William Wycherley

Study questions William Wycherley

The Country Wife

The Country Wife MCQs

The Plain Dealer

The Plain Dealer MCQs

Facts about William Wycherley

➾ He attempted to reconcile his deep-seated puritanism with his ardent physical nature in his plays.

➾ Wycherley was sent to France for his education at age fifteen, where he converted to Roman Catholicism.

➾ After returning to England, he converted back to Protestantism but subsequently left Oxford without a degree.

➾ He may have travelled to Spain as a diplomat and probably fought the Dutch in a naval war.

➾ Following his first play’s success, he shared the Duchess of Cleveland’s favours with King Charles II.

➾ Wycherley secretly married the Countess of Drogheda, a rigid puritan who cost him favour at court.

➾ He ruined himself contesting his deceased wife’s will for her considerable fortune.

➾ Cast into a debtor’s prison, he was rescued seven years later by the generosity of King James II.

➾ His small pension from King James II was unfortunately lost when James was deposed in the year 1688.

➾ In the early 18th century, the young Alexander Pope befriended him and helped revise his poems.

➾ On his deathbed, Wycherley received Catholic rites, having apparently reverted after being rescued from prison.

William Wycherley MCQs

1. When was William Wycherley born?

A. 1641
B. 1660
C. 1675
D. 1716

A. 1641.
William Wycherley, the English dramatist, was born in the year 1641, according to the provided sources.

2. Where was William Wycherley born?

A. London, England
B. Oxford, England
C. Shropshire, England
D. Paris, France

C. Shropshire, England.
The sources confirm Wycherley’s nationality is English and he was born in Shropshire (implied by his father being steward to the marquess of Winchester there).

3. When did William Wycherley die?

A. 1675
B. 1716
C. 1700
D. 1688

B. 1716.
William Wycherley died in London on January 1, 1716, having had a long life and dramatic career.

4. What was Wycherley’s primary profession?

A. Steward
B. Diplomat
C. Dramatist
D. Lawyer

C. Dramatist.
William Wycherley is identified primarily as an English dramatist who wrote during the Restoration period.

5. What office did Wycherley’s father hold?

A. King’s counsel
B. Envoy
C. Steward
D. Judge

C. Steward.
Wycherley’s father served as the steward to the powerful marquess of Winchester.

6. At what age was Wycherley sent to France for education?

A. 10
B. 15
C. 20
D. 30

B. 15.
Wycherley was sent abroad to France to be educated at the age of 15.

7. What religion did Wycherley convert to while in France?

A. Protestant
B. Puritanism
C. Roman Catholic
D. Anglican

C. Roman Catholic.
During his time being educated in France, Wycherley became a Roman Catholic.

8. What subject did Wycherley return to England to study?

A. Theology
B. Literature
C. Law
D. Diplomacy

C. Law.
Wycherley returned to England after his time in France specifically to study law.

9. Which college did Wycherley enter in 1660?

A. Middle Temple
B. Queen’s College, Oxford
C. St. Albans Hall
D. Grey’s Inn

B. Queen’s College, Oxford.
In 1660, Wycherley entered Queen’s College, Oxford, but he left without receiving a degree.

10. What did Wycherley do regarding his religion before entering Oxford?

A. Remained Catholic
B. Became an atheist
C. Reverted Protestant
D. Became Puritan

C. Reverted Protestant.
Before starting at Oxford, Wycherley converted back to Protestantism from Roman Catholicism.

11. What may Wycherley have done as a diplomat in the 1660s?

A. Travelled to Spain
B. Fought the Dutch
C. Served King Charles
D. Studied Law

A. Travelled to Spain.
Little is known of his life in the 1660s, but he may have travelled to Spain in a diplomatic capacity.

