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 Double-Dealer MCQs

1. Careless leaves the dinner table because he is tired of which activity?

A. Eating talking
B. Weary guzzling
C. Drinking wine
D. Finding women

B. Weary guzzling.
Careless states he is “weary of guzzling” and prefers the company and voices of the women.

2. According to Mellefont, the women retire after dinner to their tea and what customary activity?

A. Gossip talking
B. Fine clothes
C. Scandal ancient
D. New poetry

C. Scandal ancient.
The women follow their “ancient custom” of retiring to tea and scandalous conversation after dinner.

3. Brisk criticises Careless for leaving because he leaves no one for the company to do what?

A. Laugh at
B. Talk to
C. Interrupt easily
D. Tell jokes

A. Laugh at.
Brisk argues that Careless leaves nobody remaining “for the company to laugh at” due to his quick departure.

4. Brisk flatters Mellefont by calling him the very essence of wit, and what other quality?

A. Witty sense
B. Spirit wine
C. Great friend
D. Conversation soul

B. Spirit wine.
Brisk claims Mellefont is “the very essence of wit and spirit of wine” in conversation.

5. Lord Touchwood threatens to disinherit Mellefont, and which character threatens to disclaim him as a son-in-law?

A. Lord Froth
B. Sir Paul
C. Careless
D. Maskwell

B. Sir Paul.
Brisk mentions that Sir Paul Plyant threatens to disclaim Mellefont for a prospective son-in-law.

6. Mellefont wants Careless to continue mirth and noise to prevent whose head from working?

A. Careless’s mind
B. Lady Touchwood’s head
C. Cynthia’s will
D. Brisk’s foolishness

B. Lady Touchwood’s head.
Mellefont desires noise and folly to keep his aunt’s brain from working, comparing it to a busy hell.

7. Lady Touchwood’s malice toward Mellefont is compared to what item that only shines where it is pointed?

A. Dark lanthorn
B. Burning light
C. Guiding star
D. Keen dagger

A. Dark lanthorn.
Her malice operates with such subtlety that it shines “like a dark lanthorn” only upon Mellefont.

8. The settlement upon Mellefont includes a proviso that his uncle must not have what?

A. Any debts
B. Young wife
C. No children
D. Sudden plots

C. No children.
The settlement is contingent upon Lord Touchwood having “no children” to inherit the estate.

9. Careless suggests that Mellefont should engage with which lady all evening to prevent his aunt from influencing her?

A. Cynthia’s mother
B. Lady Plyant
C. Lady Froth
D. Biddy Lactilla

B. Lady Plyant.
Careless is instructed to engage Lady Plyant so Mellefont’s aunt cannot “work her to her interest”.

10. Careless distrusts Maskwell, stating he is a little superstitious in what specific area?

A. Astrology
B. Human nature
C. Physiognomy
D. Friendship ties

C. Physiognomy.
Careless admits he cannot help suspecting Maskwell due to his superstitious belief in physiognomy (face reading).

11. Sir Paul Plyant says he is swearing and vowing that he is in almost what condition after drinking?

A. Very silly
B. Tipsy swear
C. Quite ready
D. Quite furious

B. Tipsy swear.
Sir Paul says he is “almost tipsy” and believes another bottle would have been too much for him.

12. Lord Froth finds it barbarous and asks Sir Paul not to call him what quality?

A. Facetious person
B. Very handsome
C. So merry
D. A fool

C. So merry.
Lord Froth considers the term “merry” to be “Oh, barbarous!” and akin to calling him a fool.

13. Lord Froth asserts that he only laughs at whose jokes or jests?

A. Brisk’s stories
B. Nobody’s jests
C. His own
D. Careless’s wit

C. His own.
Lord Froth insists he laughs at nobody’s jest but his own, or occasionally a lady’s.

14. Lord Froth says laughing is a vulgar expression of what universal human experience?

A. The passion
B. The spirit
C. Common nature
D. Good breeding

A. The passion.
Lord Froth objects to laughing, arguing it is a “vulgar expression of the passion” that everybody can do.

