Chapter XXXI Practice Quiz — Wuthering Heights
by Emily Bronte — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: Chapter XXXI
Why does Lockwood visit Wuthering Heights in Chapter 31?
To deliver a letter from Nelly Dean to young Catherine and to inform Heathcliff that he will not renew his lease on Thrushcross Grange.
What happens when Lockwood tries to give Catherine Nelly's letter?
Catherine loudly draws attention to it, and Hareton seizes the letter, insisting Heathcliff must see it first. Hareton later relents when he sees Catherine's tears and flings the letter back to her.
What does Catherine say when she expresses her longing for Thrushcross Grange?
She says "I should like to be riding Minny down there! I should like to be climbing up there! Oh! I'm tired — I'm stalled, Hareton!" — revealing her sense of imprisonment.
Why can't Catherine write a reply to Nelly's letter?
Heathcliff has destroyed all her books, leaving her with no paper or writing materials. She tells Lockwood she has "no materials for writing: not even a book from which I might tear a leaf."
What secret has Hareton been keeping, which Catherine discovers?
Hareton has been secretly collecting books and teaching himself to read, storing Latin, Greek, tales, and poetry in his room.
How does Catherine mock Hareton's self-education?
She ridicules his attempts to read Chevy Chase aloud, laughs at his mispronunciations, and taunts him for looking up hard words in the dictionary and cursing when he cannot understand the definitions.
What distinction does Lockwood draw between envy and emulation regarding Hareton?
Lockwood tells Catherine that Hareton is not "envious" of her learning but "emulous" — meaning he admires and wishes to equal her attainments rather than resenting them.
What does Hareton do with the books after Catherine mocks him?
He first throws them into Catherine's lap and tells her to take them. When she refuses and mocks him further, he strikes her and hurls the books into the fire, destroying them.
What do the books symbolize in Chapter 31?
Books symbolize education, power, identity, and emotional connection. For Catherine, they are sacred links to her former life; for Hareton, they represent his aspiration to rise above his degradation.
What does Heathcliff mutter about Hareton at the end of the chapter?
"It will be odd if I thwart myself... But when I look for his father in his face, I find her every day more! How the devil is he so like? I can hardly bear to see him." — revealing that Hareton's resemblance to the first Catherine undermines his revenge.
What motivated Hareton to begin his secret self-education?
Shame at Catherine's scorn and hope of her approval. Lockwood observes that Hareton "had been content with daily labour and rough animal enjoyments, till Catherine crossed his path."
How does Chapter 31 foreshadow the ending of Wuthering Heights?
The Catherine-Hareton conflict over books sets the stage for their eventual reconciliation through shared reading, while Heathcliff's anguished recognition of the first Catherine in Hareton signals his weakening will for revenge.
What is ironic about Lockwood's final reflection in Chapter 31?
He fantasizes about how romantic it would have been if he and Catherine had "struck up an attachment" and moved to London, revealing his shallow, sentimental misunderstanding of the passionate world he has been observing.
How does Heathcliff respond when Lockwood says he will leave Thrushcross Grange?
Heathcliff shows no sentimentality, bluntly stating "I never relent in exacting my due from any one" and assuring Lockwood his belongings will cover any debts if he fails to return.