Book II - Chapter XI. A Companion Picture Quiz — A Tale of Two Cities

What is Sydney Carton doing when the chapter opens?

• Sleeping in his chambers after a long night of drinking alone at a tavern
• Working through the night on Stryver's legal papers while using wet towels and wine to stay alert
• Reading a novel by the fire while Stryver paces the room preparing a legal argument
• Writing a letter to Lucie Manette confessing his admiration for her character and beauty

What surprising announcement does Stryver make to Carton?

• He has decided to leave the legal profession and pursue a career in politics and government
• He plans to dissolve their professional partnership and find a new legal associate
• He intends to marry, and not for money, revealing the bride to be Miss Manette
• He has been offered a judgeship and will no longer need Carton's assistance with cases

What nickname had Carton previously used for Lucie, according to Stryver?

• A porcelain angel, fragile and untouchable by ordinary men of the world
• A golden-haired doll, a description Stryver recalls from a conversation in his chambers
• A French rose, delicate but with hidden thorns beneath the surface of her beauty
• A shining star, distant and unreachable for someone of Carton's lowly station in life

How does Carton's behavior change when he learns the bride is Lucie Manette?

• He becomes visibly angry and confronts Stryver about his unworthiness to marry Lucie
• He falls silent for several minutes and then quietly leaves the room without a word
• He begins drinking the punch at a great rate and by bumpers, while watching Stryver
• He laughs out loud and tells Stryver the match would be absurd and ill-advised for both

How does Stryver view his proposed marriage to Lucie?

• As a romantic union born of deep personal affection and emotional connection
• As a risky venture that may cost him professional standing among his legal colleagues
• As a piece of good fortune for her, since she will gain a man of wealth and distinction
• As a sacrifice he is making to honor a promise he made to Doctor Manette years before

Which of these events actually happened in this chapter?

In this chapter, Carton is called Stryver's "jackal." What does this term mean in context?

• A trusted friend and confidant who shares equally in professional success and social standing
• A subordinate who does the behind-the-scenes work that enables another's public success
• A rival who pretends to be an ally while secretly undermining the other's career
• A legal apprentice who is still in training and not yet qualified to practice law independently

What does the chapter title "A Companion Picture" refer to?

• A portrait of Lucie that both Stryver and Carton keep in their respective chambers
• The idea that Carton is Stryver's companion and the chapter paints his portrait
• A matched pair of paintings meant to be compared -- this chapter mirrors the previous one about Darnay
• A reference to the physical picture of Doctor Manette that hangs in the Manette household

What word does Carton suggest when Stryver struggles to describe himself as a man of "more -- more --"?

• Modesty, implying that Stryver's self-praise is unwarranted and excessive
• Gallantry, subtly mocking Stryver's inability to articulate his own virtues
• Intelligence, sarcastically acknowledging Stryver's claim to superior legal ability
• Compassion, ironically noting the quality Stryver most conspicuously lacks

What advice does Stryver give Carton about his personal future?

• He urges Carton to apply himself more seriously to his legal career and seek his own clients
• He advises Carton to find a respectable woman with a little property and marry her for security
• He suggests Carton travel abroad to France and establish a new legal practice in Paris
• He recommends that Carton give up the law entirely and pursue a quieter life in the country

What does "incorrigible" mean when Carton asks, "will you never understand that I am incorrigible?"

• Extremely talented but unwilling to use one's gifts for personal advancement
• Unable to be corrected, reformed, or improved; stubbornly beyond help
• Deeply loyal to friends despite disagreements about personal and social matters
• Prone to sharp and biting humor that conceals genuine warmth and affection

Which of these events actually happened in this chapter?

How does Dickens describe the effect of Stryver's patronizing manner?

• It makes Carton visibly furious, his face reddening with suppressed anger and resentment
• It makes Stryver look "twice as big as he was, and four times as offensive"
• It fills the room with uncomfortable silence as both men avoid each other's gaze
• It causes Carton to laugh bitterly and pour himself an even larger glass of punch

What does Carton's remark "I have no business to be, at all, that I know of" reveal about his character?

• His confident belief that he is above Stryver's criticism and social conventions
• His darkly self-deprecating view that his own existence has little value or purpose
• His practical acknowledgment that he should pursue a different career path entirely
• His humorous attempt to deflect Stryver's lecture with lighthearted self-mockery

What is the last line of the chapter, and what tone does it convey?

• "I'll think of it" -- a flat, noncommittal response that quietly closes a painful conversation
• "Good night, Stryver" -- a formal farewell that signals the end of their friendship
• "She will never marry you" -- a blunt prediction delivered with bitter certainty
• "Perhaps you are right" -- a resigned admission that Stryver's advice may have merit