dramatic masterpiece.

7. What was the genre in which William Congreve chiefly excelled and shaped?

A. Ballad Opera
B. Sentimental Drama
C. Comedy of Manners
D. Heroic Tragedy

C. Comedy of Manners.
Congreve is recognised as the outstanding writer who profoundly shaped the English Restoration comedy of manners.

8. Which of Congreve’s plays, staged in 1697, was his most popular during his lifetime?

A. The Old Bachelor
B. The Way of the World
C. The Mourning Bride
D. The Double-Dealer

C. The Mourning Bride.
The tragedy The Mourning Bride (1697) significantly swelled his reputation and became his most popular play.

9. When did William Congreve die?

A. January, 1729
B. March, 1700
C. April, 1696
D. December 1705

A. January, 1729.
William Congreve died in London on January 19, 1729, shortly before his 59th birthday, after a carriage accident.

10. What caused the ultimate death of William Congreve?

A. Gout complications
B. A long illness
C. Carriage accident
D. Duel injury

C. Carriage accident.
Congreve, suffering from gout and poor health, died after being involved in a severe carriage accident.

11. In what city did Congreve attend university, receiving his M.A. in 1696?

A. Kilkenny
B. London
C. Dublin
D. Youghal

C. Dublin.
Congreve attended Trinity College, Dublin, enrolling in 1686 and completing his Master of Arts degree in 1696.

12. Who served as Congreve’s literary patron early in his career?

A. Jonathan Swift
B. John Gay
C. John Dryden
D. Sir Richard Steele

C. John Dryden.
Dryden became Congreve’s influential literary protégé, collaborating on translations and warmly praising his first play.

13. Which major play of Congreve’s, a tragic work, was produced in 1697?

A. The Way of the World
B. Love for Love
C. The Mourning Bride
D. The Double-Dealer

C. The Mourning Bride.
The Mourning Bride (1697) was Congreve’s only tragedy, though now it is his least critically regarded drama.

14. What specific characteristic of Congreve’s dialogue led to his fame?

A. Naturalistic staging
B. Brilliant comic dialogue
C. Philosophical depth
D. Political allegory

B. Brilliant comic dialogue.
Congreve shaped the comedy of manners genre through his notable use of brilliant and skillfully refined comic dialogue.

15. What specific social dynamic did Congreve’s satire often focus on?

A. Political corruption
B. War of the sexes
C. Financial markets
D. Religious morality

B. War of the sexes.
His work often featured a satirical portrayal of the “war of the sexes,” reflecting the social customs of his time.

16. Which famous Restoration play, written in 1690, brought Congreve immediate success in 1693?

A. The Double-Dealer
B. The Old Bachelor
C. The Mourning Bride
D. The Way of the World

B. The Old Bachelor.
The Old Bachelor, written for amusement during convalescence, achieved an enormous and unprecedented success when produced.

17. What unprecedented run length did The Old Bachelor achieve upon its debut?

A. One week
B. A full fortnight
C. Two months
D. Only three nights

B. A full fortnight.
The play ran for the then remarkable length of a fortnight, securing Congreve’s rapid rise to fame.

18. Which of Congreve’s plays, initially less successful, is now critically admired?

A. The Way of the World
B. The Double-Dealer
C. Love for Love
D. The Old Bachelor

B. The Double-Dealer.
The Double-Dealer (1693) was less applauded upon its premiere but is now appreciated more critically.

19. Who provided a panegyrical introduction to the published form of The Double-Dealer?

A. Jonathan Swift
B. John Dryden
C. Alexander Pope
D. Jeremy Collier

B. John Dryden.
Dryden continued his patronage by writing a highly praising introduction for the published edition of The Double-Dealer.

20. Where did Congreve’s play Love for Love premiere in April 1695?

A. Theatre Royal
B. Queen’s Theatre
C. Lincoln’s Inn Fields
D. Dorset Garden

C. Lincoln’s Inn Fields.
Love for Love was the inaugural production staged for the newly opened theatre in Lincoln’s Inn Fields.

