Chapter 46 Practice Quiz — Pride and Prejudice
by Jane Austen — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: Chapter 46
Why does Elizabeth receive two letters from Jane at once when she is staying in Lambton?
One of the letters had been misdirected because Jane had "written the direction remarkably ill." Elizabeth receives both letters together on the third morning of her stay at Lambton.
What does Jane's first letter initially report about Lydia?
Jane reports that an express arrived at midnight from Colonel Forster saying Lydia has "gone off to Scotland" with Wickham. Jane tries to remain optimistic, noting that "his choice is disinterested at least, for he must know my father can give her nothing."
What crucial detail from Denny changes the understanding of Lydia's elopement?
Denny expressed his belief that Wickham "never intended to go there [Gretna Green], or to marry Lydia at all." This transforms the situation from an imprudent marriage to a ruinous scandal.
How far were Colonel Forster's investigators able to trace Lydia and Wickham?
They were traced easily to Clapham, where they dismissed their chaise from Epsom and transferred to a hackney coach. They were last seen continuing on the London road, but no trace was found at the turnpikes or inns at Barnet and Hatfield.
Who appears at the door just as Elizabeth rushes to find her uncle after reading Jane's letters?
Mr. Darcy appears at the door, having come to visit. He notices Elizabeth's "pale face and impetuous manner" and starts with concern, offering to send a servant after the Gardiners when he sees she is too unwell to go herself.
What does Elizabeth say to Darcy about her own role in the disaster?
"When I consider that I might have prevented it! I, who knew what he was. Had I but explained some part of it only -- some part of what I learnt, to my own family! Had his character been known, this could not have happened." She calls her silence a "wretched, wretched mistake."
How does Elizabeth interpret Darcy's gloomy pacing after she tells him the news?
She believes "her power was sinking; everything must sink under such a proof of family weakness, such an assurance of the deepest disgrace." She assumes his silence and dark mood mean that the scandal has extinguished his feelings for her.
What pivotal realization does Elizabeth have about her feelings for Darcy in this chapter?
"Never had she so honestly felt that she could have loved him, as now, when all love must be vain." She understands her own heart at the very moment she believes their relationship is impossible.
What does the narrator say about the foundations of Elizabeth's growing attachment to Darcy?
The narrator suggests that "gratitude and esteem are good foundations of affection," contrasting Elizabeth's deepening regard for Darcy with the "less interesting" but more reliable mode of attachment versus her earlier superficial partiality for Wickham.
What promise does Darcy make to Elizabeth before he leaves?
He assures her of his secrecy about Lydia's situation and expresses his sorrow, "wished it a happier conclusion than there was at present reason to hope," and asks her to apologize to Miss Darcy for the cancelled Pemberley visit.
What does Mrs. Gardiner notice about the timing of Darcy's visit?
She learns from the servant John that "Mr. Darcy was here when you sent for us." She asks Elizabeth about it and wonders whether Elizabeth and Darcy are "upon such terms as for her to disclose the real truth" -- perceptively sensing a deeper connection.
What is Elizabeth's assessment of whether Wickham will marry Lydia?
Elizabeth concludes that "no one but Jane could flatter herself with such an expectation." She believes Wickham could never marry for love of Lydia alone and that Lydia's lack of fortune makes the match impossible from his mercenary perspective.
What does Elizabeth reflect about Lydia's character and susceptibility?
She notes that Lydia "wanted only encouragement to attach herself to anybody" and that her affections had "continually been fluctuating but never without an object." Elizabeth blames "the mischief of neglect and mistaken indulgence" by her parents toward such a girl.
How quickly do the Gardiners and Elizabeth depart from Lambton after learning the news?
Within one hour. They write notes with false excuses to all their Lambton acquaintances, Mr. Gardiner settles the inn account, and they are seated in the carriage heading to Longbourn in what Elizabeth considers an astonishingly short time.