CHAPTER 51 Practice Quiz — Great Expectations
by Charles Dickens — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: CHAPTER 51
Why does Pip visit Mr. Jaggers's office in Chapter 51?
To confront Jaggers about Estella's true parentage, specifically to reveal that he knows both her mother and father.
What business does Pip complete before raising the topic of Estella?
He hands over Miss Havisham's authorization for the nine-hundred-pound payment to secure Herbert's business partnership.
Why is Pip glad that Wemmick is present during the meeting?
So Wemmick can witness that Pip says nothing to compromise their private communications or reveal Wemmick as a source.
What is the name of Estella's father as Pip reveals it to Jaggers?
Provis (Abel Magwitch), a convict from New South Wales.
How does Jaggers react when Pip names Provis as Estella's father?
He gives "the slightest start that could escape a man," which he tries to disguise as taking out his pocket-handkerchief.
Did Jaggers already know the identity of Estella's father?
No. He knew Molly was the mother but had no idea Magwitch was the father, since Magwitch had "kept himself dark."
What narrative device does Jaggers use to reveal the truth about Estella?
The "put the case" hypothetical framework, presenting real events as an imaginary legal scenario so he technically admits nothing.
What does Jaggers say happened to most children he encountered in his legal practice?
They were "generated in great numbers for certain destruction"—prosecuted, imprisoned, whipped, transported, and hanged.
Why did Jaggers place Estella with Miss Havisham?
He saw a chance to save "one pretty little child out of the heap" from the criminal underworld, while Miss Havisham wanted a child to adopt.
What deal did Jaggers strike with Molly regarding the child?
He would defend Molly on the murder charge and keep the child safe; Molly had to give the child to him and could only reclaim her if needed to clear Molly in court.
What private detail about Wemmick does Pip reveal in front of Jaggers?
Pip describes Wemmick's pleasant home, his Aged Parent, and his "innocent cheerful playful ways"—his private life kept separate from the office.
How does Jaggers respond to learning about Wemmick's home life?
He calls Wemmick "the most cunning impostor in all London," but with an open smile rather than genuine anger.
What does Wemmick suggest about Jaggers's own private life?
He suggests Jaggers might be "planning and contriving to have a pleasant home of your own, one of these days," to which Jaggers sighs and nods.
What gesture do Jaggers, Wemmick, and Pip all make at the end of the discussion?
Each solemnly touches his lips with a forefinger, silently agreeing to keep Estella's parentage secret.
What arguments does Jaggers give for keeping Estella's parentage secret?
Revealing it would not help the father, mother, or daughter—it would only drag Estella back to disgrace after twenty years of secure anonymity.
Who is Mike, and what role does he play at the end of Chapter 51?
Mike is a recurring client who appears to report his daughter's arrest for shoplifting. He is thrown out for shedding a tear, restoring Jaggers and Wemmick's professional dynamic.
What does Jaggers's pocket-handkerchief symbolize in this chapter?
It represents his professional composure and control. For the first time, the "powerful pocket-handkerchief" fails when Pip's revelation catches him truly off guard.
What theme does the chapter's ending with Mike illustrate?
The restoration of professional masks after vulnerability. Jaggers and Wemmick reassert their cold office personas by ejecting Mike for showing emotion.
What does Wemmick mean when he says "portable property" in this chapter?
He is advising Pip that he should have accepted something of material value from Miss Havisham—Wemmick's recurring philosophy that one's business is acquiring portable property.
How does Pip protect Wemmick during the conversation with Jaggers?
He lets Jaggers infer that he learned everything from Miss Havisham, never revealing that Wemmick was his actual source of information.
What is ironic about Jaggers's "put the case" method?
It is dramatic irony: Jaggers presents the truth as a hypothetical, but everyone in the room knows it is a factual confession disguised as a legal exercise.
What does Jaggers's sigh when Wemmick mentions a "pleasant home" reveal?
It suggests a buried loneliness and longing beneath Jaggers's professional armor, hinting that even he desires human connection beyond his work.