21. What role did Congreve take on at the new Lincoln’s Inn Fields theatre?

A. Actor
B. Manager
C. Proprietor
D. Playwright-in-residence

B. Manager.
Following the successful opening of Love for Love, Congreve joined the management team of the new theatre.

22. What promise did Congreve make to the Lincoln’s Inn Fields theatre management?

A. Write a tragedy
B. Provide a new play yearly
C. Avoid controversy
D. Manage finances

B. Provide a new play yearly.
As part of his managerial role, Congreve promised to write and deliver one new play every year.

23. What genre dominated the plays Congreve wrote after 1695, besides plays?

A. Translations
B. Occasional verse
C. Comic librettos
D. Prose fiction

B. Occasional verse.
After 1695, Congreve began writing public occasional verse, such as his pastoral on Queen Mary II’s death.

24. What famous tragedy by Congreve became his most frequently revived piece currently?

A. The Mourning Bride
B. The Double-Dealer
C. The Way of the World
D. The Old Bachelor

C. The Way of the World.
Although it failed with its initial audience, The Way of the World is now his only play frequently revived.

25. Why was The Way of the World a failure with its original audience?

A. Poor cast
B. Lengthy running time
C. Unpopular subject
D. Sources do not specify

D. Sources do not specify.
The sources state that The Way of the World was a failure with the audience, but do not elaborate on the specific reasons.

26. What was the subject of Jeremy Collier’s influential 1698 tract?

A. Whig politics
B. Immorality of the stage
C. The Pindarique Ode
D. Comic dialogue

B. Immorality of the stage.
Collier’s tract, A Short View… of the English Stage, heavily criticised the immorality and profaneness of contemporary comedies.

27. Who did Jeremy Collier specifically censure in his attack on the stage?

A. Gay and Pope
B. Swift and Steele
C. Congreve and Dryden
D. Ashe and Vanbrugh

C. Congreve and Dryden.
Collier’s famous tract, published in 1698, specifically criticised both John Dryden and William Congreve among other dramatists.

28. What was the title of Congreve’s reply to Jeremy Collier’s accusation?

A. The Way of the World
B. A Short View Answered
C. Amendments
D. Pindarique Discourse

C. Amendments.
Congreve responded to Collier’s attack by writing Amendments of Mr. Collier’s False and Imperfect Citations in 1698.

29. What literary work did Congreve write a libretto for after his retirement from stage writing?

A. An opera
B. A comedy
C. A tragedy
D. A poem

A. An opera.
After 1700, Congreve did not leave the theatre entirely, writing librettos for two separate operas.

30. With which playwright did Congreve collaborate in managing the Queen’s theatre in 1705?

A. John Gay
B. Jonathan Swift
C. Sir John Vanbrugh
D. John Dryden

C. Sir John Vanbrugh.
In 1705, Congreve briefly associated himself with the architect and playwright Sir John Vanbrugh at the Queen’s theatre.

31. What was the Queen’s Theatre also known as during the time Congreve was associated with it?

A. Drury Lane
B. Italian Opera house
C. Lincoln’s Inn Fields
D. Covent Garden

B. Italian Opera house.
The Queen’s theatre, co-managed by Vanbrugh and Congreve for a short period, was also known as the Italian Opera house.

32. What was Congreve’s initial sinecure position, rewarding literary merit?

A. Customs Commissioner
B. Commissioner for wines
C. Secretary of Jamaica
D. Licensing hackney coaches

D. Licensing hackney coaches.
Congreve was first appointed as one of the five commissioners responsible for licensing hackney coaches.

33. What government position did Congreve retain thanks to Jonathan Swift’s intervention in 1710?

A. Hackney coach licensing
B. Commissioner for wines
C. Customs service
D. Jamaica secretaryship

B. Commissioner for wines.
Swift’s good offices during a change of government ensured Congreve retained his post as a commissioner for wines.

34. What prestigious post did Congreve gain at the end of 1714?

A. Customs commissioner
B. Commissioner for wines
C. Secretary of Jamaica
D. Theatre manager

C. Secretary of Jamaica.
His civil service position was improved with the addition of the highly desirable secretaryship of the island of Jamaica.

