Book II - Chapter XX. A Plea Quiz — A Tale of Two Cities
by Charles Dickens
Comprehension Quiz: Book II - Chapter XX. A Plea
Who is the first person to visit the newly married Darnays after they return home?
- Mr. Lorry, bringing a wedding gift from Tellson’s Bank
- Sydney Carton, offering his congratulations
- Miss Pross, eager to resume her duties for Lucie
- Doctor Manette, returning from a walk to check on the couple
What new quality does Darnay observe in Carton during this visit?
- A confident, assertive manner suggesting newfound ambition
- A certain rugged air of fidelity that was new to his observation
- A polished elegance indicating improved social habits
- A nervous trembling that revealed deep emotional distress
What does Carton ask Darnay to forget?
- The debt Darnay owes him for the legal service at his trial
- A drunken occasion when Carton was insufferable about liking and not liking Darnay
- An argument they had about Lucie before the wedding
- A letter Carton wrote criticizing Darnay’s French ancestry
How does Carton describe the legal service he rendered to Darnay at his treason trial?
- As the proudest professional achievement of his entire career
- As mere professional claptrap, saying he did not care what became of Darnay at the time
- As a favor done solely out of friendship and personal loyalty
- As a calculated move designed to impress Lucie Manette
What metaphor does Carton use to describe the role he wants in the Darnay household?
- A loyal servant who asks nothing but room and board
- A guardian angel watching silently over the family
- An useless and unornamental piece of furniture, tolerated for its old service
- A stray dog that wanders in from the cold once in a while
How often does Carton estimate he would actually use his visiting privilege?
- Once a week, to dine with the family on Sundays
- Every fortnight, when his legal duties permitted free time
- It is a hundred to one if he would avail himself of it four times in a year
- Daily, since he lives only a short walk from the Darnays
What significant personal milestone occurs when Darnay accepts Carton’s request?
- They embrace publicly for the first time in front of the household
- They shake hands and use each other’s surnames ("Darnay" and "Carton") for the first time
- Darnay offers Carton a permanent room in the Soho house
- Carton breaks down in tears, the first time Darnay sees him cry
How does Darnay describe Carton at dinner that evening?
- As a man of hidden genius held back by tragic circumstances
- As a problem of carelessness and recklessness, without bitterness or cruelty
- As a dangerous influence who should be kept away from the family
- As a reformed character who has turned his life around completely
What promise does Lucie ask from Darnay before revealing her feelings about Carton?
- That he will never repeat what she tells him to anyone else
- That he will invite Carton to dinner the following evening
- That he will not press one question on her if she begs him not to ask it
- That he will write Carton a letter of apology for his dinner remarks
What does Lucie say she has seen in Carton?
- A brilliant mind wasted by alcoholism and lack of discipline
- A heart he very seldom reveals, with deep wounds, and she has seen it bleeding
- A secret fortune he hides to avoid social obligations
- A journal filled with poetry that reveals his true character
What does Lucie believe about Carton’s capacity for good?
- She is certain he will reform completely within the year
- She believes he is capable of good, gentle, and even magnanimous things, though she fears he cannot be reclaimed
- She thinks he needs only financial security to become a respectable citizen
- She believes his goodness is entirely an act designed to win her sympathy
What key contrast does Lucie ask her husband to remember?
- The contrast between Carton’s intelligence and Darnay’s social advantages
- How strong they are in their happiness, and how weak Carton is in his misery
- The difference between English justice and French tyranny
- How Carton’s outward carelessness masks inward calculation
Who is the unnamed "forlorn wanderer" pacing the dark streets at the end of the chapter?
- Doctor Manette, relapsing into his old prison habits
- Mr. Lorry, troubled by business worries from Tellson’s Bank
- Sydney Carton, implied by his wish to bless Lucie for her compassion
- Charles Darnay, reflecting on his wife’s mysterious knowledge of Carton
What does the closing image of the chapter foreshadow?
- Lucie’s eventual illness and the family’s financial ruin in France
- The French Revolution’s arrival in England and its impact on London
- Carton’s eventual self-sacrifice for the Darnay family, motivated by his love for Lucie
- Darnay’s decision to abandon his French inheritance entirely
What physical resemblance does Carton reference during his conversation with Darnay?
- A resemblance between himself and Doctor Manette in their younger years
- A resemblance between Lucie and his own deceased sister
- The resemblance between himself and Darnay, which saved Darnay at his trial
- A resemblance between Darnay and the French king that endangers him
Comprehension Quiz
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