Chapter 1 Practice Quiz — Dracula
by Bram Stoker — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: Chapter 1
Where does Jonathan Harker stay the night before departing for the Borgo Pass?
He stays at the Golden Krone Hotel in Bistritz, which Count Dracula recommended in his letter.
What does Count Dracula's letter instruct Harker to do?
The letter tells Harker to take the diligence (coach) to Bukovina, where Dracula's carriage will meet him at the Borgo Pass.
What warning does the innkeeper's wife give Harker before he leaves Bistritz?
She tells him it is the eve of St. George's Day, when all evil things have full sway, and she begs him not to go.
What do Harker's fellow coach passengers do as they approach the Borgo Pass?
They urge the driver to greater speed, press protective gifts upon Harker, make the sign of the cross, and gesture to ward off the evil eye.
What happens when the mysterious driver's caleche arrives at the Borgo Pass?
The coach driver tries to claim Harker is not expected and should continue to Bukovina, but the caleche driver insists on taking Harker, saying "You cannot deceive me, my friend."
What does the driver do when he sees flickering blue flames during the nighttime ride?
He stops the horses, jumps down, and disappears into the darkness to investigate the flames, gathering stones to mark the locations.
How does the driver deal with the ring of wolves that surrounds the caleche?
He raises his voice in imperious command and sweeps his long arms as though brushing aside an obstacle, causing the wolves to fall back and eventually disappear.
Where does Chapter 1 end?
It ends as the caleche pulls into the courtyard of a vast ruined castle with tall black windows and broken battlements, with no ray of light visible.
What is Jonathan Harker's profession, and why is he traveling to Transylvania?
Harker is an English solicitor (lawyer) traveling to Castle Dracula to conclude a real estate transaction on behalf of his firm.
Who is Mina, and how does Harker refer to her in Chapter 1?
Mina is Harker's fiancée. He mentions her affectionately, noting recipes to bring back for her and writing his journal partly for her benefit.
What physical details suggest the mysterious coachman is Count Dracula?
He is tall with bright eyes that seem red in the lamplight, has very red lips and sharp white teeth, and possesses a grip of steel with prodigious strength.
How does the innkeeper's wife react when Harker mentions Count Dracula's name?
She and her husband cross themselves, claim to know nothing about the Count, and refuse to speak further. She later begs Harker on her knees not to go.
What central theme is established by Harker's journey from West to East?
The journey establishes the theme of Western rationalism versus Eastern superstition, as Harker moves from the modern, civilized world into a region governed by ancient fears and folklore.
How does the Borgo Pass function thematically in Chapter 1?
It serves as a threshold between the known, civilized world and Dracula's supernatural domain, representing the crossing from safety into danger and from reason into the unknown.
What theme is suggested by the crucifix, roadside shrines, and constant crossing by the local people?
These details introduce the theme of religious faith as protection against evil, contrasting with Harker's Protestant skepticism about such "idolatrous" practices.
What narrative form does Stoker use in Chapter 1, and what effect does it create?
Stoker uses the epistolary form through Jonathan Harker's journal, creating immediacy and subjective tension as readers experience events through a narrator who does not yet understand the danger.
Identify two examples of foreshadowing in Chapter 1.
The old woman's warning about St. George's Eve and the passenger's quotation "For the dead travel fast" from Burger's "Lenore" both foreshadow the vampiric evil Harker is about to encounter.
How does Stoker use pathetic fallacy in Chapter 1?
The landscape shifts from sunlit valleys with fruit blossoms to dark, stormy mountain passes with howling wolves and falling snow, mirroring Harker's progression from comfort to dread.
What is dramatic irony in Chapter 1, and how does Stoker employ it?
The reader recognizes the supernatural danger in the locals' warnings and the driver's inhuman traits, while Harker rationalizes these signs away, creating tension between what the reader knows and what the character understands.
What does "diligence" mean in the context of Chapter 1?
In this context, "diligence" refers to a public stagecoach, particularly one used in continental Europe, not the common meaning of careful effort.
What does the German quotation "Denn die Todten reiten Schnell" mean?
It translates to "For the dead travel fast," a line from Burger's poem "Lenore" that a passenger whispers when the mysterious driver arrives at the Borgo Pass.
What is the significance of the passenger's line "Denn die Todten reiten Schnell"?
The line from Burger's "Lenore" directly associates the mysterious driver with the undead, and the driver's gleaming smile in response suggests he recognizes and embraces the comparison.
What is the significance of the old woman's warning: "Do you know where you are going, and what you are going to?"
Her desperate question functions as a prophetic warning that Harker is heading toward supernatural evil, and it highlights the gap between his rational confidence and the genuine danger ahead.