35. What specific poetry collection did Congreve publish a timely ‘Discourse on’ in 1706?

A. The Pastoral
B. The Love Poem
C. The Pindarique Ode
D. The Satire

C. The Pindarique Ode.
Congreve’s Discourse on the Pindarique Ode (1706) sought to restore order to this specific poetic form.

36. Which philosophical term did Congreve oppose applying to the concept of love?

A. Lust
B. Gratification
C. Rationalizing
D. Sentimentality

C. Rationalizing.
Congreve was philosophically averse to “rationalising” love, believing it transcended mere appetite or lust.

37. How did Congreve’s attitude toward love compare to his contemporaries?

A. Less subtle
B. More cynical
C. More feeling for individual
D. More focused on lust

C. More feeling for individual.
Congreve is noted for going deeper than his contemporaries, showing more genuine feeling for the individual in love.

38. Who was Congreve’s tutor at Trinity College, Dublin, who also tutored Swift?

A. John Dryden
B. St. George Ashe
C. John Gay
D. Jeremy Collier

B. St. George Ashe.
Congreve studied under St. George Ashe, a respected philosopher and mathematician who also tutored his friend Jonathan Swift.

39. Who was Congreve’s lifelong friend, his elder schoolfellow at Kilkenny?

A. John Gay
B. Alexander Pope
C. Jonathan Swift
D. Sir Richard Steele

C. Jonathan Swift.
Jonathan Swift was Congreve’s elder schoolfellow at Kilkenny, and their friendship remained constant and affectionate.

40. Which famous poet dedicated his translation of the Iliad to William Congreve?

A. John Dryden
B. John Gay
C. Alexander Pope
D. Homer

C. Alexander Pope.
Alexander Pope, a close literary friend, demonstrated his respect by dedicating his translation of Homer’s Iliad to Congreve.

41. What did John Gay affectionately call William Congreve?

A. The Gentleman
B. The unreproachful man
C. The Great Wit
D. Honest John

B. The unreproachful man.
John Gay referred to Congreve, due to his constant friendships and lack of quarrels, as the “unreproachful man”.

42. Which actress, who played his female leads, was Congreve closely attached to?

A. Duchess of Marlborough
B. Lady Mary Godolphin
C. Mrs. Anne Bracegirdle
D. Queen Mary II

C. Mrs. Anne Bracegirdle.
Congreve maintained a known, close friendship with actress Mrs. Anne Bracegirdle, who performed most of his female leads.

43. Who was the primary heiress of almost all of William Congreve’s fortune?

A. Mrs. Bracegirdle
B. His sister
C. Duchess of Marlborough
D. Lady Mary Godolphin

C. Duchess of Marlborough.
Congreve left almost his entire substantial fortune to the second duchess of Marlborough, to whom he was devoted.

44. What is the potential familial relationship linking Congreve and Lady Mary Godolphin?

A. Uncle/niece
B. Father/daughter
C. Tutor/student
D. Manager/actress

B. Father/daughter.
It is almost certain, based on the sources, that Congreve was the biological father of Lady Mary Godolphin.

45. What was the description of Congreve’s character given in Giles Jacob’s Poetical Register (1719)?

A. Puffed up with vanity
B. Abounds with humility
C. Cynical and ruthless
D. Ambitious and driven

B. Abounds with humility.
Jacob described Congreve as “so far from being puff’d up with Vanity…that he abounds with Humility and good Nature”.

46. What did Giles Jacob state Congreve showed less of than “the Gentleman”?

A. The manager
B. The pundit
C. The poet
D. The scholar

C. The poet.
Jacob’s remark noted that Congreve displayed “so much the Poet as the Gentleman,” focusing on his character.

47. What title did Congreve prefer to discuss literature “on the footing of” during his notorious meeting with Voltaire?

A. A scholar
B. A gentleman
C. A dramatist
D. A pundit

B. A gentleman.
Congreve informed Voltaire he would only discuss general subjects, “on the footing of a gentleman,” avoiding literary minutiae.

48. What quality did William Hazlitt praise Congreve for in his sentences?

A. Sense and satire
B. Humour and wit
C. Feeling and morality
D. Cadence and music

A. Sense and satire.
Hazlitt wrote that Congreve’s sentences are “replete with sense and satire,” conveyed in polished and pointed terms.

