CHAPTER 26 Practice Quiz — Great Expectations
by Charles Dickens — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: CHAPTER 26
Where does Mr. Jaggers live?
Jaggers lives in a stately but neglected house on the south side of Gerrard Street, Soho, with dirty windows and a stone hall that is bare and gloomy.
What does Jaggers do before leaving his office to take Pip and friends home?
He washes his hands, face, and gargles his throat with scented soap, then scrapes his nails with a penknife before putting on his coat.
What nickname does Jaggers give Drummle?
Jaggers privately calls Drummle "the Spider" — described as "the blotchy, sprawly, sulky fellow."
What does Jaggers force Molly to show the dinner guests?
He forces her to hold out both her wrists, revealing that one is deeply scarred and disfigured, while he traces the sinews and praises their remarkable grip strength.
What near-violent incident occurs at the dinner?
Drummle picks up a large glass and attempts to throw it at Startop's head, but Jaggers dexterously seizes it before he can.
At what time does Jaggers end the dinner party?
Jaggers ends the dinner precisely at half-past nine, pulling out his gold repeater watch to announce the time.
What happens to Drummle about a month after the dinner?
Drummle's time with Mr. Pocket ends for good, and he goes home to "the family hole," to the great relief of all the house except Mrs. Pocket.
How does Pip describe Molly's appearance?
She is about forty, rather tall, with a lithe nimble figure, extremely pale, with large faded eyes, streaming hair, and parted lips as if she were panting.
What is Jaggers's attitude toward Drummle?
Jaggers is fascinated by Drummle, calling him "one of the true sort" and singling him out all evening, yet he paradoxically warns Pip to keep clear of him.
How does Molly behave around Jaggers?
She keeps her eyes attentively fixed on him, removes her hands from dishes hesitatingly as if dreading his calling her back, and addresses him submissively as "Master."
How does Drummle treat Startop and Pip during the dinner?
Drummle is sulky and offensive throughout, claiming he is their master in rowing skill and strength, mocking their generosity with money, and nearly assaulting Startop with a glass.
What does Jaggers manipulate out of his dinner guests?
Through subtle conversational steering, Jaggers draws out each guest's weaknesses — Pip's lavish spending and boastfulness, and Drummle's grudging, suspicious nature.
What theme does Jaggers's hand-washing ritual represent?
It represents the theme of moral contamination and the impossibility of true cleansing — Jaggers tries to wash away his clients' criminality but cannot escape his profession even at home.
How does this chapter develop the theme of power and control?
Jaggers dominates every aspect of the dinner: he distributes all food and wine himself, manipulates conversation to expose weaknesses, forces Molly to display her wrists, and dictates the precise ending time.
What does the contrast between Jaggers's and Wemmick's homes illustrate?
It illustrates the theme of public versus private identity — Wemmick successfully separates work from home life, while Jaggers's home is merely an extension of his office, with no personal warmth.
How does the chapter explore hidden identity?
Molly's mysterious scars, fearful obedience, and unexplained past introduce the motif of concealed identity that will be resolved later when her true history is revealed.
What is the significance of the Macbeth allusion in this chapter?
Pip compares Molly's face to faces rising from the witches' cauldron, associating her with guilt, violence, and dark fate — foreshadowing revelations about her violent past.
How does Dickens use dramatic irony in this chapter?
Pip observes Molly's scarred wrists and Jaggers's control over her without understanding their full significance, while the reader senses a deeper story that will be revealed later.
What do the carved garlands on the walls of Jaggers's rooms symbolize?
Pip notes that the carved garlands look like nooses, symbolically linking domesticity with punishment and reinforcing that Jaggers's world revolves around crime and justice.
What is foreshadowed by Jaggers's incomplete sentence about being a fortune-teller?
Jaggers begins to say what he would predict about Drummle but stops himself, hinting at dark knowledge about Drummle's future that the reader will later discover.
What does "reticent" mean as used to describe Drummle's manner?
Reticent means reluctant to speak freely or reserved in manner. Drummle replies to Jaggers in a "heavy reticent way," meaning he is grudging and uncommunicative.
What is a "dumb-waiter" as described in Jaggers's dining room?
A dumb-waiter is a small portable stand with shelves used to hold dishes, bottles, and food near the dining table, allowing the host to serve without additional servants.
Who says "I like the look of that fellow" and about whom?
Jaggers says this about Bentley Drummle after seeing Pip's companions for the first time, revealing his immediate and inexplicable fascination with the sulky young man.
What does Molly say when Jaggers orders her to show her wrists?
Molly whispers "Master" and pleads "Don't" and "Please!" — but Jaggers insists, revealing the power dynamic where she is completely under his control.