CHAPTER 36 Practice Quiz — Great Expectations
by Charles Dickens — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: CHAPTER 36
What milestone does Pip reach at the beginning of Chapter 36?
Pip turns twenty-one years old, officially coming of age.
Who sends Pip an official note before his birthday, and what does it say?
Wemmick sends a note informing Pip that Mr. Jaggers would be glad to see him at five in the afternoon on his birthday.
How much money does Jaggers give Pip as a birthday present?
Jaggers gives Pip a banknote for five hundred pounds as a present and earnest of his expectations.
What annual income will Pip receive, and how will it be paid?
Pip will receive five hundred pounds per year, paid in quarterly installments of one hundred and twenty-five pounds, drawn from Wemmick.
Does Jaggers reveal the identity of Pip's benefactor in this chapter?
No. Jaggers firmly refuses, saying the question might compromise him and that the benefactor will disclose their identity in their own time.
What does Pip want to do with the money he receives?
Pip wants to use some of his money to secretly help his friend Herbert get established in a commercial business.
What does Wemmick advise Pip to do instead of lending money to a friend?
Wemmick lists six London bridges and tells Pip he might as well pitch his money into the Thames, as it would be a less unpleasant loss.
How does Jaggers address Pip differently in this chapter?
Jaggers calls him "Mr. Pip" for the first time, acknowledging that Pip has come of age.
What does Jaggers mean when he says he is "the mere agent"?
Jaggers means he only executes instructions from the benefactor and is not authorized to share opinions or reveal identities. His role is purely professional.
How does Wemmick distinguish between his office self and his Walworth self?
Wemmick says "Walworth is one place, and this office is another" and that only his official sentiments can be taken at the office, while his Walworth sentiments must be taken at home.
What effect does Jaggers have on Herbert after dinner?
Herbert feels deeply dejected and guilty after the meal, saying he felt as though he must have committed a felony and forgotten the details of it.
Who does Pip believe is his secret benefactor, and why?
Pip believes Miss Havisham is his benefactress, interpreting Jaggers's reluctance as evidence that she excluded him from her plans regarding Estella.
How does Pip's coming-of-age scene contrast with what a birthday celebration should be?
Instead of warmth and celebration, Pip's twenty-first birthday is a cold, legalistic financial transaction in Jaggers's office, highlighting the dehumanizing effect of the legal world.
What is ironic about Pip's plan to secretly help Herbert?
Pip plans to become an anonymous benefactor to Herbert, mirroring the exact arrangement under which Pip himself lives — unaware that his own benefactor's identity will shatter his assumptions.
What does Wemmick's dual personality symbolize in the novel?
It symbolizes the dehumanizing demands of Victorian professional life, which required suppressing personal warmth and generosity in the workplace.
How does the theme of secrecy operate in Chapter 36?
Jaggers keeps the benefactor's identity secret from Pip, and Pip plans to keep his own generosity secret from Herbert — creating parallel layers of concealment that drive the plot.
What is the dramatic irony in Pip's assumption about his benefactor?
Pip is convinced Miss Havisham is his patron, but the reader will later learn the benefactor is actually the convict Magwitch — making Pip's confident interpretation deeply mistaken.
What literary effect does Jaggers's repeated phrase "When that person discloses" create?
The triple repetition creates a legalistic, rhythmic incantation that reinforces Jaggers's refusal to step beyond his professional role and builds suspense about the benefactor's identity.
What do the plaster casts on Jaggers's shelf symbolize?
The two ghastly casts of criminal faces symbolize the dehumanizing nature of the legal system. They are described as making a "stupid apoplectic attempt to attend to the conversation."
How does Dickens use Wemmick's bridge metaphor?
Wemmick lists six real London bridges and suggests Pip throw his money off one rather than lend it to a friend — a vivid, comic metaphor for the futility of mixing money and friendship.
What does "portable property" mean in Wemmick's advice?
Portable property is Wemmick's favorite term for movable wealth — cash, jewelry, or valuables that can be carried. He advises never investing portable property in a friend.
What does "fountain-head" mean as Jaggers uses it?
Fountain-head means the original source. Jaggers uses it to refer to Pip's benefactor, contrasting the "fountain-head" with himself as "the mere agent."
What does "earnest" mean in the phrase "in earnest of your expectations"?
In this context, earnest means a pledge or down payment — a sum of money given as a guarantee of more to come.
Who says "Walworth is one place, and this office is another" and what does it mean?
Wemmick says this to Pip, meaning that his personal opinions at home are completely separate from his professional opinions at Jaggers's office.
What does Herbert say after Jaggers leaves dinner, and why is it significant?
Herbert says he "must have committed a felony and forgotten the details of it" because Jaggers made him feel so dejected and guilty — illustrating Jaggers's oppressive effect on everyone around him.