12. What military action may Wycherley have participated in around 1665?

A. Civil War
B. Spanish War
C. Naval Dutch War
D. Glorious Revolution

C. Naval Dutch War.
Wycherley probably fought in the naval war against the Dutch that took place in the year 1665.

13. What was the title of Wycherley’s first drafted play?

A. The Plain-Dealer
B. Love in a Wood
C. The Country-Wife
D. The Gentleman Dancing-Master

B. Love in a Wood.
His first play, drafted in the 1660s, was Love in a Wood; or, St. James’s Park.

14. When was Wycherley’s first play presented in London?

A. 1665
B. Autumn 1671
C. 1672
D. 1675

B. Autumn 1671.
Love in a Wood was first presented in London in the autumn of 1671, earning him instant acclaim.

15. What alternative title did Wycherley’s first play possess?

A. The Plain-Dealer
B. St. James’s Park
C. The Country-Wife
D. Love in a Tub

B. St. James’s Park.
The full title of his first play is Love in a Wood; or, St. James’s Park.

16. What was the immediate result of Wycherley’s first play?

A. Satiric lash
B. Debtor’s prison
C. Instant acclaim
D. Lost fortune

C. Instant acclaim.
The presentation of Love in a Wood in 1671 brought its author instant acclaim.

17. Who took up Wycherley after his initial success?

A. King Charles II
B. Marquess of Winchester
C. Duchess of Cleveland
D. Alexander Pope

C. Duchess of Cleveland.
After his first play’s success, Wycherley was patronised by Barbara Villiers, Duchess of Cleveland.

18. Whose favours did Wycherley share with the Duchess of Cleveland?

A. King James II
B. King Charles II
C. Alexander Pope
D. William Congreve

B. King Charles II.
Wycherley enjoyed the patronage and favours of Barbara Villiers, which he shared with King Charles II.

19. What play did Wycherley present in 1672?

A. The Country-Wife
B. The Plain-Dealer
C. The Gentleman Dancing-Master
D. Love in a Wood

C. The Gentleman Dancing-Master.
Wycherley’s second play, The Gentleman Dancing-Master, was presented in the year 1672.

20. What was the critical reception of The Gentleman Dancing-Master?

A. Instant acclaim
B. Proved unsuccessful
C. Highly admired
D. Richly comic

B. Proved unsuccessful.
His second play, The Gentleman Dancing-Master (1672), unfortunately, proved unsuccessful.

21. What dramatic genre is Wycherley noted for?

A. Satirical comedy
B. Revenge tragedy
C. Masque
D. Historical play

A. Satirical comedy.
Wycherley is known for his plays of satirical comedy that commented severely on manners and society.

22. What element did Wycherley’s early plays use to cure excess?

A. Puritanism
B. Satiric portrait
C. Crude brutalism
D. Farcical moments

B. Satiric portrait.
His early plays followed tradition by presenting a satiric portrait to “cure excess” in characters.

23. What types of characters were satirised in his early plays?

A. Jesuits, Noble heroines
B. Fops, rakes
C. Puritans, Catholics
D. Kings, Courtiers

B. Fops, rakes.
Wycherley satirised pretentious characters, including fops, rakes, and would-be wits.

24. What was Wycherley’s most successful play, according to the sources?

A. The Plain-Dealer
B. The Country-Wife
C. Love in a Wood
D. The Gentleman Dancing-Master

B. The Country-Wife.
Wycherley perhaps succeeded best in The Country-Wife (1675), blending satire with comic presentation.

25. When was The Country-Wife acted?

A. 1671
B. 1672
C. 1675
D. 1676

C. 1675.
Wycherley’s most successful play, The Country-Wife, was performed in 1675.

26. What excess did The Country-Wife satirise?

A. Rapacious greed
B. Political libel
C. Excessive jealousy
D. Foppery

C. Excessive jealousy.
The Country-Wife contained satiric comment specifically on excessive jealousy and complacency.

27. What quality defined the presentation of characters in The Country-Wife?

A. Satiric
B. Richly comic
C. Crude and brutal
D. Severe criticism

B. Richly comic.
The play blended satiric comment with a richly comic presentation of characters who revealed themselves unconsciously.

