Chapter 40 Quiz — Pride and Prejudice
by Jane Austen
Comprehension Quiz: Chapter 40
What does Elizabeth tell Jane about the morning after their return home?
- She reveals the full contents of Darcy's letter, including every detail about Bingley's feelings for Jane
- She relates the chief of the scene between Mr. Darcy and herself, suppressing every particular concerning Jane
- She confesses that she has fallen in love with Darcy and regrets refusing his proposal at Hunsford
- She describes her visit to Rosings in detail but avoids mentioning Darcy's proposal or his letter entirely
How does Jane respond to learning that Darcy proposed to Elizabeth?
- She is angry that Elizabeth refused such a wealthy match and lectures her about financial security for the family
- She is entirely unsurprised because she had long suspected Darcy's feelings and had been waiting for the news
- Her astonishment is lessened by sisterly partiality, but she grieves for Darcy's unhappiness at being refused
- She is confused and skeptical, questioning whether Darcy was sincere or merely testing Elizabeth's character
What part of Darcy's letter does Elizabeth share with Jane?
- She reads the entire letter aloud, including Darcy's explanation for separating Bingley from Jane last autumn
- She shares only the sections concerning George Wickham, withholding everything about Bingley and Jane
- She paraphrases the letter's general tone but refuses to share any specific details about either Wickham or Bingley
- She reveals only the passage about Georgiana's near-elopement and keeps all other contents strictly private
How does Jane attempt to process the revelations about Wickham?
- She immediately accepts everything Darcy wrote and denounces Wickham as a villain unworthy of anyone's trust
- She dismisses the letter as lies motivated by jealousy and insists Wickham's character cannot be questioned
- She earnestly labors to prove the probability of error and tries to clear one man without condemning the other
- She refuses to discuss Wickham at all and changes the subject to Elizabeth's feelings about Darcy instead
What does Elizabeth tell Jane about choosing between Darcy and Wickham?
- She says Jane must suspend judgment until they can gather more evidence from independent witnesses in Meryton
- She advises Jane to consult their father, who has better knowledge of both men's financial circumstances
- She says there is only enough merit for one good man between them, and Jane must choose which one to believe
- She insists they should confront Wickham directly and demand his version of events before drawing conclusions
What does Elizabeth observe about goodness versus the appearance of it?
- She says Darcy and Wickham are equally good men who simply express their virtue in different social ways
- She notes that one has got all the goodness and the other all the appearance of it, contrasting real virtue with charm
- She argues that neither man possesses true goodness because both have acted selfishly throughout the entire story
- She concludes that appearances are always reliable guides to character if one observes people carefully enough
What does Elizabeth admit about her former dislike of Darcy?
- She claims her dislike was entirely justified by his rude comment about her at the Meryton assembly ball
- She admits she meant to be uncommonly clever in disliking him without reason, calling it a spur to wit and genius
- She says her dislike grew gradually from a series of legitimate offenses he committed against her family's dignity
- She maintains her original dislike was correct but says she now understands his perspective somewhat better
Why does Elizabeth decide not to expose Wickham's true character publicly?
- She fears Wickham would retaliate by spreading false rumors about the Bennet family throughout Meryton
- She believes Darcy did not authorize disclosure, Georgiana's secret must be kept, and no one would believe her anyway
- She thinks exposing Wickham would embarrass Darcy and ruin any chance of a future relationship between them
- She wants to wait until she has physical proof of Wickham's misdeeds rather than relying on Darcy's word alone
What is Jane's charitable reason for agreeing not to expose Wickham?
- She worries that public exposure would harm the Bennet family's reputation more than Wickham's own standing
- She believes exposing him might ruin him forever, and he may now be sorry for his actions and seeking to reform
- She argues that Wickham's offenses are private matters between him and Darcy and do not concern anyone else
- She suggests waiting to see if Wickham proves himself reformed during his time with the regiment in Brighton
What secret does Elizabeth still withhold from Jane after their conversation?
- That Darcy offered to pay off all of Mr. Bennet's debts as part of his marriage proposal to Elizabeth
- That Wickham attempted to elope with Georgiana Darcy and nearly ruined her reputation before being discovered
- That Darcy's letter explained Bingley's true feelings for Jane and how Darcy had influenced their separation
- That Lady Catherine de Bourgh explicitly ordered Darcy never to propose to anyone beneath his social station
What does Elizabeth observe about Jane's feelings for Bingley once she is settled at home?
- Jane has moved on from Bingley and is actively interested in meeting other eligible gentlemen in the neighborhood
- Jane is not happy and still cherishes a tender first attachment to Bingley, using all her good sense to suppress her regrets
- Jane is cheerful and content, having accepted that Bingley was never serious and feeling relieved to be free of him
- Jane is angry at Bingley for abandoning her and has resolved never to forgive him for his cruel treatment
What does Mrs. Bennet declare about Bingley before immediately contradicting herself?
- She says she never liked Bingley, then recalls several occasions when she praised him enthusiastically to neighbors
- She says she is determined never to speak of him again, then launches into extended commentary about him and Jane
- She says Bingley will certainly return to Netherfield, then admits she has heard nothing to suggest he is coming back
- She claims Jane is better off without Bingley, then says Jane will die of a broken heart without him
What bitter remark does Mrs. Bennet make about the Collinses and Longbourn?
- She criticizes Charlotte for marrying Mr. Collins only for his money and calls the match a loveless arrangement
- She accuses the Collinses of being extravagant spenders who will bankrupt the estate before Mr. Bennet even dies
- She supposes they often talk of having Longbourn when Mr. Bennet is dead and says she would be ashamed of an entailed estate
- She threatens to contest the entail in court and claims her brother Gardiner has found a legal way to break it
What does Elizabeth mean when she says "the liberty of communication cannot be mine till it has lost all its value"?
- She means her knowledge of Darcy's feelings will only become shareable once Darcy himself has moved on entirely
- She means she can only tell Jane about Bingley once Bingley has already told Jane himself, making her information redundant
- She means she will be free to discuss the letter publicly only after Wickham has left the regiment and moved away
- She means the letter's contents will lose their shocking power as time passes and memories of the events naturally fade
What comfort does Elizabeth gain from her conversation with Jane about Darcy and Wickham?
- She gains confidence that she was right to refuse Darcy and feels vindicated in her judgment of both men
- She is relieved to share two secrets that had weighed on her for a fortnight and to have a willing listener in Jane
- She realizes she should write to Darcy to apologize for her harsh words and to thank him for his honest letter
- She decides to immediately return to Hunsford to speak with Darcy directly and resolve their misunderstanding
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