49. What did George Meredith praise about Congreve’s dialogue, comparing him to Molière?

A. Musicality
B. Precision and volume
C. Sentimentality
D. Polished terms

B. Precision and volume.
Meredith praised Congreve, stating he is “at once precise and voluble,” qualifying him as a classic worthy of Molière.

50. What quality did Congreve rise above other contemporary dramatists in?

A. Political awareness
B. Perfection of phrasing
C. Financial management
D. Audience appeal

B. Perfection of phrasing.
Congreve distinguished himself from his peers through both the delicacy of his feeling and the perfection displayed in his phrasing.

The Old Bachelor MCQs

1. Bellmour tells Vainlove that business is the rub of life because it perverts the aim and casts off what?

A. Life’s purpose
B. Good Sense
C. The bias
D. Time’s pursuit

C. The bias.
Business is described as perverting the aim of life, leaving people short of the intended mark, casting off the bias.

2. Bellmour says that wisdom is only pretending to know and believe what?

A. More truth
B. More than
C. Real understanding
D. Nothing really

B. More than.
Bellmour asserts that wisdom involves pretending to know and believe more than people actually do.

3. What occupation does Bellmour declare as his own faculty and pleasure?

A. Wit pleasure
B. Business wealth
C. High orb
D. Low earthly

A. Wit pleasure.
Bellmour declares that “Wit be my faculty, and pleasure my occupation” instead of low earthly pursuits.

4. When Vainlove tosses a letter, Bellmour immediately recognises whose hand it is from.?

A. Araminta’s name
B. A woman’s
C. An idler’s
D. Time’s finger

B. A woman’s.
Bellmour boasts he has a “hawk’s eye” for identifying a letter written in a woman’s hand.

5. Vainlove tells Bellmour that Sylvia is true only in what specific manner?

A. Sweet memory
B. Pure lust
C. Imagination
D. Open love

C. Imagination.
Vainlove mocks Sylvia, suggesting her truthfulness exists only in the realm of her imagination, not reality.

6. Bellmour argues that a woman enjoying a lover in effigy shows great zeal toward whom?

A. The husband
B. The lover
C. Vainlove
D. Herself

A. The husband.
This zealous action of choosing a lover is meant to prove her strong commitment and faithfulness toward her absent husband.

7. Vainlove mentions that if Bellmour converts Alderman Fondlewife to his persuasion, what item will be unnecessary?

A. Bellmour’s presence
B. This letter
C. More zeal
D. Conjugal love

B. This letter.
If Fondlewife accepts Bellmour’s views on effigy, the appointment letter for Laetitia will be redundant.

8. What activity will keep Laetitia company while Fondlewife is out of town, which she plans to prevent?

A. Talking sense
B. Send Spintext
C. Write letters
D. Praying fasting

B. Send Spintext.
Fondlewife plans to send Mr. Spintext to keep Laetitia company, but she intends to ensure he is absent.

9. Bellmour finds that disguise adds a “gusto” to an amour, making it resemble what criminal act?

A. Plain lying
B. Theft
C. Idolatry
D. Fondness

B. Theft.
Bellmour notes that disguise adds excitement, giving the affair the resemblance of a deeply enjoyable sin, like theft.

10. What behaviour does Vainlove exhibit that shows his weak relationship with love, similar to his distaste for wine?

A. Hate forced
B. Strong passion
C. True affection
D. Constant seeking

A. Hate forced.
Vainlove hates love when it is “forced upon a man,” preferring to quit it when it ceases to be natural.

11. Vainlove describes Fondlewife as addicted to jealousy, and what other, contrasting quality?

A. Pure logic
B. Precise manners
C. More fondness
D. Much anger

C. More fondness.
Fondlewife is characterised as being excessively fond, which balances his frequent but easily satisfied jealousy.