15. Lord Froth deliberately attends comedies to mortify which group of people?

A. The actors
B. The poets
C. The commonality
D. The audiences

B. The poets.
He attends shows specifically “To distinguish myself from the commonalty and mortify the poets”.

16. Lady Touchwood confronts Maskwell, accusing him of being false and what other negative trait?

A. Dishonorable
B. Wicked villain
C. Ungrateful
D. Sedate thinking

C. Ungrateful.
Lady Touchwood immediately tells Maskwell, “You are false and ungrateful; come, I know you false”.

17. Maskwell confesses to having wronged Lord Touchwood in the highest manner where?

A. In his bed
B. In his fortune
C. In his house
D. By betrayal

A. In his bed.
Maskwell admits that with Lady Touchwood’s help, he wronged Lord Touchwood “in his bed”.

18. Lady Touchwood says a sedate, thinking villain like Maskwell has blood that runs in what specific way?

A. Hot jealous
B. Temperately bad
C. Violently black
D. Very honest

B. Temperately bad.
She curses Maskwell as a “sedate, a thinking villain, whose black blood runs temperately bad”.

19. Maskwell admits Lady Touchwood only favoured him initially through policy, and what other motivation?

A. Generous love
B. Pure lust
C. Revenge
D. Despair

C. Revenge.
Maskwell states Lady Touchwood favoured his passion only through “revenge and policy”.

20. Lady Touchwood is persuaded to tamper with Lady Plyant, convincing her that Mellefont does what?

A. Loves her
B. Hates Cynthia
C. Is insàne
D. Fears her

A. Loves her.
Maskwell’s plan requires persuading Lady Plyant “that Mellefont loves her”.

21. Lady Froth claims she could not sleep one wink for how long due to being in love?

A. Three years
B. One night
C. Three weeks
D. One moment

C. Three weeks.
Lady Froth exaggerates, saying she “did not sleep one wink for three weeks together”.

22. Lady Froth uses which French term to describe the distinguishing quality Mellefont lacks?

A. Je-ne-sais-quoish
B. Bonne mine
C. Bel Air
D. Mon coeur

C. Bel Air.
She mentions the “BEL AIR or BRILLANT of Mr. Brisk” as the manner Mellefont needs.

23. When demonstrating her portrait, Lady Froth asks Lord Froth to bow as he did when she gave him what item?

A. Her Picture
B. The glass
C. Her hand
D. The ring

A. Her Picture.
She asks him to mimic the bow he performed when she first presented him with her picture.

24. Cynthia suggests Lord and Lady Froth are happy in one another and also happy how?

A. With money
B. By themselves
C. With the company
D. In public

B. By themselves.
Cynthia observes they are “happy in themselves, and by yourselves,” noting their self-absorption.

25. Lady Froth titled her heroic poem, which detailed her husband’s love for her, what surprising name?

A. The Phosphorus
B. The Sillabub
C. The Poem
D. The Dacier

B. The Sillabub.
She laughingly reveals the title of her poem about her lord’s love is “THE SILLABUB”.

26. Cynthia compares marriage to a game of bowls because the outcome depends entirely upon what?

A. Losing losing
B. Good luck
C. Judgment
D. Drawing stakes

C. Judgment.
Although fortune makes the match, Cynthia agrees that “the game depends entirely upon judgment”.

27. Sir Paul Plyant claims he is exasperated and cannot submit because passion is coming upon him by what means?

A. Lady’s temper
B. Inflation
C. Mellefont’s law
D. Sudden thought

B. Inflation.
Sir Paul says, “I find passion coming upon me by inflation”, and therefore he cannot be governed.

28. Lady Plyant claims her husband’s honour is kept where, and she can dispose of it?

A. Her person
B. Her keeping
C. Westminster-Hall
D. A snow-house

B. Her keeping.
Lady Plyant claims Sir Paul has no honour “but what is in my keeping”.

29. Sir Paul accuses Mellefont of having snakes in his peruke and the crocodile of Nilus in what body part?

A. His heart
B. His belly
C. His hands
D. His peruke

B. His belly.
Sir Paul fears Mellefont will eat Cynthia alive, due to the mythical reptile in his stomach.

30. Lady Plyant boasts that she has preserved her honour for three years, like what pristine object?

A. Fair sheet paper
B. Virgin snow
C. Sacred shrine
D. Snow house

A. Fair sheet paper.
She compares herself to “a fair sheet of paper” for Mellefont to make a blot upon.

31. Lady Plyant believes Mellefont marrying Cynthia only to pursue her (Lady Plyant) makes his actions what religious crime?

