Chapter XVII Quiz — The Awakening

Where is the Pontellier home located?

• Grand Isle, on the Gulf of Mexico
• Esplanade Street in New Orleans
• Carrolton, outside of New Orleans
• The French Quarter in New Orleans

Why does Mr. Pontellier value his household possessions?

• They were inherited from his family
• They remind him of his courtship with Edna
• Chiefly because they were his
• They were gifts from important business clients

What social convention has Edna followed "religiously" for six years?

• Attending Sunday mass at the cathedral
• Hosting a weekly dinner party on Saturday evenings
• Receiving callers on Tuesday afternoons
• Accompanying her husband to the opera every Friday

What reason does Edna give for missing her Tuesday callers?

• She was feeling ill and needed to rest
• She had an appointment with Mademoiselle Reisz
• She simply felt like going out, and she went out
• She was visiting Madame Lebrun about Robert’s letters

Mr. Pontellier tells Edna she cannot afford to snub Mrs. Belthrop because Belthrop could "buy and sell us ten times over."

What does Leonce do after criticizing the dinner?

• He goes upstairs to read in his study
• He sends for a new cook immediately
• He gets his hat and leaves to eat at his club
• He orders the maid to clear the table and start over

How does Edna’s reaction to Leonce’s departure differ from her past behavior?

• She cries and goes to bed without eating
• She finishes her dinner alone with forced deliberation and inward fire
• She immediately calls Mrs. Belthrop to apologize
• She follows him to the club to continue the argument

Edna successfully crushes her wedding ring by stamping on it with her boot heel.

What does Edna smash against the hearth tiles?

• A porcelain figurine from the mantelpiece
• A framed painting that Leonce had selected
• A glass vase from the table
• A mirror hanging on the wall

What does Edna tell the maid about the broken vase?

• She admits she threw it in anger
• She says a vase fell upon the hearth
• She blames the wind from the open window
• She refuses to explain and dismisses the maid

The maid finds Edna’s wedding ring under a chair and returns it to her.

In the chapter, what does "les convenances" mean?

• The social elite of New Orleans
• Social proprieties and conventional customs
• Financial obligations between families
• The traditional recipes of Creole cooking

What does the garden scene outside Edna’s window suggest about her emotional state?

• She feels peaceful and content for the first time
• She is enchanted by the night but hears only mournful, hopeless voices
• She is reminded of her happy childhood on a plantation
• She is inspired to plan her escape from the marriage

What is a "cruet" as used in this chapter?

• A type of formal dinner invitation
• A small glass bottle for table condiments
• A serving dish for roasted meat
• A decorative candlestick holder

What is the symbolic significance of Edna putting the ring back on her finger at the chapter’s end?

• She has forgiven Leonce and recommitted to the marriage
• She realizes the ring is too valuable to damage
• Her rebellion is intense but ultimately reabsorbed into convention
• She plans to pawn the ring to fund her independence