28. What critical stance did The Country-Wife abandon compared to earlier works?

A. Crude satire
B. Despising characters
C. Focusing on wit
D. Using farce

B. Despising characters.
In this play, the author no longer conveyed a sense of despising his characters.

29. What was Wycherley’s last play to be presented?

A. The Country-Wife
B. Love in a Wood
C. The Plain-Dealer
D. The Gentleman Dancing-Master

C. The Plain-Dealer.
The Plain-Dealer, presented in 1676, was the final one of Wycherley’s four plays.

30. What social issue does The Plain-Dealer satirise?

A. Incestuous love
B. Political corruption
C. Rapacious greed
D. Excessive jealousy

C. Rapacious greed.
Wycherley’s play The Plain-Dealer (1676) focused its powerful satire on rapacious greed.

31. How did critics assess the satire in The Plain-Dealer?

A. Mild and witty
B. Crude and brutal
C. Richly comic
D. Severe criticism

B. Crude and brutal.
While pointed and effective, the satire used in The Plain-Dealer is described as crude and brutal.

32. What personal conflict did Wycherley’s plays attempt to reconcile?

A. Catholic/Protestant
B. Satire/Comedy
C. Puritanism/Ardent nature
D. Wit/Jealousy

C. Puritanism/Ardent nature.
His plays attempted to reconcile his personal conflict between deep-seated Puritanism and an ardent physical nature.

33. What kind of life did Wycherley lead during his playwriting years?

A. Puritan
B. Disciplined
C. Fashionably dissolute
D. Reclusive

C. Fashionably dissolute.
During his successful playwriting years, Wycherley lived a life that was described as fashionably dissolute.