12. Whom does Heartwell love that Vainlove fails to pursue, partially because Heartwell believes she is virtuous?

A. Laetitia
B. Belinda
C. Sylvia
D. Araminta

C. Sylvia.
Vainlove intentionally fails Sylvia because Heartwell visits her daily, believing her to possess pure virtue.

13. Bellmour observes that he is damnably in love because he is experiencing an uncomfortable state related to Belinda.

A. Great joy
B. Uneasy
C. Feeling mad
D. Too sick

B. Uneasy.
Bellmour says he is damnably in love because he is “so uneasy” for not having seen Belinda recently.

14. Bellmour complains that he must lie with whose wives, in addition to dealing with his own ten mistresses?

A. Other men’s
B. Old bankers’
C. His friends’
D. Noble families’

A. Other men’s.
Bellmour feels overwhelmed, having to handle Vainlove’s business, including lying with other men’s wives.

15. Sharper warns Bellmour that he is “gone” once a man starts performing what theatrical action?

A. Fine speeches
B. Soliloquies
C. Deep thinking
D. Walking alone

B. Soliloquies.
Sharper suggests that engaging in lonely soliloquies is a sure sign that a man is lost to love.

16. Bellmour says his “business of consequence” today involves putting the “last hand” to finishing what specific person?

A. The banker
B. An alderman
C. Heartwell
D. Vainlove

B. An alderman.
Bellmour explains he must “dub him cuckold” to elevate the alderman to equal dignity with his peers.

17. Sharper lists many reasons Belinda is unsuitable for a wife, but Bellmour is mainly focused on what specific quality?

A. Her looks
B. Her wit
C. Much money
D. Great pride

C. Much money.
Bellmour confirms that despite her faults, she cannot have “too much money,” specifically citing twelve thousand pound.

18. Bellmour compares Heartwell’s unwelcome presence to what item after the lady has suffered smallpox?

A. New clothing
B. A physician
C. Looking-glass
D. Sharp wit

C. Looking-glass.
Heartwell’s presence is described as unwelcome and impolite, like seeing one’s reflection after smallpox.

19. Sharper claims Vainlove loves to set out his amours in what kind of dangerous condition?

A. Foul weather
B. Fine spirit
C. Sailing safely
D. Clear sky

A. Foul weather.
Sharper states Vainlove enjoys fighting the winds and sailing directly “in the teeth of opposition.”

20. Bellmour describes Araminta, Vainlove’s mistress, using what geographical metaphor?

A. Calm ocean
B. Floating island
C. Rocky shore
D. Deep ocean

B. Floating island.
Araminta is called a “kind of floating island,” sometimes near, then vanishing, keeping Vainlove searching.

21. Bellmour tells Heartwell that Vainlove takes only as much of an amour as he desires and quits it when it becomes what?

A. Too serious
B. Stale unpleasant
C. Too costly
D. Very tedious

B. Stale unpleasant.
Vainlove possesses an easy temper, quitting the affair when it grows “stale or unpleasant” to him.

22. Sharper observes that Vainlove does the “drudgery in the mine” so Bellmour can stamp his image on what product?

A. The gold
B. The copper
C. The fruit
D. The labour

A. The gold.
Sharper uses this metaphor to explain that Vainlove sows the seed (the work), and Bellmour reaps the rewards (the gold).

23. Bellmour compares his success to covering what type of game bird, which Vainlove took pains to set?

A. The fox
B. The hawk
C. The partridge
D. The hare

C. The partridge.
Bellmour says Vainlove’s diversion is to set the bird, while his own pleasure is to “cover the partridge.”

24. Heartwell claims that young, flashy sinners have all the guilt of the intention but none of what result?

A. The desire
B. The conviction
C. The pleasure
D. The wisdom

C. The pleasure.
Heartwell argues that these youths are cloyed with the preparation, missing the pleasure of the actual practice.

25. Bellmour implies Vainlove avoids kissing the lady’s lips when the lap-dog possesses what superior attribute?

A. Sweeter breath
B. Gentle spirit
C. Clearer eyes
D. Cleaner skin

A. Sweeter breath.
Vainlove is accused of preferring the dog’s lips for a “more cleanly conveyance” because its breath is sweeter.

