Book II - Chapter XI. A Companion Picture Practice Quiz — A Tale of Two Cities
by Charles Dickens — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: Book II - Chapter XI. A Companion Picture
What is Stryver doing when the chapter opens?
Lying on his sofa with his hands in his waistband, asking Carton to mix another bowl of punch after a long stretch of legal work.
What has Carton been doing in the nights leading up to this scene?
"Working double tides" through multiple consecutive nights to clear Stryver's legal papers before the long court vacation.
What physical detail shows how exhausted Carton is?
He pulls off a turban of wet towels that he has been steeping at intervals for the last six hours, and has consumed a large quantity of wine to keep going.
What surprising announcement does Stryver make to Carton?
He announces that he intends to marry, and not for money -- he plans to propose to Lucie Manette.
What nickname had Carton previously used for Lucie, according to Stryver?
He had referred to her as a "golden-haired doll."
How does Stryver characterize himself compared to Carton in women's company?
He claims to be more gallant, more agreeable, and more sensitive -- saying he has been "ashamed" of Carton's "silent and sullen and hangdog" manners at the Manettes' home.
What is Carton's dry response when Stryver says "I get on"?
"You don't get on with your account of your matrimonial intentions" -- deflecting Stryver's self-congratulation back to the topic at hand.
What does Carton mean when he says "I am incorrigible"?
He is acknowledging -- with some scorn -- that he cannot be reformed or improved, accepting his own flawed nature in contrast to Stryver's attempts to lecture him.
What does Carton say when Stryver insists he has "no business to be incorrigible"?
"I have no business to be, at all, that I know of" -- a darkly self-deprecating remark suggesting he sees little value or purpose in his own existence.
How does Stryver justify his marriage to Lucie?
He lists his own qualifications -- already well off, rapidly rising, a man of distinction -- and calls the marriage "a piece of good fortune for her," though she is "worthy of good fortune."
How does Carton's drinking change when he learns the bride is Lucie?
He begins drinking the punch "at a great rate" and "by bumpers" -- a sharp acceleration that reveals emotions his words do not express.
What does Stryver say about Carton's financial future?
He warns that Carton doesn't know the value of money, lives hard, and will eventually "knock up" (collapse) and be ill and poor.
What type of wife does Stryver recommend for Carton?
"Some respectable woman with a little property -- somebody in the landlady way, or lodging-letting way" -- a practical, loveless match for financial security.
What does the chapter title "A Companion Picture" mean?
It refers to a matched pair of paintings meant to be compared side by side. Dickens pairs this chapter with the previous one ("Two Promises") to contrast Stryver's self-serving proposal plans with Darnay's humble declaration of love.
How does Dickens describe Stryver's patronizing manner toward the end of the chapter?
"The prosperous patronage with which he said it, made him look twice as big as he was, and four times as offensive."
What word does Carton suggest when Stryver struggles to describe himself as a man of "more -- more --"?
Carton suggests "gallantry" -- subtly mocking Stryver's inability to articulate his own supposed virtues.
What does Stryver say he does "on principle" that Carton does not?
He makes himself agreeable in social settings, claiming he does it because "it's politic" even though he has less need to do so than Carton.
What is Carton's final response when Stryver advises him to marry a landlady?
"I'll think of it" -- a flat, noncommittal reply that ends the chapter on a quietly resigned note.
What role does Carton play in Stryver's legal career?
He is Stryver's "jackal" -- doing the behind-the-scenes legal preparation and research that enables Stryver's courtroom success.
What thematic contrast does Chapter 11 establish between views of marriage?
It contrasts Darnay's romantic, selfless love (from Chapter 10) with Stryver's transactional, self-serving approach -- marriage as devotion versus marriage as social advancement.