34. What happened to Wycherley in 1678?

A. Marriage
B. Imprisonment
C. Fell ill
D. Wrote last play

C. Fell ill.
The dramatist, who had led a dissolute life, fell seriously ill in the year 1678.

35. When did Wycherley secretly marry the countess of Drogheda?

A. 1675
B. 1676
C. 1680
D. 1681

C. 1680.
In 1680, Wycherley secretly married the Countess of Drogheda, a devout and rigid Puritan.

36. What characteristic defined the Countess of Drogheda?

A. Witty
B. Rigid puritan
C. Fashionable
D. Catholic

B. Rigid puritan.
His wife, the countess of Drogheda, was characterised as a rigid puritan.

37. What was the consequence of Wycherley’s marriage?

A. Acclaim
B. Fortune lost
C. Court favour lost
D. Debt paid

C. Court’s favour was lost.
His wife kept him on such a short rein that Wycherley lost his favour at court.

38. When did the Countess of Drogheda die?

A. 1680
B. 1681
C. 1688
D. A year later

D. A year later.
The Countess of Drogheda died only a year after their secret marriage in 1680, leaving him a fortune.

39. What did the countess leave Wycherley upon her death?

A. Pension
B. Debts
C. A fortune
D. A new play

C. A fortune.
The Countess of Drogheda died in 1681, leaving Wycherley a considerable fortune.

40. What happened to the fortune left to Wycherley?

A. Invested
B. Contest/ruin
C. Shared with King
D. Paid debts

B. Contest/ruin.
The will was contested, and Wycherley ruined himself fighting the legal case.

41. What fate befell Wycherley after losing his fortune?

A. Travelled to Spain
B. Lost pension
C. Debtor’s prison
D. Died

C. Debtor’s prison.
After financially ruining himself fighting the will, Wycherley was cast into a debtor’s prison.

42. How long did Wycherley remain in debtor’s prison?

A. One year
B. Seven years
C. Fifteen years
D. Until death

B. Seven years.
Wycherley was rescued from the debtor’s prison after spending seven years incarcerated.

43. Who rescued Wycherley from prison?

A. King Charles II
B. King James II
C. Alexander Pope
D. William Congreve

B. King James II.
Wycherley was rescued from prison by King James II, who became his patron.

44. What did King James II do to assist Wycherley?

A. Revised poems
B. Paid most debts
C. Granted favours
D. Gave back fortune

B. Paid most debts.
King James II paid off most of Wycherley’s debts and granted him a small pension.

45. When did Wycherley lose his royal pension?

A. 1675
B. 1680
C. 1688
D. 1700

C. 1688.
The pension granted by James II was lost when the king was deposed in the Glorious Revolution of 1688.

46. Whom did Wycherley befriend in the early 18th century?

A. King James II
B. William Congreve
C. Alexander Pope
D. Barbara Villiers

C. Alexander Pope.
In the early 18th century, Wycherley established a friendship with the young poet, Alexander Pope.

47. What service did Alexander Pope provide for Wycherley?

A. Paid debts
B. Wrote plays
C. Helped revise poems
D. Criticised satire

C. Helped revise poems.
Alexander Pope assisted Wycherley by revising his poems during their friendship.

48. What final religious act did Wycherley perform on his deathbed?

A. Returned Puritan
B. Last Catholic rites
C. Protestant conversion
D. Remained Anglican

B. Last Catholic rites.
Wycherley received the last rites of the Roman Catholic church just before his death.

49. Why is Wycherley known for / the reason for his fame?

A. Legal success
B. Military courage
C. Creating satirical comedy
D. Royal patronage

C. Creating satirical comedy.
Wycherley is famous as a dramatist who mastered satirical comedy and commented severely on society.

50. What critic admired Wycherley as a satirist?

A. Alexander Pope
B. Thomas Kyd
C. William Congreve
D. King James II

C. William Congreve.
William Congreve greatly admired Wycherley, regarding him as appointed to “lash this crying age”.

The Plain Dealer MCQs

1. Manly dismisses polite ceremony as what kind of forms and customs?

A. Servile fear
B. Prudent rules
C. Social decorum
D. Little tricks

D. Little tricks.
Manly hates these superficial manners, calling them “little tricks” practised by the “spaniels of the world” out of fear.

2. Lord Plausible avoids speaking ill of people because he claims he hates what?

A. Public slander
B. To disparage himself
C. To do a rude thing
D. Open detraction

C. To do a rude thing.
He justifies speaking well of all people, saying he is not rude enough to engage in outright detraction.

3. Manly says he would only speak well of people when doing what?

A. To their faces
B. Behind their backs
C. Never at all
D. When alone

B. Behind their backs.
He reverses Lord Plausible’s polite rules, saying he would perform compliments only in absence.

4. The sailors compare a man with a King’s commission who sells his ship to what animal?

A. A ship’s mouse
B. A wooden leg
C. A bully tar
D. A long-boat

C. A bully tar.
They call this dishonest officer a “bully tar” who lets brave fellows fight ships almost to destruction.

5. What specific sound does Manly tell the sailors signals the “foul weather’s coming”?

A. A loud cough
B. Hold thy peace
C. Stand by
D. Jack’s voice

B. Hold thy peace.
The first sailor uses this phrase to warn the second sailor that Manly, the man of mode, is returning.

6. Manly compares an esteemed lord to what cheap, easily bent piece of currency?

A. A copper piece
B. A leaden shilling
C. A golden angel
D. A crooked sixpence

B. A leaden shilling.
Manly argues that a lord’s title cannot hide his lack of “intrinsic worth,” calling him cheap metal.

7. Manly says a true heart admits of only one friendship and only one what?

A. One truth
B. One love
C. One fight
D. One mistress

B. One love.
Manly defines true, profound affection as monogamous, limiting a man to a single commitment.

8. What specific quality does Manly say he entrusted his absent friend with?

A. His mistress
B. His money
C. His ship
D. His honour

A. His mistress.
Manly believes that trusting a friend with one’s mistress shows the greatest measure of confidence and security.

9. Freeman criticises Manly, calling him what kind of hypocrite?

A. Unnatural liar
B. Honest hypocrite
C. True friend
D. Coward

B. Honest hypocrite.
Freeman calls Manly this because he professes himself to be worse than he actually is in reality.

10. Freeman argues that telling the truth is a quality as damaging to thriving as true love is to what profession?

A. A cheat
B. A courtier
C. A lawyer
D. A whore

D. A whore.
Freeman implies that honesty is ruinous in a deceptive world, just as true love ruins pròstitutes.

11. Manly suggests telling a lawyer the truth would result in having him do what?

A. Pay higher fees
B. Hang or ruin me
C. Judge the case
D. Tell his friends

B. Hang or ruin me.
Manly illustrates the danger of sincerity by showing how lawyers could use honesty for revenge.

12. Manly argues his plain dealing ensures his promising courtier would keep his word out of what emotion?

A. Out of respect
B. Out of fear
C. Out of honesty
D. Out of love

B. Out of fear.
He believes his honesty would compel the courtier to act justly for fear of further public disgrace.

13. Manly compares the crowd’s preposterous huddle of ceremony in Whitehall to what theatrical action?

A. Bayes’s grand dance
B. A tragedy
C. A masque
D. A comedy

A. Bayes’s grand dance.
This allusion mocks the empty, ritualistic bowing of various mismatched people at court who lack sincerity.

