Book III - Chapter XIV. The Knitting Done Practice Quiz — A Tale of Two Cities
by Charles Dickens — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: Book III - Chapter XIV. The Knitting Done
Where does Madame Defarge hold her secret council at the beginning of Chapter 14?
In the shed of the wood-sawyer (formerly a mender of roads), not in the wine-shop, so that her husband will not know of her plans.
Why does Madame Defarge not trust her husband with her plans?
She says Defarge is "so weak as to relent towards this Doctor" and she fears he might warn the Manettes, allowing them to escape.
What false testimony is the wood-sawyer prepared to give?
He will swear that Lucie signaled to the prisoners from beneath the prison window, claiming he saw her making signals "every day, in all weathers, from two to four."
What does Jacques Three say about Lucie and little Lucie that reveals his cruelty?
He says he has seen "blue eyes and golden hair" that "looked charming when Samson held them up," speaking of executions "like an epicure." He also calls a child at the guillotine "a pretty sight."
What weapons does Madame Defarge carry concealed on her person?
A loaded pistol hidden in her bosom and a sharpened dagger hidden at her waist.
What does Dickens say about Madame Defarge and pity?
She was "absolutely without pity. If she had ever had the virtue in her, it had quite gone out of her." Even facing her own death, she would feel only "a fierce desire to change places with the man who sent her there."
What two vows does Jerry Cruncher make before departing?
First, he vows to stop his grave-robbing ("never no more will I do it"). Second, he vows to stop interfering with his wife's praying ("never no more will I interfere with Mrs. Cruncher's flopping").
Where do Miss Pross and Jerry Cruncher plan to meet?
At the cathedral door (Notre-Dame), at three o'clock, where Cruncher will pick her up in a light carriage.
What does Miss Pross say when she first sees Madame Defarge in the lodging?
"You might, from your appearance, be the wife of Lucifer. Nevertheless, you shall not get the better of me. I am an Englishwoman."
What is unusual about the confrontation between Miss Pross and Madame Defarge?
Neither woman understands the other's language. Each speaks in her own tongue—English and French—reading intent from "look and manner" rather than words.
What does Dickens say about Miss Pross's strength in the fight?
He calls it "the vigorous tenacity of love, always so much stronger than hate," and notes she had "never struck a blow in her life" before this moment.
How does Madame Defarge die?
During the physical struggle, she reaches for the pistol in her bosom. Miss Pross strikes at it, the gun fires, and Madame Defarge is killed instantly. Dickens writes the smoke passed out "like the soul of the furious woman."
What permanent injury does Miss Pross suffer?
She is permanently deafened by the gunshot blast. She describes hearing "a great crash, and then a great stillness" that will last the rest of her life. Dickens confirms: "And indeed she never did" hear again.
What does Miss Pross do with the door key after locking Madame Defarge's body inside?
She drops the key into the river while crossing a bridge, hoping to eliminate evidence connecting her to the scene.
What is the double meaning of the chapter title "The Knitting Done"?
Madame Defarge's knitting—the coded death register she has maintained throughout the novel—is literally finished because she is dead. Symbolically, the cycle of revolutionary vengeance she embodied is also complete.
How does Dickens link Madame Defarge's knitting to Greek mythology?
The knitting connects Madame Defarge to the Moirai (Greek Fates), goddesses who controlled the threads of human destiny. Like the Fates, Madame Defarge determines who lives and who dies.
What does Madame Defarge plan to use as evidence against Lucie?
She plans to catch Lucie mourning and grieving over Darnay's execution, which she will characterize as impeaching "the justice of the Republic" and showing sympathy with its enemies.
How does Miss Pross's appearance help her escape after the confrontation?
She wears a veil on her bonnet, and Dickens notes she was "naturally so peculiar in appearance as not to show disfigurement like any other woman"—both advantages since her face bore deep marks from Madame Defarge's gripping fingers.
What moral argument does the Miss Pross vs. Madame Defarge confrontation illustrate?
It dramatizes Dickens's central thesis that love is stronger than hate, and that revolutionary violence ultimately destroys its own practitioners. The devoted servant defeats the fearsome revolutionary.