Chapter 25 Practice Quiz — Dracula
by Bram Stoker — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: Chapter 25
What does Mina ask the men to promise at the beginning of Chapter 25?
She asks each of them to swear that they will kill her—drive a stake through her heart and cut off her head—if she transforms into a vampire.
Who is the first to swear the oath to Mina?
Quincey Morris. He kneels before her, takes her hand, and promises he will not flinch from the duty.
What does Mina ask Jonathan to read over her?
The Burial Service from the Book of Common Prayer, in case she dies unexpectedly. She wants it in his voice "in my memory forever."
When does Mina experience her "peculiar freedom" from Dracula's influence?
At sunrise and sunset. These brief windows allow her true self to emerge without Dracula's controlling force.
What route does the group take from London to Varna?
They leave Charing Cross on October 12, arrive in Paris the same night, and take the Orient Express to Varna, arriving on the 15th.
What ship is carrying Dracula's earth-box?
The Czarina Catherine, which is sailing to Varna through the Dardanelles.
What does Mina report hearing under Van Helsing's hypnosis?
"Waves lapping against the ship, water rushing by, canvas and cordage strain, masts and yards creak, and the wind in the shrouds."—confirming Dracula is at sea.
Why can't Dracula leave the ship while at sea, according to Van Helsing?
Even in bat form, the Count cannot cross running water of his own volition. He must remain in his earth-box until the ship docks.
What weapon does Jonathan Harker carry and sharpen throughout the chapter?
A Ghoorka (Kukri) knife, which he whets with "stern, ice-cold" determination.
What does Dr. Seward call "an excellent and a comforting word"?
"Euthanasia." He and Van Helsing privately discuss the possibility of having to destroy Mina, and Seward takes grim comfort in the term.
What does Van Helsing examine on Mina while she is under hypnosis?
Her teeth. He says that as long as they do not begin to sharpen, there is no active danger of vampiric transformation.
What is Van Helsing's "criminal mind" theory about Dracula?
Dracula has a "child-brain"—clever but limited. Like all criminals, he repeats patterns. When beaten, he retreats to his homeland and regroups, just as he did centuries ago after his Turkish campaigns.
Who are Lombroso and Nordau, referenced in the chapter?
Cesare Lombroso and Max Nordau were real Victorian-era criminologists. Mina cites them when classifying Dracula as a criminal of "imperfectly formed mind" who seeks "resource in habit."
What phrase does Mina use that surprises Dr. Seward with its legal precision?
"Hotch-pot"—a legal term meaning a pooling of resources. She uses it when asking what each person will contribute to the common cause.
What telegram shocks the group on October 28?
A telegram from Lloyd's reporting that the Czarina Catherine has entered Galatz, not Varna—meaning Dracula has bypassed them entirely.
How does the group react to the news about Galatz?
Van Helsing raises his hand in remonstrance with God; Godalming turns pale; Quincey Morris tightens his belt (signaling "action"); Mina grows white; Harker smiles bitterly and reaches for his Kukri knife.
Why does Mina feel "freer" toward the end of the chapter?
Dracula has deliberately severed their psychic connection to prevent the group from tracking him. His selfishness in cutting her off paradoxically frees her soul from his influence.
What does Van Helsing mean by "The hunter is taken in his own snare"?
Dracula's selfish act of cutting Mina off to protect himself backfires: she can still reach him through hypnosis at sunrise and sunset, but he can no longer monitor what she knows.
What does Mina call herself regarding train schedules?
"The train fiend." She memorized all relevant timetables in advance and knows the next train to Galatz leaves at 6:30 the following morning.
What is Mina's pulse rate during her analysis of Dracula's criminal mind?
Seventy-two beats per minute. Van Helsing checks it during her excited analysis and is encouraged by its steadiness, saying "I have hope."
What literary allusion does Van Helsing use about a "half thought" growing wings?
He compares his developing idea to the Ugly Duckling from Hans Christian Andersen—"no duck thought at all, but a big swan thought that sail nobly on big wings."
What does Van Helsing quote from Archimedes in his analysis?
"Dos pou sto"—"Give me a fulcrum, and I shall move the world." He uses it to explain how doing something once gives the criminal mind a foundation for repetition.