Chapter VII Practice Quiz — Ethan Frome
by Edith Wharton — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: Chapter VII
What does Zeena announce when Ethan finds her upstairs after her return from Bettsbridge?
She says she is much sicker than Ethan thinks and that the new doctor has diagnosed her with "complications," requiring complete rest.
What arrangement has Zeena already made before telling Ethan?
She has hired a girl through Aunt Martha to take over the housework, agreeing to pay a dollar extra to convince the girl to come out to the remote farm. The girl arrives the next afternoon.
How does Zeena propose to afford the hired girl?
By sending Mattie Silver away, which eliminates Mattie’s room and board costs.
What happens when Ethan goes downstairs to Mattie after the quarrel?
He impulsively takes Mattie in his arms and kisses her for the first time, then blurts out that Zeena wants her to leave.
What does Zeena discover at the end of the chapter while searching for stomach powders?
She finds the broken fragments of the red glass pickle-dish, her most prized wedding gift, which had been hidden back on the top shelf of the china-closet.
How has Zeena’s behavior changed from earlier chapters by Chapter VII?
She transforms from a listless, passively complaining figure into a shrewd, resolute strategist who has planned every detail of Mattie’s removal in advance.
What lie of Ethan’s does Zeena catch him in during their argument?
He had told her he could not drive her to the Flats because he had arranged to collect cash from Andrew Hale, but now admits he has no money and is not going to get any.
How does Mattie respond when she learns she must leave?
She absorbs the news with quiet dignity, telling Ethan "Don’t be too sorry" and bravely suggesting she might find work in Stamford, though both know her prospects are bleak.
What does Zeena claim about how she lost her health?
She says she lost her health nursing Ethan’s mother, and that her family told her at the time he could do no less than marry her afterward.
How does Mattie take responsibility for the broken pickle-dish?
She rushes to Ethan’s defense, confessing that she took the dish down from the china-closet to make the supper table pretty, and says she is the one to blame.
How does Chapter VII develop the theme of entrapment?
Every potential exit closes for Ethan: he has no money, no leverage over Zeena, and is caught in his own lie. Financial constraints, social obligation, and Zeena’s implacable will form an inescapable cage.
What does the chapter reveal about the power dynamics in the Frome marriage?
Zeena holds all the power despite her supposed frailty. Her composure during the argument contrasts with Ethan’s agitation, and she methodically dismantles every objection he raises.
How does the theme of deception play out in this chapter?
Ethan’s small lie about the Hale payment instantly collapses because he has "no suppleness in deceiving." The couple also collaborates in blaming the cat for the pickle-dish, and the hidden fragments represent concealed truths.
What role does social class and poverty play in Chapter VII?
Ethan’s inability to pay for the hired girl is the lever Zeena uses to force Mattie out. His poverty leaves him unable to resist, and Zeena’s taunt about the almshouse reminds him that Fromes have been destitute before.
What does the red glass pickle-dish symbolize?
It symbolizes the Frome marriage itself — once valued but now irreparably broken. Its red color suggests passion the couple no longer share, and its shattering parallels the fracturing of their domestic arrangement.
How does Wharton use animal imagery in this chapter?
Thoughts dart "like serpents shooting venom" during the quarrel; Mattie’s lashes beat against Ethan’s cheek "like netted butterflies"; and the cat — associated with Zeena — rubs against Zeena ingratiatingly while she eats.
What is the significance of darkness and light in the bedroom scene?
The quarrel takes place in near-total darkness, with Zeena’s rigid silhouette against the window. Ethan lights a single candle whose weak flame barely penetrates the shadows, mirroring his feeble attempts to resist her will.
What does the word "complications" signify in the rural community described in Chapter VII?
It is a word of "exceptional import" that distinguishes the seriously ill from those with ordinary "troubles." Having complications is both a distinction and, in most cases, a death-warrant.
What does "recrimination" mean in the context of the Frome quarrel?
It means exchanging mutual accusations. Ethan feels he lost an "irretrievable advantage" by descending to this level, suggesting their usual cold silence was a form of power.
Who says "I’m a great deal sicker than you think" and what is its significance?
Zeena says this to Ethan. He has heard her pronounce similar words before, but this time wonders "what if at last they were true?" It signals the shift in their dynamic.
What does Mattie mean when she says "If she says it to-night she’ll say it to-morrow"?
She acknowledges the inexorable truth that Zeena never changes her mind, and that a resolve once taken is equivalent to an act already performed. It shows Mattie’s clear-eyed understanding of her situation.
What is the significance of Zeena’s line "I knew the cat was a smart cat"?
Zeena uses biting sarcasm to expose Ethan’s lie about the cat breaking the pickle-dish, noting that the pieces were laid "edge to edge" on the shelf — something a cat could not do. It demonstrates her sharp intelligence.