Chapter XXV Practice Quiz — Wuthering Heights
by Emily Bronte — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: Chapter XXV
Who is narrating the events of Chapter 25 to Mr. Lockwood?
Mrs. Dean (Nelly), the housekeeper at Thrushcross Grange.
What does Nelly tease Lockwood about at the start of Chapter 25?
She teases him about his obvious interest in Catherine Linton, suggesting he has fallen in love with her.
What does Edgar ask Nelly about his nephew Linton Heathcliff?
He asks for her honest opinion of the boy—whether he has changed for the better or shows any prospect of improvement as he grows older.
What is Nelly's assessment of Linton Heathcliff's character?
She says he is very delicate and unlikely to reach manhood, but that he does not resemble his father and would not be beyond Catherine's control.
What does Edgar look toward when he walks to the window?
Gimmerton Kirk and the churchyard, where his wife Catherine Earnshaw is buried.
What is the weather like during Edgar's soliloquy at the window?
It is a misty February afternoon with a dim sun, and they can just see the two fir trees and sparely-scattered gravestones.
What conflicting emotions does Edgar express in his soliloquy?
He once longed for death so he could join Catherine in the grave, but now he dreads dying because it means leaving Cathy unprotected.
What does Edgar fear about Linton Heathcliff as a potential husband for Cathy?
He fears Linton may be merely a "feeble tool" of his father Heathcliff, rather than someone who could truly console Cathy.
How does Nelly respond to Edgar's anguish about leaving Cathy?
She promises to stand as Cathy's friend and counsellor, and reassures him that "people who do their duty are always finally rewarded."
Why does young Cathy mistakenly believe Edgar is recovering?
She notices his flushed cheeks and bright eyes during their spring walks, which she interprets as signs of convalescence rather than symptoms of his worsening illness.
What is significant about Cathy's seventeenth birthday in Chapter 25?
It is the first time Edgar does not visit the churchyard on that date, citing rain, but he says he will "defer it this year a little longer.”
Who does Nelly suspect actually wrote Linton's eloquent letter?
She suspects Heathcliff either wrote it or heavily coached Linton, because the pleading for Catherine's company is too eloquent to be solely Linton's.
What reason does Linton give in his letter for why he cannot visit Thrushcross Grange?
He says his father, Heathcliff, forbids him to go to the Grange, and he asks Edgar to allow meetings anywhere else.
What claim does Linton make about his character in his letter to Edgar?
He claims his father says he is more Edgar's nephew than Heathcliff's son, and that though he has faults, Catherine has excused them.
Why can't Edgar grant Linton's request to meet immediately?
Because Edgar is too ill to accompany Catherine, and he will not allow her to go without his protection.
How does Heathcliff control Linton's correspondence with Edgar?
He keeps a sharp watch, insisting on seeing every letter Edgar sends and steering Linton's replies away from complaints toward emotional appeals for access to Cathy.
What arrangement is finally agreed upon for Cathy and Linton to meet?
They may have a ride or walk together about once a week on the moors nearest the Grange, supervised by Nelly Dean.
Why does Edgar hope Cathy will marry Linton?
Because Linton is Edgar's heir, and a marriage would allow Cathy to retain or return to Thrushcross Grange after Edgar's death.
What is the central dramatic irony of Chapter 25?
Edgar does not know that Linton Heathcliff is dying almost as fast as he is. No doctor visits the Heights, so no one reports on Linton's true condition.
What does Nelly confess she could never have imagined about Heathcliff?
She could not picture a father treating a dying child as tyrannically and wickedly as Heathcliff treated Linton to compel the boy's apparent eagerness to see Cathy.