14. Fidelia claims Manly’s merit is “unspeakable” even though what person is generally a liar?

A. The Purser
B. Old Hieronimo
C. Fame, the old liar
D. The devil himself

C. Fame, the old liar.
Fidelia, in a moment of extreme flattery, says even the notorious liar (Fame) is believed when speaking of Manly.

15. Manly claims Fidelia would do better with the world because she possesses what specific vice?

A. A silver tongue
B. Dishonesty
C. Cowardice
D. Flattery

C. Cowardice.
Manly asserts that cowards succeed in the world because they can “outfawn a rook” and “outpromise a lover.”

16. Manly suggests Fidelia may easily grow to outrage what London news provider?

A. Gazette-writer
B. Coffee-house
C. Knight of the post
D. Sempstress

A. Gazette-writer.
Manly warns Fidelia that by exaggerating, he could easily outdo the notoriously unreliable news writers.

17. Manly gives Fidelia some gold, saying he must be cruel to him out of what feeling?

A. Out of shame
B. Out of pity
C. Out of friendship
D. Out of anger

B. Out of pity.
Manly is trying to dismiss Fidelia, believing the young man is too timid and useless for military life.

18. What specific trade does the Widow Blackacre practice in court?

A. Barrister
B. Pettifogger
C. Solicitor
D. Attorney

B. Pettifogger.
She is described as a “litigious she petty-fogger, who is at law and difference with all the world.”

19. The Widow Blackacre usually lodges in one of the London Inns of what?

A. Chancery
B. Court
C. The Hall
D. Temple

A. Chancery.
When in town, she lives in Chancery, where she tutors her son, Jerry, in legal language.

20. Manly damns the Widow Blackacre’s conversation, saying she talks only of what?

A. Her children
B. Suits, suits
C. Her husband
D. Her estate

B. Suits, suits.
He curses her for her tedious recitals of her lawsuits, which constantly trouble the world.

21. What are the three legal figures Jerry Blackacre is attempting to name in his case?

A. John, Tom, Dick
B. Ayle, Pere, Fitz
C. Serjeant, Judge, Jury
D. Blackacre, Splitcause, Quaint

B. Ayle, Pere, Fitz.
These are fictional legal predecessors whose confusing relationships underpin her legal wrangling and Jerry’s confusion.

22. Fidelia tells Freeman that Manly has left Olivia what portion of his fortune?

A. A few coins
B. Five or six thousand pounds
C. Nothing at all
D. All his ships

B. Five or six thousand pounds.
Manly left her this money in case he died at sea, expecting she would use it to join him.

23. What qualities does Manly trust Olivia possesses that other women lack?

A. Truth and sincerity
B. Wealth and beauty
C. Wit and virtue
D. Discretion

A. Truth and sincerity.
Manly says she is the “only woman of truth and sincerity in the world,” which is why he loves her.

24. Eliza observes that women quarrel with the world but cannot part with it for what part of the body?

A. Their conscience
B. Their honour
C. Their hearts
D. Their virtue

C. Their hearts.
Eliza notes that women use the world like a “constant keeping gallant,” quarrelling with it but never leaving it.

25. What does Olivia claim is her “aversion of all aversions”?

A. The court
B. Handsome young fellows
C. Marriage
D. Dressing

A. The court.
Olivia exaggerates her distaste for the court, claiming it is full of insincerity and flattery, which she hates.