26. Sharper suggests that playing with a woman’s fan when she is hot may entitle a man to warm her when she is what?

A. Very angry
B. Should be cold
C. Feeling silly
D. Reading poetry

B. Should be cold.
This small gallantry might later entitle him to the “office of warming her when she should be cold.”

27. Heartwell compares the drudgery of loving to receiving an estate overcharged with what?

A. Many people
B. Debts
C. Fine clothes
D. Great pride

B. Debts.
By the time the debts are paid, the estate yields no profit beyond what tillage and manuring produce.

28. Sharper notes that if whoring is purging, then marriage is akin to entering what kind of regimen?

A. Strict life
B. Constant prayer
C. Course physics
D. Bad business

C. Course physics.
Sharper jokingly implies that marriage functions as a long-term, medicinal treatment after debauchery.

29. Heartwell vows he would not be a cuckold, even to an illustrious whore in England, because he does not want to bear what symbol?

A. Royal crown
B. Ill will
C. My horns
D. New son

C. My horns.
Heartwell finds the idea of being a “stag of the first head” and bearing horns aloft repulsive.

30. What item does Sir Joseph Wittoll confess he has put all his available money upon?

A. Clothes
B. His Back
C. A venture
D. New oaths

B. His Back.
Sir Joseph explains that his money is spent on his friend, Captain Bluffe, whom he refers to as his “Back.”

31. Sharper determines that Bellmour’s rescuer of Sir Joseph Wittoll must be Bellmour because of the account of what?

A. The captain
B. Civil gentleman
C. Ruffians’ attack
D. His fear

B. Civil gentleman.
Sir Joseph mentions being saved by a “civil gentleman,” matching Bellmour’s actions described earlier.

32. Sharper pretends he lost a bill of what monetary value in the scuffle the previous night?

A. Five pounds
B. A hundred
C. Two hundred
D. All his

B. A hundred.
Sharper uses the supposed loss of a hundred-pound bill to leverage payment from Sir Joseph Wittoll.

33. Sir Joseph claims that he is all over acknowledgement and will not stick to show it in the greatest what?

A. Ceremony
B. Extremity
C. Gratitude
D. Great debt

B. Extremity.
Sir Joseph promises to show his acknowledgement in all circumstances, including sickness or “greatest extremity.”

34. Captain Bluffe has retired from the army, claiming the general slighted men of merit and preferred those of what?

A. Great bravery
B. Own design
C. Interest
D. High rank

C. Interest.
Bluffe pretends to have quit the service because the general promoted those with “interest” rather than merit.

35. Sharper compares Captain Bluffe to a drum, noting that both are full of blustering noise and what other quality?

A. Emptiness
B. Great sound
C. Much danger
D. Hard beating

A. Emptiness.
Bluffe is described as having “blustering noise and emptiness,” useful only for being beaten like a drum.

36. Captain Bluffe suggests that Hannibal, a very pretty fellow, would be considered “nothing” if alive when?

A. Now
B. In antiquity
C. Next year
D. In battle

A. Now.
Bluffe boasts that if Hannibal were alive “at this day,” he would be of no consequence whatsoever.

37. Bluffe claims the rascally gazette-writer never mentioned him, acting as if Nol. Bluffe was not in what state?

A. The army
B. The battle
C. The living
D. Flanders

C. The living.
Despite witnessing key events, the writer excluded him entirely, making him seem nonexistent in the land of the living.

38. What religious text does Sir Joseph Wittoll say he finds good morals to be picked out of?

A. The Bible
B. AEsop’s Fables
C. The Gazette
D. The Poem

B. AEsop’s Fables.
Sir Joseph tells Bluffe that there are good morals to be found in both Aesop’s Fables and Reynard the Fox.

39. Araminta’s maid, Betty, is asked to get her hoods and tippet, and bid the footman call what item?

A. A coach
B. A chair
C. A lady
D. Some music

B. A chair.
Belinda calls for her walking attire and instructs the footman to secure a “chair” for her transport.

40. Belinda tells Bellmour that importunity in love, like importunity at court, first creates what?

A. Its interest
B. Great debt
C. Much trouble
D. A problem

A. Its interest.
Importunity, when persistent, is effective because it forces the creation of its own influence or interest.