A. Incest
B. Villainy
C. Deceit
D. Adultery

A. Incest.
Since she is Cynthia’s father’s wife, she warns that his design makes the action incestuous.

32. Maskwell reveals that Lady Touchwood promised him Cynthia and her fortune in exchange for what outcome?

A. Mellefont’s death
B. Breaking the match
C. True love
D. An heir

B. Breaking the match.
Maskwell agreed to accomplish Lady Touchwood’s designs, and she promised Cynthia to him.

33. Maskwell reflects that his rivalry with Mellefont cancels all the bonds of what social connection?

A. Family blood
B. Friendship
C. Gratitude
D. Common sense

B. Friendship.
Maskwell feels that the name of the rival “cuts ’em all asunder” because love is a leveller.

34. Maskwell states that whoever has honesty about him bears what in his breast?

A. A friend
B. An enemy
C. A rival
D. A fool

B. An enemy.
Maskwell decides that an honest man carries “an enemy in his breast” because he only cheats himself.

35. Lady Touchwood tells Lord Touchwood Mellefont desired to create a “nearer relation” to her, describing his motive as what?

A. Harmless mirth
B. A joke
C. Incestuous love
D. Gallantry

D. Gallantry.
She downplays the incident, saying Mellefont wanted to amuse himself with a little “gallantry” towards her.

36. Lord Touchwood vows to have Mellefont stripped and turned naked out of his doors because he calls him what kind of animal?

A. Monster
B. Incestuous brute
C. Unnatural villain
D. Dog

B. Incestuous brute.
Lord Touchwood flies into a rage, condemning Mellefont as an “incestuous brute”.

37. Lady Touchwood claims that Mellefont’s scandalous advances were still fresh, occurring within how much time?

A. A week
B. Two days
C. A twelvemonth
D. An hour

B. Two days.
Lord Touchwood asks, “These two days! Is it so fresh?” indicating the recency of the alleged actions.

38. Maskwell tells Mellefont that Lady Touchwood will pay for the “price of your banishment”, with whose person?

A. Cynthia’s
B. Lord Froth’s
C. Your aunt’s
D. Lady Plyant’s

C. Your aunt’s.
Maskwell claims he is to have “full and free possession of the person of– your aunt” as payment.

39. Mellefont compares Sir Paul, swaddled in blankets due to his wife’s nicety, to what animal on a drift of snow?

A. Russian bear
B. Nilus crocodile
C. Lambkin
D. Ugly thing

A. Russian bear.
Sir Paul is described as lying in bed “like a Russian bear upon a drift of snow” due to his restraints.

40. Careless says a woman’s bragging about resisting temptations is actually a challenge to him to engage her more, how?

A. Respectfully
B. Irresistibly
C. Slowly
D. Honestly

B. Irresistibly.
Mellefont explains that bragging is an argument that the temptations were weakly offered, inviting a stronger attempt.

41. Mellefont advises Careless to give Lady Plyant a billet-doux, arguing a woman doesn’t feel loved until a man has done what?

A. Lost time
B. Written letter
C. Been fooled
D. Made promises

B. Written letter.
A woman believes a man is truly in love when he has been fool enough “to lose so much time as to write to her”.