26. Eliza believes that wise observers now understand women’s “aversion” like they understand what else?

A. Dutch gazettes
B. Dreams, almanacks
C. A bad lawyer
D. Old poetry

B. Dreams, almanacks.
Eliza says women are understood “by the contrary” now, because they dissemble so often.

27. Olivia tells Novel that railing at the dead shows one would rather rail than do what?

A. Not rail
B. Be silent
C. Flatter the poets
D. Talk of fashion

A. Not rail.
She criticises Novel for being so dedicated to detraction that he rails even when courtesy forbids it.

28. Olivia compares Lady Autumn’s painted cherry cheeks to what new invention?

A. A painted vizor
B. An old coach
C. A bad daubing
D. A faded rose

B. An old coach.
She mocks the Lady’s attempt at youth, saying she looks like an “old coach, newly painted.”

29. Novel threatens to leave because taking the word “fool” out of his mouth is worse than doing what?

A. Taking the bread
B. Being silent
C. Losing a duel
D. Being beaten

A. Taking the bread.
He claims that Olivia’s interruption deprived him of his intended witty insult, which he values highly.

30. Olivia believes Lord Plausible’s civility is actually a sign of what negative quality?

A. Cowardice
B. Want of sense
C. Flattery
D. Affectation

A. Cowardice.
She argues that he only speaks well of everyone because he lacks the courage to truly rail at them.

31. Lord Plausible calls Mrs. Trifle’s eyes languishing, but Olivia insists they are actually what?

A. Too pretty
B. Plain
C. Squints
D. Bold

C. Squints.
Olivia mocks his dull praise, giving a brutally honest and negative assessment of the lady’s sight.

32. Olivia says the filthiest thing in The Country Wife is the reference to what household item?

A. French perfume
B. China
C. Coach
D. A fan

B. China.
She claims the play has “quite taken away the reputation” of the china vessels, forcing her to break hers.

33. Manly interrupts Olivia, saying he can no longer bear it and needs to hear no more of what?

A. Her love
B. Her honesty
C. Her scorn
D. Her wit

C. Her scorn.
Manly enters, having heard her brutal description of him smelling like “Thames Street” and tar.

34. Olivia claims her women, like the world’s cheats, pay debts and satisfy obligations with what common occurrence?

A. A quarrel
B. Flattery
C. A kind present
D. Their tears

A. A quarrel.
She observes that women quarrel when their creditors (or cullies/lovers) have found them out.

35. Novel claims a man by his dress shows his wit, judgment, and what other quality?

A. His wealth
B. His courage
C. His sincerity
D. His honesty

B. His courage.
He refers to the fashion for wearing red breeches and a short sword as signs of bravery.

36. Olivia claims Manly’s agreeable qualities, like his rough voice and complexion, charm women who hate what quality?

A. Brutality
B. Effeminacy
C. Flattery
D. Honesty

B. Effeminacy.
She is deeply mocking him, inverting the compliments she knows he wishes to hear.

37. Manly, speaking aside, observes that Olivia has “fitted” him for believing what untrue idea?

A. Could not be fickle
B. Would not lie
C. Had little wit
D. Was honest

A. Could not be fickle.
He is astonished that he was deceived by her, believing her incapable of changing her mind.

38. Manly’s first action after leaving Olivia and entering the Hall is confessing to what fault?

A. Knave’s deceit
B. Common frailty, love
C. Brutal courage
D. Cowardice

B. Common frailty, love.
He confesses his profound love for the ungrateful Olivia, saying it causes him shame.

39. Manly tells Fidelia he will endure the shame of love because Fidelia could not think what of him?

A. The worst of me
B. He was unmanly
C. He was deceitful
D. He lacked courage

A. The worst of me.
He concludes that Fidelia, being a boy and a coward, cannot look down on his shameful love.

40. Manly makes Fidelia a pimp to Olivia, claiming he “cannot live” unless he has what?

A. His fortune
B. His revenge
C. Her love
D. His honour

C. Her love.
Manly admits his passion is so strong that he must use the boy to win her back despite her betrayal.

41. What specific legal reference does the Widow Blackacre give to her lawyer, Mr. Quaint?

A. Tricesimo quart’
B. Nudum pactum
C. Felo de se
D. Habeas corpus

A. Tricesimo quart’.
This refers to the Lord Chancellor’s decree, which marks her supposed legal learning and precision.

42. The Widow Blackacre tells Mr. Blunder to make sure his argument is intricate enough to confuse what?

A. Her minor
B. The court
C. His opponent
D. The lawyer

B. The court.
She advises him that confusing the presiding judges is the most effective way to manage her business.

43. Manly tells Freeman that he would rather dine in the Temple-rounds with the Knights without what?

A. Without daggers
B. Without noses
C. Without law
D. Without wit

B. Without noses.
He prefers the company of these maimed men or even liars to that of a dishonest lawyer or tedious Alderman.

