CHAPTER 13 Practice Quiz — Great Expectations
by Charles Dickens — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: CHAPTER 13
Why does Joe dress in his Sunday clothes in Chapter 13?
Joe wears his uncomfortable Sunday best because he considers it necessary for visiting Miss Havisham, even though Pip thinks he looks far better in his working dress.
What does Joe chalk on the forge door before leaving?
Joe chalks the word HOUT (his spelling of "out") on the door, accompanied by an arrow pointing in his direction of travel.
What is the awkward behavior Joe displays during his interview with Miss Havisham?
Joe refuses to address Miss Havisham directly, instead directing all of his answers to Pip, no matter how much Pip tries to redirect him.
How much money does Miss Havisham give Joe as a premium for Pip?
She gives him twenty-five guineas in a small bag, saying Pip has earned it during his visits to Satis House.
What does Miss Havisham tell Pip when he asks if he should come again?
She tells him no — Gargery is his master now. She then privately reminds Joe that the money is Pip's full reward and to expect no more.
How does Joe describe the visit when they return to Pumblechook's?
Joe fabricates a flattering account, claiming Miss Havisham sent compliments to Mrs. Joe and regretted she couldn't receive her, then teases out the amount of money through a guessing game.
Where is Pip formally bound as Joe's apprentice?
Pip is bound at the Town Hall before the local Justices, with Pumblechook shoving him through the crowd as if he were a criminal.
What simile does Dickens use to describe Joe at Satis House?
Dickens compares Joe to "some extraordinary bird" with "his tuft of feathers ruffled, and his mouth open, as if he wanted a worm."
How does Estella react to Joe and Pip's arrival at Satis House?
Estella takes no notice of either of them and silently leads them in. Later, she stands behind Miss Havisham's chair and her eyes laugh mischievously at Joe's awkwardness.
What escalating epithets does Pip use to describe Pumblechook in this chapter?
Pip calls him "That fearful Impostor," "That abject hypocrite," "that basest of swindlers," and "that diabolical corn-chandler" — each more condemning than the last.
How does Mrs. Joe react to learning about the twenty-five guineas?
She is so excited that she insists on a celebratory dinner at the Blue Boar and has Pumblechook fetch the Hubbles and Mr. Wopsle.
What does Pip admit about his feelings toward Joe during the Satis House visit?
Pip admits he was ashamed of Joe, especially when he saw Estella watching and laughing at Joe's awkwardness — calling him "the dear good fellow" while confessing his shame.
What theme does Joe's inability to speak to Miss Havisham illustrate?
It illustrates the theme of social class division — Joe is competent and confident in his own world but rendered speechless and clumsy when confronted with the gentry.
How does the twenty-five guineas function symbolically in Chapter 13?
The money symbolizes the commodification of human relationships. Miss Havisham reduces Pip's childhood service to a financial transaction and uses the payment to sever all further connection.
What does the chapter's final line reveal about Pip's transformation?
The line "I had liked it once, but once was not now" shows that Pip's exposure to Satis House has permanently changed him, making him dissatisfied with the working-class life he once embraced.
How does the theme of false appearances manifest in this chapter?
Pumblechook claims credit he doesn't deserve, Joe invents a flattering story for Mrs. Joe, and Pip pretends to enjoy the celebratory dinner while feeling miserable.
What type of irony operates when Joe addresses Pip instead of Miss Havisham?
Dramatic irony — the reader and Pip understand the social faux pas, but Joe is oblivious to it, making the scene simultaneously comic and poignant.
How does Dickens use the word "bound" as a literary device in this chapter?
It functions as a double meaning (pun): legally, Pip is bound by indentures to Joe; metaphorically, he is shackled to a life he no longer wants.
What narrative technique does Dickens use when Pip says "I am afraid I was ashamed... I know I was ashamed"?
First-person retrospective narration — the older Pip looks back with painful self-awareness, correcting his own hedging from "I am afraid" to the blunt admission "I know."
What satirical technique does Dickens employ in his descriptions of Pumblechook?
Escalating epithets — each new label ("Impostor," "hypocrite," "swindler," "diabolical corn-chandler") intensifies the satire, building a comic crescendo of moral condemnation.
What are "indentures" in the context of Chapter 13?
Indentures are legal contracts binding an apprentice to a master for a set period. Pip's indentures formally commit him to learning the blacksmith trade under Joe.
What is a "guinea" and why is the amount significant?
A guinea was worth 21 shillings (one pound and one shilling). Twenty-five guineas was a substantial sum for a working-class family, explaining Mrs. Joe's excitement.
What does "corn-chandler" mean, as applied to Pumblechook?
A corn-chandler is a dealer in grain and seeds. Pumblechook is a seedsman by trade, and Dickens uses the term satirically alongside "diabolical" to mock his pretensions.
Who says "Gargery is your master now" and what does it signify?
Miss Havisham says it to Pip, definitively ending his visits to Satis House and confirming that his future lies with Joe at the forge, not in her world.
What is the significance of Joe repeatedly saying "Astonishing!" after leaving Satis House?
It reveals Joe's genuine wonder at the strange world of Miss Havisham — he is so stunned by the experience that he can barely form other words, highlighting the vast gulf between his ordinary life and the eccentric gentry.