Chapter XXI Practice Quiz — Jane Eyre
by Charlotte Bronte — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: Chapter XXI
What recurring dream has Jane been having for seven consecutive nights?
She dreams of an infant—sometimes hushing it, dandling it on her knee, watching it play, or seeing it dabble its hands in water.
What superstition does Bessie associate with dreaming of children?
Bessie once said that dreaming of children is a sure sign of trouble, either to oneself or one's kin.
What news does Robert Leaven bring to Jane at Thornfield?
He tells her that John Reed has died (apparently by suicide) and that Mrs. Reed has suffered a stroke and is calling for Jane.
How did John Reed die?
He died at his chambers in London after ruining himself through gambling and debt. It is believed he killed himself.
How much money does Rochester initially offer Jane for her journey, and how much does she accept?
Rochester offers fifty pounds, but Jane refuses since he only owes her fifteen. She finally accepts ten pounds.
What does Jane suggest about Adele's future before she leaves?
Jane tells Rochester that when he marries, Adele should be sent to school and Jane will need to find another situation.
What does Mrs. Reed reveal from a letter she concealed from Jane?
A letter from John Eyre in Madeira, written three years earlier, asking to adopt Jane and make her his heir. Mrs. Reed told him Jane was dead.
What two wrongs does Mrs. Reed confess to Jane?
First, she broke her promise to her dying husband to raise Jane as her own child. Second, she lied to John Eyre that Jane had died of typhus fever at Lowood.
How does Mrs. Reed respond when Jane offers her forgiveness and asks for a kiss?
Mrs. Reed refuses the kiss, turns her face away, and remains cold and hostile. She dies that night without reconciling with Jane.
What does Jane unconsciously sketch while staying at Gateshead?
She sketches a portrait of Mr. Rochester, though she claims to Eliza it is merely a fancy head.
How has Eliza Reed changed since Jane last saw her?
Eliza has become tall, thin, sallow, and ascetic. She dresses plainly in black, wears ebony beads and a crucifix, and follows a rigid daily routine of prayer, needlework, and diary-writing.
How has Georgiana Reed changed since Jane last saw her?
Georgiana has become a full-blown, plump damsel with languishing blue eyes and ringleted yellow hair. She is vain, idle, and obsessed with recounting her past London social season.
What does Eliza plan to do after her mother's death?
She plans to seek a religious retirement where punctual habits would be permanently secured from disturbance, cutting all ties with Georgiana.
Why did Mrs. Reed hate Jane from infancy?
She disliked Jane's mother (her husband's favourite sister) and resented that Mr. Reed doted on the orphaned Jane more than his own children. She was further embittered by the deathbed vow to keep Jane.
How does Rochester react when Jane asks for leave to visit Gateshead?
He is reluctant and dismissive at first, questioning why she would travel a hundred miles for an old lady who cast her off. But he eventually consents, gives her money, and tries to prolong their farewell.
What theme does Jane's forgiveness of Mrs. Reed illustrate?
The theme of forgiveness versus resentment. Jane freely forgives despite receiving no reciprocal grace, while Mrs. Reed dies clinging to bitterness, showing the spiritual cost of refusing forgiveness.
How does the chapter explore the theme of class and inheritance?
John Eyre's letter reveals that Mrs. Reed suppressed Jane's chance at wealth out of class spite—she could not endure the poor dependent rising to prosperity. This introduces the inheritance subplot.
What does Bronte suggest about feeling versus judgment through Eliza and Georgiana?
She writes that "feeling without judgment is a washy draught" (Georgiana) while "judgment untempered by feeling is too bitter and husky a morsel" (Eliza), arguing that true character requires both.
What literary device do the infant dreams at the chapter's opening represent?
Foreshadowing. The recurring infant dreams, linked to Bessie's superstition about trouble, prepare the reader for the bad news from Gateshead.
How does Bronte use pathetic fallacy in this chapter?
The wet and windy afternoon when Jane visits the neglected sickroom mirrors the emotional desolation surrounding Mrs. Reed's approaching death.
What does Jane's sketch of Rochester symbolize?
It symbolizes her suppressed longing for Rochester and reveals where her heart truly lies while she is physically distant from Thornfield.
How does Bronte use contrast in her portrayal of Eliza and Georgiana?
Eliza and Georgiana are drawn as precise opposites—one austere and disciplined, the other indulgent and idle—yet both are rendered emotionally barren by the absence of genuine feeling and compassion.
Who says: "Love me, then, or hate me, as you will... you have my full and free forgiveness: ask now for God's, and be at peace"?
Jane says this to Mrs. Reed after her aunt refuses a kiss and rejects all reconciliation. It is Jane's final appeal before Mrs. Reed's death.
Who says: "I disliked you too fixedly and thoroughly ever to lend a hand in lifting you to prosperity"?
Mrs. Reed says this to Jane, explaining why she hid John Eyre's letter and told him Jane was dead.
Who says: "You shall walk up the pyramids of Egypt! At your peril you advertise!"?
Mr. Rochester says this to Jane when she mentions advertising for a new governess position after his marriage, revealing his agitation at the thought of losing her.