44. The Alderman is seeking a young spendthrift who has a good dipped seat and estate in what four counties?

A. Kent, Essex, Middlesex, Hertfordshire
B. London, Surrey, Norfolk, York
C. Devon, Cornwall, Warwick, Kent
D. Kent, London, Norfolk, York

A. Kent, Essex, Middlesex, Hertfordshire.
The Alderman is seeking to ruin a young heir by securing a mortgage in one of these surrounding counties.

45. Manly compares the Alderman’s banking to a great game, where the Alderman is sure to win, even without what?

A. Good dice
B. Going to twelve
C. Paying debts
D. Cheating

B. Going to twelve.
This suggests the Alderman’s financial dealings are always profitable, even if they involve a gamble (like betting on the number twelve).

46. Fidelia reports that Olivia will be “kinder than you could wish” because she will be kind to whom?

A. To Manly
B. To her husband
C. To Fidelia
D. To no one

C. To Fidelia.
Fidelia admits that she spoke for herself instead of Manly and found Olivia was highly receptive to her.

47. Olivia claims Manly’s wit is just railing at mànkind, and his courage is like what?

A. A drawn sword
B. The hangman’s
C. A mastiff dog
D. The devil’s

B. The hangman’s.
She implies his courage is merely cruelty, as he “can murder a man when his hands are tied.”

48. Olivia attributes her fake hatred of the world to copying Manly’s what?

A. Singular moroseness
B. Manly roughness
C. Brutal courage
D. Bad manners

A. Singular moroseness.
She says she feigned this hatred so Manly would love her in earnest for her imitation of him.

49. Manly forces Fidelia to promise to return to Olivia by threatening to cut whose throat first?

A. Olivia’s throat
B. Vernish’s throat
C. Fidelia’s throat
D. The boy’s throat

A. Olivia’s throat.
He threatens Olivia’s life to ensure Fidelia stays put, since he believes Fidelia loves Olivia.

50. Manly tells Fidelia that women’s love is lost by doing what action excessively?

A. Too much flattering
B. Too much swearing
C. Too much meriting
D. Too much wooing

C. Too much meriting.
Manly asserts that love, like Fortune, is lost by a man’s over-reliance on his own proven worth.

Brief Overview

The Plain-Dealer is a Restoration comedy by William Wycherley, first performed in 1676. The play explores themes of hypocrisy, honesty, love, and social satire through its cynical protagonist, Captain Manly.

The main character, Manly, is a sailor known as the “Plain Dealer” because he always speaks honestly and constantly criticizes social pretense. Manly despises the “servile ceremonies” and “little tricks” of people like Lord Plausible. Manly argues that telling the truth is dangerous for anyone who wants to succeed socially.

Manly is desperately in love with Olivia, whom he trusts completely. He believes she is the “only woman of truth and sincerity in the world.” Before going to sea, Manly entrusted his “mistress” (Olivia) and a large part of his fortune, “five or six thousand pounds,” to her keeping.

When Manly returns, he discovers Olivia is treacherous. She has married Vernish and taken Manly’s money. Olivia pretends to hate the world and the court, calling the court her “aversion of all aversions,” to trick Manly. She rejects him, cruelly mocking him for smelling like “Thames Street” and tar.

A young person named Fidelia follows Manly, disguised as a boy and madly in love with him. Manly forces Fidelia to act as a pimp to convince Olivia to see him. Fidelia reveals Olivia’s true nature and treachery, finally convincing Manly of her profound falseness.

The play includes the subplot of the “litigious she petty-fogger,” the Widow Blackacre, who loves “Suits, suits.” Freeman tricks the Widow Blackacre by getting her son, Jerry, arrested to force her into marriage.

In the end, Fidelia is revealed to be a wealthy woman. Manly finds that Fidelia’s virtue has reconciled him to the world.