CHAPTER 35 Practice Quiz — Great Expectations
by Charles Dickens — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: CHAPTER 35
What event brings Pip back to the forge in Chapter 35?
The death and funeral of his sister, Mrs. Joe Gargery. It is the first death that has occurred in Pip's life.
Who organizes the funeral in Chapter 35, and how does he manage it?
Mr. Trabb, the undertaker-tailor, takes charge. He stages an elaborate procession with sable warders, black accessories, and commands the mourners like a theatrical director.
What does Joe confide to Pip during the funeral preparations?
Joe whispers that he would have preferred to carry Mrs. Joe to the church himself with a few willing friends, but the neighbors would consider it "wanting in respect."
Where is Mrs. Joe buried?
In the churchyard close to the graves of Pip's parents, Philip Pirrip and Georgiana, while the larks sing above.
What does Biddy reveal about Orlick in the garden conversation?
Biddy tells Pip she saw Orlick lurking by a dark tree on the night Mrs. Joe died, and that she has seen him there again since, indicating he is still stalking her.
What are Mrs. Joe's final words before she dies?
She says "Joe," then "Pardon," and then "Pip." She dies about an hour later with her head resting on Joe's shoulder.
What does Pip promise Joe and Biddy before leaving, and does he keep the promise?
Pip promises to visit often and not leave Joe alone. He admits in the narration that Biddy was right to doubt him — he did not come back as promised.
How does Pumblechook behave at the funeral?
He stuffs himself with food and sherry, persistently adjusts Pip's hatband, and shamelessly suggests Mrs. Joe would have considered her death a fair price for Pip's attending her funeral.
What is Biddy's plan for her future after Mrs. Joe's death?
Biddy plans to apply for the position of mistress at the new village school, saying she can be well recommended by neighbors and hopes to teach herself while teaching others.
How does Joe's appearance change after the funeral?
Joe changes into clothes that are a compromise between his Sunday dress and working dress, in which Pip says "the dear fellow looked natural, and like the Man he was."
Why does Pip feel indignation rather than tenderness after his sister's death?
Pip admits he cannot recall his sister with much tenderness due to her harsh treatment of him. He channels his grief into violent indignation against Orlick to compensate for the lack of softer feeling.
Why does Biddy call Pip "Mr. Pip" and how does he react?
Biddy uses the formal address to signal the distance Pip has created between them. Pip considers it "in bad taste" and is offended, not recognizing it reflects his own changed behavior.
What theme does the contrast between the funeral spectacle and Joe's simple grief illustrate?
It illustrates the theme of authenticity versus pretension. The elaborate funeral pageantry is hollow and performative, while Joe's quiet wish to carry his wife himself represents genuine feeling.
How does Chapter 35 develop the theme of self-deception?
Pip makes sincere-sounding promises to visit Joe but privately knows he will not keep them. The rising mists at his departure symbolize the moral obscurity in which he remains trapped.
What does Mrs. Joe's word "Pardon" suggest about the theme of forgiveness?
Her dying word "Pardon" suggests a moment of grace and reconciliation, acknowledging her harsh treatment of Joe and Pip. It introduces genuine forgiveness amid a chapter dominated by empty social ritual.
How does the funeral procession reflect the theme of social class?
The elaborate procession is designed to impress the village rather than honor the dead. Joe is forced into formal mourning rituals by social pressure, even though he would prefer a simple, personal burial.
What is the effect of Dickens describing the pallbearers as a "blind monster with twelve human legs"?
This grotesque metaphor transforms a solemn funeral image into something absurd and dehumanizing, highlighting how rigid social conventions strip dignity from genuine mourning.
How does Dickens use irony in Pip's reaction to Biddy's doubts?
Pip calls Biddy's honest skepticism a "very bad side of human nature" and keeps her at a distance — then immediately admits in narration that she was "quite right." The gap between his behavior and his self-knowledge is deeply ironic.
What is the function of pathetic fallacy in the burial scene?
The fine summer weather, singing larks, and beautiful cloud-shadows during the burial create a poignant contrast with the occasion of death, suggesting nature's indifference to human grief.
How does Dickens use dark humor in the funeral sequence?
He introduces a warder who was discharged for drunkenly riding a bridal couple into a sawpit, has Trabb bark commands like a stage director, and describes Pumblechook "breathing sherry and crumbs" — blending comedy with the solemnity of death.
What does "inveterate" mean in the context of Pip's feelings toward Orlick?
It means deeply ingrained and long-established. Pip feels an inveterate hostility toward Orlick — a settled, habitual hatred rather than a passing emotion.
What does "obsequious" mean as used to describe Pumblechook?
It means excessively eager to please or serve, in a fawning way. Pumblechook makes "obsequious movements" to catch Pip's attention at the funeral refreshments, groveling for favor.
Who says "Pocket-handkerchiefs out, all! We are ready!" and what does it reveal?
Mr. Trabb says this in a "depressed business-like voice" while directing the funeral. It reveals the funeral as a managed performance rather than a genuine expression of grief.
What is the significance of Pip's parting words: "No, don't wipe it off — for God's sake, give me your blackened hand!"?
Pip asks Joe not to wipe the forge soot from his hand before shaking it. It is a rare moment of genuine warmth where Pip accepts Joe as he is, without pretension about class.
What does the final line about the mists mean: "they were quite right too"?
Pip acknowledges that the rising mists, which seemed to tell him he would not return, were correct — just as Biddy was correct. It is a moment of painful self-honesty buried in indirect language.