Chapter XXII Practice Quiz — Wuthering Heights
by Emily Bronte — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: Chapter XXII
What illness confines Edgar Linton indoors for the entire winter in Chapter 22?
A bad cold that settles obstinately on his lungs, contracted during the late harvest season.
Why has Cathy become "considerably sadder and duller" before the events of this chapter?
Her secret correspondence with Linton Heathcliff was discovered and forcibly ended.
What does Nelly point out to try to cheer Cathy during their autumn walk?
A lone bluebell, the last surviving bud from the summer's "multitude of bluebells," trembling in its earthy shelter under tree roots.
How does Cathy respond when Nelly suggests she pluck the bluebell for her father?
She refuses, saying "it looks melancholy," reflecting her own emotional state and her reluctance to disturb fragile, beautiful things.
What fear does Cathy confess to Nelly during their walk?
That both her father and Nelly will die and leave her completely alone in the world.
What declaration does Cathy make about her love for her father?
She says she prays every night to outlive him, because she would rather be miserable herself than have him suffer—proving she loves him better than herself.
How does Cathy end up on the wrong side of the park wall?
Her hat blows over the wall while she is sitting on top of it gathering rose hips. She scrambles down to retrieve it but the smooth stones prevent her from climbing back up.
What three tactics does Heathcliff use to manipulate Cathy at the wall?
He threatens to send her love letters to Edgar, claims Linton is dying of heartbreak, and appeals to her empathy by asking her to imagine her own father in Linton's position.
How does Nelly attempt to counter Heathcliff's manipulation?
She calls out that Heathcliff is lying, tries to break the lock with a stone, and later attempts to ridicule and discredit his claims about Linton.
What does Heathcliff swear on when claiming Linton is dying?
He swears "on my salvation," a deeply ironic oath given his well-established lack of moral scruples.
What does the phrase "her heart was clouded now in double darkness" mean?
Cathy is suffering from two griefs simultaneously: fear for her father's declining health and guilt over Linton's supposed dying condition.
What does the wall symbolize in Chapter 22?
The boundary between the safety of Thrushcross Grange and the dangerous world of Wuthering Heights. It also represents Cathy's isolation from Nelly's protection at the critical moment of Heathcliff's manipulation.
What does the lone bluebell symbolize?
Edgar's fragile hold on life, Cathy's fading happiness, and the approaching end of innocence—a last remnant of summer beauty surviving into a hostile autumn.
How does young Cathy's way of expressing love differ from her mother's?
Young Cathy expresses love through self-sacrifice and quiet empathy (willing to suffer so others won't), while her mother expressed love through passionate possession and demands.
What is the "faint hope" that leads Nelly to agree to visit Wuthering Heights?
She hopes that seeing Linton in person will prove Heathcliff's claims are exaggerated, thereby curing Cathy of her guilt and worry.
What role does the rain play as a literary device in Chapter 22?
The rain that begins to pour as Nelly and Cathy hurry home serves as pathetic fallacy, reflecting the darkening emotional atmosphere and foreshadowing the stormy events to come.