III - Stave V Quiz — Heart of Darkness

by Joseph Conrad

Comprehension Quiz: III - Stave V

What items does Marlow bring to the Intended?

  • Kurtz's ivory and journal
  • A packet of letters and her portrait
  • Kurtz's final report and a ring
  • A painting and Kurtz's personal diary

How does Marlow describe the street where the Intended lives?

  • Bustling with commerce and carriages
  • Still and decorous as a well-kept alley in a cemetery
  • Dark and narrow like the Congo river
  • Bright and cheerful with flowering gardens

What object in the Intended's drawing room does Marlow compare to a sarcophagus?

  • The marble fireplace
  • A large wardrobe
  • The grand piano
  • A wooden chest

What does the Intended claim about her knowledge of Kurtz?

  • She admits she barely knew him
  • She says she knew him best of anyone
  • She confesses she feared him
  • She says his mother understood him better

What lie does Marlow tell the Intended about Kurtz's last words?

  • He says Kurtz spoke of his ivory
  • He says Kurtz asked for forgiveness
  • He says the last word Kurtz pronounced was her name
  • He says Kurtz died in silence

How does the Intended respond to Marlow's revelation of Kurtz's "last word"?

  • She falls silent and turns away
  • She questions whether Marlow is telling the truth
  • She cries out with triumph and pain, saying "I knew it -- I was sure"
  • She thanks Marlow calmly and shows him out

What is the final image of the novella?

  • Marlow lighting his pipe aboard the Nellie
  • The Intended weeping in her darkened room
  • The Thames waterway seeming to lead into the heart of an immense darkness
  • Kurtz's ghost appearing on the river

Why does Marlow say he could not tell the Intended the truth?

  • He had promised Kurtz he would not
  • He feared legal consequences
  • It would have been "too dark -- too dark altogether"
  • He had forgotten Kurtz's actual words

Did the Intended suspect that Marlow was lying about Kurtz's last words?

Did Marlow experience a vivid vision of Kurtz before entering the Intended's home?

In the passage, Marlow describes the Intended's glance as "guileless." What does this mean?

  • Full of hidden knowledge
  • Innocent and without deception
  • Sharp and penetrating
  • Sorrowful and distant

When Marlow describes the piano as resembling a "sarcophagus," what literary effect does this create?

  • It suggests the room is cluttered and old-fashioned
  • It links the civilized parlor to death and burial, creating a funereal atmosphere
  • It shows Marlow's lack of appreciation for music
  • It emphasizes the wealth of the Intended's family

Marlow recalls "the soughing of the trees swayed by the wind." What does "soughing" mean?

  • Cracking or breaking apart
  • Growing rapidly upward
  • Making a moaning or rushing sound
  • Swaying rhythmically back and forth

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