CHAPTER 47 Practice Quiz — Great Expectations
by Charles Dickens — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: CHAPTER 47
Why does Pip pawn his jewelry in Chapter 47?
He is pressed for money by creditors and needs ready cash, but refuses to take any more money from Magwitch.
What did Pip do with Magwitch's pocket-book?
He sent it back unopened through Herbert, refusing to profit from Magwitch's generosity after learning his true identity.
What does Pip believe has happened to Estella?
He has become heavily convinced that Estella has married, though he avoids newspapers and asks Herbert never to speak of her.
Why does Pip row his boat regularly on the Thames?
To make himself a familiar, unremarkable presence among the riverside people, so no one will notice when he eventually helps Magwitch escape by river.
What signal does Pip check for in Magwitch's window?
The signal "All well," which Pip sees both going to and returning from Greenwich.
Where does Pip go for entertainment on the foggy February evening?
He dines at a chop-house and then attends a theatrical performance where Mr. Wopsle is acting.
What roles has Mr. Wopsle been reduced to playing?
Minor and absurd roles including a "faithful Black" alongside a monkey, a "predatory Tartar" with a red-brick face, a naval plenipotentiary, and an enchanter in a Christmas pantomime.
What alarming news does Wopsle share with Pip after the performance?
Wopsle tells Pip that one of the two convicts from the Christmas Day chase on the marshes was sitting directly behind Pip during the play.
Which convict does Wopsle recognize in the theater?
Compeyson—the one who had been "severely handled and much mauled about the face" by Magwitch during their fight in the ditch.
How does Wopsle describe Compeyson's position in the theater?
He says Compeyson was sitting behind Pip "like a ghost," watching over his shoulder.
How does Pip react outwardly to Wopsle's revelation?
He conceals his terror and pretends it is merely "very curious," while inwardly he is deeply alarmed.
Why does Pip initially mistrust Wopsle's motives?
Pip suspects Wopsle might be part of a design to entrap him into an admission connecting him to Provis (Magwitch).
What does Pip do after learning about Compeyson?
He holds a serious council with Herbert, then writes a letter to Wemmick warning him of the discovery and reminding him they await his signal.
What metaphor does Pip use to describe the shock of Compeyson's proximity?
He says it was "as if I had shut an avenue of a hundred doors to keep him out, and then had found him at my elbow."
How does Dickens use Wopsle's career as a literary device?
Wopsle's failed theatrical ambitions serve as a comic parallel to Pip's own disappointed great expectations, both having come to London with grand hopes that collapsed.
What literary technique does Dickens use when Pip addresses "you who read this"?
Breaking the fourth wall (direct address to the reader), creating an intimate confessional tone as Pip discusses his irrational hope about Estella.
How does the chapter's structure create dramatic effect?
It moves from comic descriptions of Wopsle's absurd theatrical performances to genuine menace with Compeyson's revelation, using comedy to heighten the shock of the sinister ending.
What does the fog symbolize in Chapter 47?
The fog that descends as the sun drops mirrors the uncertainty and hidden danger closing in around Pip and Magwitch.
What theme does Compeyson's undetected presence illustrate?
The inescapability of the past—despite Pip's elaborate precautions, the past literally sits behind him unseen, proving it cannot be outrun.
How does Pip's refusal of Magwitch's money reflect his character development?
It shows growing moral integrity—Pip chooses honesty over comfort, refusing to profit from a relationship he finds morally complicated, even as he faces real financial hardship.
What is Pip's "one dominant anxiety" in this chapter?
The fear that Magwitch will be discovered, which towers over all his other worries "like a high mountain above a range of mountains."