Book II - Chapter II. A Sight Quiz — A Tale of Two Cities
by Charles Dickens
Comprehension Quiz: Book II - Chapter II. A Sight
Why is Jerry Cruncher sent to the Old Bailey?
- To deliver a message to the judge about a witness
- To carry a note to Mr. Lorry and remain as a messenger at hand
- To file legal papers for a forgery case at the court
- To serve as a character witness in a criminal trial
What crime does Jerry initially assume is being tried at the Old Bailey?
- Murder of a prominent London merchant
- Forgery of bank notes and financial documents
- Treason against the king and his government
- Smuggling of goods through the Channel ports
What does Jerry Cruncher mean when he says "It's hard in the law to spile a man"?
- It is difficult for the law to find enough evidence to convict someone
- It is cruel that the law mutilates a man's body beyond simply killing him
- It is unfair that the law allows wealthy defendants to bribe their way free
- It is wrong that the law publishes a man's private affairs during a trial
According to Dickens, what sometimes happened to judges at the Old Bailey?
- They were bribed by wealthy defendants and removed from the bench
- They contracted deadly diseases from prisoners and died before the accused
- They were attacked by angry mobs who disagreed with their sentences
- They fell asleep during long trials and had to be replaced by colleagues
What satirical phrase does Dickens use to sum up the Old Bailey's justice system?
- "The law is an ass and must be treated as such by all citizens"
- "Whatever is is right" — implying nothing that ever existed was wrong
- "Justice is blind, and blindness is the mother of all cruelty"
- "The wheels of justice turn slowly but grind exceedingly fine"
How does Dickens describe the crowd's breath rolling toward the prisoner?
- Like a fog descending from the London rooftops at dusk
- Like a sea, or a wind, or a fire overwhelming everything
- Like a wave of thunder echoing through a stone cathedral
- Like a swarm of insects buzzing around a wounded animal
What is Jerry Cruncher compared to as he stands among the spectators?
- A bulldog straining at its chain in a butcher's yard
- An animated bit of the spiked wall of Newgate prison
- A gargoyle perched on the rain gutters of a Gothic church
- A scarecrow planted in the middle of a busy harvest field
What word does Dickens use to characterize the crowd's fascination with the prisoner?
- Reverent — they view the trial with religious solemnity and awe
- Ogreish — their interest is rooted in a monstrous appetite for suffering
- Patriotic — they see the prosecution of a traitor as a national duty
- Melancholic — they feel deep sadness at a young man's inevitable death
What specific charge is brought against Charles Darnay?
- Forging letters of credit between English and French banks
- Revealing British military preparations to the French King Lewis
- Plotting to assassinate the English King during a state ceremony
- Smuggling French aristocrats into England under false identities
What is significant about the mirror above the prisoner's dock?
- It allows the judge to observe the jury's reactions during testimony
- It has reflected countless condemned faces and symbolizes the disposability of human life
- It was installed specifically for Darnay's trial to intimidate the accused
- It projects sunlight that reveals hidden documents presented as evidence
How does Charles Darnay react when he catches sight of the mirror above him?
- He smiles grimly and bows to the judge in calm defiance
- His face flushes and he pushes away the herbs on the dock ledge
- He closes his eyes and refuses to look at his own reflection
- He straightens his posture and adjusts his ribbon-tied hair
How is Dr. Manette described when Darnay first sees him?
- A frail, sickly old man barely able to sit upright on the bench
- A man with remarkably white hair and an intense, pondering face who looks old until he speaks
- A robust gentleman in a fine coat who speaks loudly and commands attention
- A nervous, trembling figure who avoids all eye contact with the prisoner
What is revealed about the Manettes' role at the trial?
- They are spectators who happened to arrive early and received front-row seats
- They are witnesses against the prisoner, despite Lucie's obvious compassion
- They are expert medical witnesses hired by the defense to prove insanity
- They are relatives of the judge who have been given honorary seats at court
Who is the mysterious wigged gentleman whose attention seems fixed on the ceiling?
- Mr. Stryver, the ambitious defense attorney preparing his opening statement
- Sydney Carton, a brilliant but dissolute barrister who appears indifferent to the trial
- The Attorney-General, plotting his strategy while pretending disinterest
- A foreign spy sent by the French King to observe the outcome of the trial
What does Dickens compare the Attorney-General to as the chapter ends?
- A spider weaving an invisible web around the prisoner
- Someone who rises to spin the rope, grind the axe, and hammer nails into the scaffold
- A wolf circling its prey in the cold moonlight of winter
- A clockmaker winding the mechanism of an inevitable death machine
Comprehension Quiz
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