Chapter XIV Practice Quiz — Jane Eyre
by Charlotte Bronte — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: Chapter XIV
Why has Jane seen little of Mr. Rochester at the start of Chapter XIV?
He has been busy with business in the mornings, entertaining visitors in the afternoons, and riding out to return social calls.
What is the "petit coffre" that Adele has been eagerly awaiting?
It is a gift box (a little carton) that Rochester promised her. Its arrival had been delayed due to some mistake.
What does Rochester tell Adele to do with her gift box?
He tells her to take it into a corner and open it silently, without bothering him with details of its contents.
Why does Rochester send for Mrs. Fairfax during the evening?
He wants Mrs. Fairfax to serve as an audience for Adele's excited chatter about her presents, so that he can talk privately with Jane.
What blunt answer does Jane give when Rochester asks if she thinks him handsome?
She says "No, sir" — the answer slips out before she can give a more polite, diplomatic response.
How does Rochester describe the change Fortune has worked on his character?
He says Fortune has knocked him about and kneaded him with her knuckles until he is hard and tough as an India-rubber ball, though still pervious through a chink or two.
At what age does Rochester say he went astray morally?
He says he was thrust on to a wrong tack at the age of one-and-twenty (twenty-one) and has never recovered the right course.
How does Rochester describe himself as a sinner?
He calls himself a "trite commonplace sinner, hackneyed in all the poor petty dissipations with which the rich and worthless try to put on life."
What quality does Rochester say will make Jane the involuntary confidant of others?
Her innate sympathy — she listens without malevolent scorn and does not tell of herself but encourages others to speak freely.
What does Rochester see when he looks at Jane, comparing her to a caged bird?
He sees "the glance of a curious sort of bird through the close-set bars of a cage: a vivid, restless, resolute captive" that would soar cloud-high if free.
What is Jane's argument against Rochester's claim to authority based on age and experience?
She says his claim to superiority depends on the use he has made of his time and experience, not merely on being older or more traveled.
What does Jane say is the cure for remorse?
She says reformation, not mere repentance, is the cure for remorse.
What does Rochester mean when he says he is "paving hell with energy"?
He is alluding to the proverb "the road to hell is paved with good intentions," suggesting he is making resolutions with great energy but acknowledging they may lead him astray.
What "dangerous maxim" does Jane identify in Rochester's reasoning?
That "unheard-of combinations of circumstances demand unheard-of rules" — Jane warns that this principle is liable to abuse.
What is the significance of Rochester's "angel of light" that he welcomes into his heart?
It refers to an inspiration or temptation he embraces despite Jane's warning. It foreshadows his morally questionable plan to pursue Jane while still married to Bertha Mason.
What metaphor does Rochester use to describe the transformation of his heart?
He says his heart was "a sort of charnel" (a vault for dead bodies) but will now become "a shrine" after receiving the mysterious pilgrim inspiration.
How does phrenology function as a literary device in this chapter?
Rochester invites Jane to read his character from the bumps of his skull. She observes strong intellectual organs but a deficiency where benevolence should be, adding humor and allowing character analysis through period science.
What does Adele do after finding a pink silk frock in her gift box?
She rushes out to change with Sophie, then re-enters wearing the rose-coloured satin dress with a wreath of rosebuds, silk stockings, and white satin sandals, and performs a curtsey and dance for Rochester.
What does Rochester reveal about Adele's mother at the end of the chapter?
He says Adele is a miniature of Celine Varens and that her mother "charmed my English gold out of my British breeches' pocket." He keeps Adele as an act of expiation for his sins.
On what ground does Jane finally agree to let Rochester "hector a little"?
Not on mercenary grounds (her salary), but because he forgot the salary and because he cares whether a dependent is comfortable in his dependency.