Chapter I Practice Quiz — Wuthering Heights
by Emily Bronte — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: Chapter I
What year does Lockwood record in his diary at the start of Chapter 1?
1801. This date establishes the time frame of the frame narrative.
What is the name of the property Lockwood has rented?
Thrushcross Grange, which is owned by Mr. Heathcliff.
Why does Lockwood visit Wuthering Heights?
He wants to introduce himself to his landlord, Mr. Heathcliff, as a new tenant of Thrushcross Grange.
What happens when Lockwood is left alone with the dogs?
He makes faces at them, which provokes the dogs to attack him. He has to fend them off with a poker until the housekeeper rescues him with a frying pan.
How does Heathcliff react to the dog attack on Lockwood?
He and Joseph climb the cellar steps with "vexatious phlegm," showing no urgency. Heathcliff then dismisses the incident and offers Lockwood wine.
What does Lockwood resolve to do at the end of Chapter 1?
He resolves to visit Heathcliff again the next day, even though Heathcliff clearly does not want him to return.
What does the inscription above the door of Wuthering Heights say?
It reads "1500" and "Hareton Earnshaw," indicating the house was built by the Earnshaw family over 300 years before the story begins.
How does Lockwood describe Heathcliff's appearance?
He calls him "a dark-skinned gipsy in aspect, in dress and manners a gentleman" with an erect, handsome figure and a morose disposition.
What does Lockwood reveal about his own romantic history?
He confesses that at the seaside, he attracted a young woman but then withdrew coldly when she returned his feelings, earning a reputation for deliberate heartlessness.
Who is Joseph in Chapter 1?
Joseph is an elderly servant at Wuthering Heights who greets Lockwood with sour displeasure and mumbles indistinctly when called by Heathcliff.
What kind of narrator is Lockwood, and why does this matter?
Lockwood is an unreliable first-person narrator. He projects his own qualities onto Heathcliff and misreads social situations, so readers must question his interpretations.
Who rescues Lockwood from the dog attack?
A lusty housekeeper with tucked-up gown and bare arms rushes in wielding a frying pan and uses it and her tongue to subdue the dogs.
What theme does the contrast between Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange introduce?
It introduces the opposition between wild, untamed nature and civilized refinement, a central thematic contrast throughout the novel.
How does the theme of isolation appear in Chapter 1?
Both Lockwood and Heathcliff have withdrawn from society. Lockwood calls the setting "a perfect misanthropist's heaven," and the remote landscape reinforces their shared solitude.
What does Lockwood's seaside confession reveal about the theme of emotional repression?
It shows that fear of emotional connection drives people to self-imposed isolation. Lockwood destroyed a potential romance by withdrawing, paralleling Heathcliff's own guarded nature.
What is a frame narrative, and how does Chapter 1 establish one?
A frame narrative is a story within a story. Chapter 1 establishes Lockwood as the outer narrator whose diary will contain the inner story of Wuthering Heights told later by Nelly Dean.
How does Bronte use pathetic fallacy in Chapter 1?
The harsh, wind-battered landscape around Wuthering Heights mirrors Heathcliff's hostile temperament, linking the natural environment to the characters' emotional states.
What is the effect of the Gothic imagery in the description of Wuthering Heights?
Details like crumbling griffins, narrow deep-set windows, grotesque carvings, and the ancient date create an atmosphere of mystery, decay, and foreboding typical of Gothic fiction.
How does the dog-attack scene function as dark comedy?
It deflates Lockwood's self-important tone and introduces humor into the Gothic atmosphere, revealing him as foolish and out of his depth in this harsh environment.
What does the word "misanthropist" mean?
A misanthropist is a person who dislikes and distrusts other people. Lockwood uses the term to describe the remote setting as ideal for someone who avoids society.
What does "penetralium" mean as Lockwood uses it?
Penetralium means the innermost or most private part of a building. Lockwood uses it to describe the interior of Wuthering Heights he wishes to inspect.
What does "laconic" mean in the context of Heathcliff's speech?
Laconic means using very few words. Lockwood notes that Heathcliff speaks in a laconic style, clipping off pronouns and auxiliary verbs.
Lockwood quotes "I 'never told my love' vocally." What is the literary significance of this phrase?
It alludes to Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, where Viola says "She never told her love." This reference connects Lockwood's emotional suppression to a broader literary tradition of concealed passion.
What does Lockwood mean when he calls Heathcliff "a capital fellow"?
He is being ironic. "Capital fellow" means an excellent person, but Lockwood uses it sarcastically given Heathcliff's cold and unwelcoming behavior.