Book III - Chapter XIII. Fifty-two Practice Quiz — A Tale of Two Cities
by Charles Dickens — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: Book III - Chapter XIII. Fifty-two
Where are the fifty-two condemned prisoners held at the start of Chapter 13?
In the black prison of the Conciergerie.
What does the number fifty-two symbolize in this chapter?
The fifty-two prisoners match the weeks of the year, suggesting the relentless, calendar-like regularity of the Terror's executions.
What range of social classes is represented among the fifty-two condemned?
From the farmer-general of seventy, whose riches could not buy his life, to the seamstress of twenty, whose poverty could not save her.
To whom does Darnay write his farewell letters?
To Lucie, to Doctor Manette, and to Mr. Lorry.
What does Darnay explain to Lucie in his farewell letter?
That he never knew of her father's imprisonment or his own family's responsibility for it until she herself revealed it, and that concealing his real name was the condition her father attached to their betrothal.
Who does Darnay notably fail to think of while writing his letters?
Sydney Carton. "His mind was so full of the others, that he never once thought of him."
What does Darnay dream about on his last night?
He dreams of being free and happy, back in the old house in Soho with Lucie, who tells him it was all a dream and he had never gone away.
What final hour does Darnay resolve to keep before his mind?
Two o'clock—one hour before the scheduled final hour of Three—so he can use the interval to strengthen himself and then strengthen others.
How does Carton gain access to Darnay's cell?
He has a hold over the spy Barsad (one of the prison keepers) and uses that power to enter the cell.
What does Carton claim when he first appears to Darnay?
He says he brings a request from Lucie—"a most earnest, pressing, and emphatic entreaty."
What items do Carton and Darnay exchange?
Boots, coat, cravat, and hair ribbon—Carton also shakes out his hair to match Darnay's style.
How does Carton drug Darnay?
While dictating a letter, Carton slowly brings a cloth soaked in a powerful vapour close to Darnay's face until he loses consciousness.
What does the dictated letter say?
"If you remember the words that passed between us, long ago, you will readily comprehend this when you see it... I am thankful that the time has come, when I can prove them."
What do the guards believe about the unconscious Darnay?
They think he is a visitor so afflicted by his friend's fate that he has fainted—"So afflicted to find that his friend has drawn a prize in the lottery of Sainte Guillotine."
What instructions does Carton give Barsad for the escape?
To take Darnay to the courtyard, place him in the carriage, show him to Mr. Lorry, give him no restorative but air, remember Carton's words and Lorry's promise from the night before, and drive away.
Who is the seamstress and why is she condemned?
She is a young, frail, innocent girl from La Force, condemned for imaginary "plots." She is the only one who recognizes Carton is not Darnay.
What does the seamstress whisper to Carton?
"Are you dying for him?" Carton replies: "And his wife and child. Hush! Yes."
How does Jarvis Lorry identify the unconscious Darnay at the barrier?
As "Sydney Carton. Advocate. English," explaining that he is not in strong health and has separated sadly from a friend under the Republic's displeasure.
What is Doctor Manette's condition at the barrier checkpoint?
He is helpless, inarticulately murmuring, and wandering—the officials attribute it to "Revolution-fever."
What chilling exchange occurs at the posting-house?
The postilions ask how many went to the guillotine. On hearing "Fifty-two," one says: "A brave number! The Guillotine goes handsomely. I love it."
What narrative technique does Dickens use for the escape sequence?
He shifts from past tense to present tense, creating urgency and immediacy as the carriage races through the countryside.
What is pursuing the carriage at the chapter's end?
"The wind is rushing after us, and the clouds are flying after us, and the moon is plunging after us, and the whole wild night is in pursuit of us; but, so far, we are pursued by nothing else."
What Christian theme does Carton's sacrifice embody?
The theme of resurrection—giving one's life so another may live—echoing the scripture "I am the resurrection and the life" that Carton recalled earlier in the novel.