Chapter XX Quiz — The Awakening

by Kate Chopin

Comprehension Quiz: Chapter XX

What motivates Edna to search for Mademoiselle Reisz at the beginning of Chapter XX?

• She wants to deliver a message from Robert
• She is in a dark mood and wants to hear Reisz play the piano
• Madame Ratignolle has asked her to check on Reisz
• She needs to return a piece of sheet music

What does Edna find when she arrives at the Bienville Street address listed in the city directory?

• Mademoiselle Reisz practicing piano
• An empty, boarded-up building
• A family of mulattoes renting furnished rooms
• A music conservatory where Reisz once taught

How does the neighboring grocer describe Mademoiselle Reisz?

• A quiet tenant who kept to herself
• A talented musician admired by the neighborhood
• The most disagreeable and unpopular woman who ever lived on the street
• A kind but eccentric old woman

Why does Edna decide to visit Madame Lebrun instead of Madame Ratignolle to find Reisz’s address?

• Madame Ratignolle is out of town for the winter
• Madame Ratignolle is on the most distant terms with Reisz and prefers to know nothing about her
• Madame Lebrun is Reisz’s landlady
• Edna wants to ask about Robert’s letters

What architectural detail of the Lebrun house does Chopin describe as "a relic of the old regime"?

• The high garden fence
• The crumbling brick walls
• The iron bars before the door and lower windows
• The wrought-iron balcony

How old is Victor Lebrun, and how is he described in this chapter?

• Seventeen; shy and bookish
• Nineteen; dark-browed and good-looking with great impetuosity
• Twenty-one; quiet and reserved like his brother Robert
• Eighteen; blonde and resembling his father

What does Victor whisper to Edna about while they wait for Madame Lebrun?

• Robert’s secret reason for going to Mexico
• His plan to sell the Grand Isle cottages
• A romantic escapade from the previous evening involving a girl behind shutters
• His mother’s financial troubles

How does Edna feel about Victor’s storytelling?

• Shocked and disapproving from the start
• Bored and eager to change the subject
• Amused despite herself, feeling like "a confederate in crime"
• Jealous that Victor is more carefree than she is

From which two cities has Robert written letters to his family?

• Havana and Mexico City
• Vera Cruz and Mexico City
• Guadalajara and Vera Cruz
• Monterrey and Acapulco

What is notably absent from Robert’s letters that affects Edna emotionally?

• Any mention of his return date
• Any personal message for Edna
• Any description of his work
• Any request for money

What effect do the obstacles to finding Reisz have on Edna’s desire to see her?

• They cause Edna to give up the search
• They increase her desire tenfold
• They make her angry at Reisz for moving
• They redirect her attention to Robert instead

What is Victor’s final assessment of Edna after she leaves?

• "She seemed tired and unhappy"
• "Ravishing! ... She doesn’t seem like the same woman"
• "She has not changed at all since Grand Isle"
• "Poor woman, she misses Robert terribly"

Comprehension Quiz