42. Sir Paul Plyant says he has a plentiful fortune, but his only great grief is not having what?

A. A boy
B. A daughter
C. A son
D. A house

C. A son.
Sir Paul laments to Careless that he has “not a son to inherit this” estate, his only affliction.

43. Lady Plyant mistakenly gives Sir Paul a note from Careless, believing the mistake will do what?

A. Save her
B. Ruin him
C. Undermine him
D. Be unsuspected

D. Be unsuspected.
Lady Plyant uses Sir Paul’s steward’s letter as a cover so her own deceit will “be unsuspected this time”.

44. Sir Paul says if his daughter can contrive to produce a grandson resembling him, he will pay a thousand pounds for resemblance to which body part?

A. His face
B. His leer
C. Left eye
D. Thick lip

C. Left eye.
Sir Paul vows to settle money on the boy, offering “A thousand pounds for this left eye” if the child looks like him.

45. Maskwell tells Mellefont to hide in Lady Touchwood’s chamber to avoid her locking the door when they are together.

A. Lord Touchwood
B. We are
C. Cynthia
D. Careless

B. We are.
Maskwell suggests Mellefont hide so Lady Touchwood cannot lock the door when he and Maskwell are inside.

46. When trying to convince Lord Touchwood to disinherit Mellefont, Maskwell claims that honesty to him is what?

A. True nobility
B. Self-rewarding
C. A vice
D. A jewel

A. True nobility.
Lord Touchwood agrees with Maskwell, stating that “Honesty to me is true nobility”.

47. Maskwell convinces Lord Touchwood to let him manage the new marriage by pretending to have prepared whom for the scheme?

A. His lady
B. His chaplain
C. Sir Paul
D. Cynthia

B. His chaplain.
Lord Touchwood mentions that Maskwell says “he had prepared my chaplain already” for the plot.

48. When Lady Touchwood believes Maskwell has betrayed her for Cynthia, she attempts to strike him with what item?

A. Her hand
B. Her dagger
C. A sword
D. A chain

B. Her dagger.
Lady Touchwood runs at Maskwell with a “dagger” after hearing his confession (which was a lie).

49. When Mellefont leaps out of hiding, Lady Touchwood screams and then kneels, accusing Mellefont of wanting to commit what terrible act?

A. Unnatural incest
B. Treachery deceit
C. Sudden ruin
D. Ravish her

A. Unnatural incest.
Lady Touchwood, seeing her lord, screams, “I’ll be consenting to so damned a sin as incest!”.

50. The play ends with Mellefont dragging in Maskwell, unmasking him as the “wonder of all” what?

A. False friend
B. Good genius
C. Double dealer
D. Falsehood

D. Falsehood.
Mellefont denounces Maskwell, calling him the “wonder of all falsehood” for his treachery.

Brief Overview

The Double-Dealer is a play by William Congreve, first performed and published in 1693. This Restoration comedy is a sharp work of social satire that focuses on hypocrisy, manipulation, and the deceit hidden beneath the surface of high society.

The story centers on the honest couple, Mellefont and Cynthia, who plan to marry soon. Mellefont’s aunt, Lady Touchwood, secretly hates him. She is angry because Mellefont rejected her forbidden love, so she wants to ruin him and stop the wedding.

She plots with Maskwell, Mellefont’s supposed friend. First, the aunt makes Mellefont look bad to Cynthia’s father, Sir Paul Plyant. She tricks Sir Paul into believing Mellefont desires his wife, Lady Plyant, which Sir Paul calls “incest.” The wedding is immediately called off.

Maskwell tells Mellefont a fake plan to expose Lady Touchwood. Mellefont hides in his aunt’s room to catch her in her lies. But Maskwell leads Lord Touchwood (Mellefont’s uncle) there instead. Lady Touchwood then pretends Mellefont was trying to attack her. The uncle believes her and publicly disowns Mellefont.

The uncle decides to make Maskwell his heir and marry him to Cynthia. However, the uncle overhears Maskwell admit his total treachery in secret. Maskwell had been double-dealing to gain wealth and Cynthia for himself.

Mellefont and Cynthia then expose Maskwell’s whole plot to everyone. The uncle gives his blessing to Mellefont and Cynthia. Virtue is rewarded, and the villainy is revealed.