Chapter 11 Practice Quiz — Pride and Prejudice
by Jane Austen — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: Chapter 11
Where does Chapter 11 of Pride and Prejudice take place?
In the drawing room at Netherfield Park, after dinner.
How do the Bingley sisters behave toward Jane before the gentlemen enter the drawing room?
They welcome her with many professions of pleasure and are more agreeable than Elizabeth has ever seen them, displaying considerable conversational powers.
What does Bingley do for Jane when the gentlemen enter the drawing room?
He piles up the fire to keep her warm, moves her further from the door, sits down beside her, and talks scarcely to anyone else.
Why does the card game Mr. Hurst suggests never happen?
Miss Bingley has learned that Mr. Darcy does not wish for cards and assures everyone that no one intends to play. Mr. Hurst stretches out on a sofa and falls asleep.
Why does Miss Bingley choose her particular book to read?
She chooses it only because it is the second volume of the book Darcy is reading, trying to create a connection with him.
What does Miss Bingley declare about reading, and why is it ironic?
She declares "there is no enjoyment like reading!" and "How much sooner one tires of anything than of a book!" This is ironic because she has just abandoned her own book out of boredom and has been reading only to impress Darcy.
What upcoming event does Bingley mention to Jane, and how does Miss Bingley react?
Bingley mentions planning a ball at Netherfield. Miss Bingley tries to discourage it, suggesting conversation would be "much more rational" than dancing, but Bingley insists the ball is "quite a settled thing."
Why does Miss Bingley invite Elizabeth to walk about the room with her?
She is desperate for Darcy's attention after failing to engage him through reading and conversation. Walking allows her to display her elegant figure, and the strategy works: Darcy looks up and closes his book.
What two motives does Darcy suggest for Elizabeth and Miss Bingley walking together?
Either they are in each other's confidence and have secret affairs to discuss, or they are conscious that their figures appear to the greatest advantage in walking.
How does Elizabeth suggest they punish Darcy for his impertinent remark about their walking?
She suggests they "tease him—laugh at him," since they can all "plague and punish one another."
What does Elizabeth say she "dearly loves"?
A laugh. She declares "I dearly love a laugh" but insists she hopes she never ridicules "what is wise and good."
How does Darcy describe his approach to personal weaknesses?
"It has been the study of my life to avoid those weaknesses which often expose a strong understanding to ridicule."
What distinction does Darcy draw between vanity and pride?
He says vanity is a weakness, but pride—where there is a real superiority of mind—"will be always under good regulation."
What character flaw does Darcy confess to in Chapter 11?
He admits his temper is "too little yielding," that he cannot easily forget others' follies, vices, or offenses, and that his good opinion, once lost, is "lost forever."
What does Elizabeth call Darcy's "implacable resentment"?
"A shade in a character"—meaning a flaw or blemish. But she concedes she cannot laugh at it, saying "You are safe from me."
What does Elizabeth say is Darcy's defect?
"To hate everybody."
What does Darcy say is Elizabeth's defect?
"Willfully to misunderstand them" (meaning other people).
Why does Miss Bingley call for music at the end of the chapter?
She is "tired of a conversation in which she had no share" between Elizabeth and Darcy.
What does Darcy realize at the very end of Chapter 11?
He "began to feel the danger of paying Elizabeth too much attention," recognizing his growing attraction as a threat to his social expectations.
How does Elizabeth react when Darcy claims pride is "always under good regulation" for those with superior minds?
She turns away to hide a smile, suggesting she finds his self-justification both revealing and somewhat absurd.