41. Araminta compares favours gained by impudence to discoveries made from what torture device?

A. The rack
B. The stocks
C. The pillory
D. The chain

A. The rack.
She means the resulting confessions are often made only for ease, not because they are true secrets of the heart.

42. Vainlove asserts that ladies are the temples of love, and devotion must be conveyed through whom?

A. The parson
B. Only them
C. The idols
D. The prayer

B. Only them.
Vainlove states that since the women are the temples, all the men’s devotion must pass through them.

43. Bellmour suggests he must have all his actions free to quicken Belinda’s apprehension if he is what?

A. Very angry
B. Tongue-tied
C. Feeling cold
D. Quite foolish

B. Tongue-tied.
If he cannot speak, Bellmour argues that his silent gestures are his “most prevailing argument.”

44. Lucy warns Sylvia that she may as soon hope to recover her own maidenhead as what other loss?

A. His love
B. Her money
C. Old age
D. True honor

A. His love.
Lucy advises Sylvia to abandon hope for Vainlove’s affection and focus on securing Heartwell immediately.

45. Lucy reveals that Vainlove received Sylvia’s letter with “damned senseless” what specific reaction?

A. Anger
B. Indifference
C. Scorn
D. Great fury

B. Indifference.
Vainlove received the passionate letter with total apathy, simply saying he would take time to peruse it.

46. Heartwell compares entering Sylvia’s house to putting on what mythical, poisoned garment?

A. A gown
B. Shirt
C. Great cloak
D. Silk dress

B. Shirt.
He compares the danger of pursuing Sylvia to putting on the “envenomed shirt,” leading to a fever.

47. Setter’s fanatic disguise includes a black patch worn over one eye to mourn what former misdeeds?

A. Past sins
B. His youth
C. Ogling offences
D. His wife

C. Ogling offences.
Tribulation Spintext wore the patch as penal mourning for the “ogling offences of his youth.”

48. Setter determines that to be honest is nothing, and reputation itself is as foolish a thing as what?

A. Poverty
B. Honesty
C. Great fortune
D. True worth

B. Honesty.
Setter concludes that for poor people, honesty and reputation are both useless compared to immediate wealth.

49. When Fondlewife returns unexpectedly, Bellmour begins looking around desperately for what critical disguise item?

A. His cloak
B. His patch
C. The book
D. His hat

B. His patch.
Bellmour panics when he hears Fondlewife, cursing and searching for his crucial black eye patch.

50. When Bellmour is discovered, Fondlewife worries he is being transformed into what horned animal?

A. A bull
B. A sheep
C. A cuckold
D. A monster

C. A cuckold.
Fondlewife screams, “Am I then brutified? Ay, I feel it here; I sprout, I bud, I blossom, I am ripe-horn-mad.”

Brief Overview

The Old Bachelor is a comedic play by William Congreve. It was first performed and published in 1693. This classic Restoration comedy of manners explores themes of love, deception, marriage, and social dynamics through a witty, satirical lens.

The play follows several couples. Bellmour is a witty man who wants two women: the wealthy Belinda and Laetitia, the wife of the old, jealous banker Fondlewife. Bellmour uses a parson disguise to meet Laetitia in secret. Fondlewife catches them, but Bellmour and Laetitia quickly fool the husband into believing her innocence.

Bellmour’s friend, Vainlove, is pursuing Araminta. Vainlove suddenly stops chasing her because Araminta seemed too eager in a fake love letter. This letter was sent by Sylvia, Vainlove’s former mistress.

The cynical Heartwell, who pretended to hate women, decides to marry Sylvia. Sylvia’s maid, Lucy, mistakes Bellmour in his priest costume for the real minister. Bellmour performs the marriage, but this is done as a joke.

Meanwhile, Sharper and his helper, Setter, trick the foolish Sir Joseph Wittoll and the bragging, cowardly Captain Bluffe.

In the end, Bellmour helps Heartwell escape his rushed joke marriage. Sylvia is then married to Sir Joseph Wittoll instead. Bellmour decides to marry Belinda, and Vainlove reconciles with Araminta. Heartwell celebrates his freedom from wedlock.