Book III - Chapter V. The Wood-Sawyer Quiz — A Tale of Two Cities

by Charles Dickens

Comprehension Quiz: Book III - Chapter V. The Wood-Sawyer

How long has Charles Darnay been in prison when this chapter opens?

  • Six months of uncertain waiting and daily fear
  • One year and three months of never knowing his fate
  • Two years of steadily worsening conditions in the cell
  • Three months since his arrest by revolutionary soldiers

What does Dr. Manette always tell Lucie to reassure her about Darnay?

  • "The Revolution will end soon and all prisoners will be freed"
  • "Nothing can happen to him without my knowledge, and I know that I can save him"
  • "I have bribed the guards and they will protect him from harm"
  • "Mr. Lorry has arranged for his secret transfer to a safer prison"

Why does Lucie stand in the same spot near the prison every day?

  • She is delivering secret messages to Darnay through a guard
  • Darnay might see her from a high prison window he can sometimes reach
  • She is waiting for Dr. Manette to bring her news from inside
  • She hopes to catch a glimpse of Darnay through the prison bars

Who was the wood-sawyer before the Revolution?

  • A carpenter who built tumbrils for the revolutionary courts
  • A mender of roads who appeared earlier in the novel
  • A former servant in the Marquis St. Evrémonde's household
  • A blacksmith who forged pikes for the storming of the Bastille

What does the wood-sawyer call his saw?

  • "The People's Justice" after the revolutionary tribunal's motto
  • "My Little Guillotine," later inscribed as "Little Sainte Guillotine"
  • "La Mort" (death), reflecting the Revolution's motto
  • "The National Razor," a popular nickname for the guillotine

What does the wood-sawyer pretend while chopping billets of wood?

  • That he is building coffins for the aristocrats of Paris
  • That each billet is a head being chopped off—man, woman, and child
  • That the wood is fuel for burning down the old regime's estates
  • That he is carving weapons for the revolutionary soldiers to use

How often does Darnay actually see Lucie from the prison window?

  • Every single day without fail, which sustains his hope
  • Perhaps once in five or six times, sometimes not for weeks
  • Only on Sundays when the guards are less vigilant than usual
  • Exactly twice per week when he is allowed exercise time

What form of address has been mandated by decree for all citizens?

  • "Comrade" and "sister," borrowed from military terminology
  • "Citizen" and "citizeness," previously voluntary but now law
  • "Brother" and "sister," emphasizing revolutionary family bonds
  • "Patriot" and "patriotess," signaling loyalty to the Republic

What is the Carmagnole as depicted in this chapter?

  • A revolutionary anthem sung solemnly at public executions
  • A wild, violent dance performed by a frenzied mob of hundreds
  • A formal procession of revolutionary soldiers through the streets
  • A public trial where citizens denounce suspected aristocrats

Who dances hand in hand with the wood-sawyer during the Carmagnole?

  • Madame Defarge, the leader of the revolutionary women
  • The Vengeance, Madame Defarge's fierce revolutionary lieutenant
  • Ernest Defarge, who runs the wine shop in Saint Antoine
  • An unnamed citoyenne who leads the mob in revolutionary songs

What happens to the snow immediately after the Carmagnole passes?

  • It is trampled into red-stained slush by the dancing mob
  • It falls quietly and lies white and soft, as if the dance had never been
  • It stops falling entirely, as if nature itself is shocked by the scene
  • It begins to melt from the heat generated by hundreds of dancers

How does Madame Defarge behave when she passes Lucie and Dr. Manette?

  • She openly threatens them and warns them to leave Paris
  • She exchanges cold, formal greetings and passes like a shadow
  • She ignores them completely and hurries past without a word
  • She stops to interrogate Lucie about her reasons for being there

What critical news does Dr. Manette share with Lucie as they leave the prison area?

  • He has arranged for Darnay to escape through a secret tunnel
  • Darnay has been summoned before the Tribunal for the next day
  • The charges against Darnay have been quietly dropped by officials
  • Darnay has fallen ill and needs medicine smuggled into the prison

What sound do Lucie and Dr. Manette hear as they walk away from the prison?

  • The roar of the Carmagnole mob returning for another pass
  • Three tumbrils rumbling past with condemned prisoners over the snow
  • Church bells ringing to mark the hour of evening curfew
  • Cannon fire from the revolutionary army outside the city walls

Who is the mysterious visitor at Tellson's Bank at the end of the chapter?

  • Gabelle, Darnay's former servant who wrote the letter from prison
  • An unidentified person (implied to be Sydney Carton) who has just arrived
  • Monsieur Defarge, coming secretly to warn Mr. Lorry of danger
  • A revolutionary spy sent to monitor Tellson's financial records

Comprehension Quiz

Question 1 of 0
Score: 0 / 0
Read Chapter
← Previous Next →