PART ONE: CHAPTER FIVE - Being Neighborly Practice Quiz — Little Women
by Louisa May Alcott — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: PART ONE: CHAPTER FIVE - Being Neighborly
What is Jo doing at the beginning of Chapter 5 that puzzles Meg?
Jo is heading outside in rubber boots with a broom and shovel to shovel snow paths, despite having already taken two long walks that morning.
Why does Jo decide to visit Laurie?
She sees him looking wistfully out his upper window at the March sisters playing in the snow and decides he is suffering from loneliness and needs company.
What three gifts does Jo bring to Laurie from the March family?
She brings Meg's blancmange (a dessert), Beth's three kittens, and her own lively companionship.
How does Jo accidentally embarrass herself in front of Mr. Laurence?
She speaks her candid opinions about his portrait aloud, not realizing Mr. Laurence is standing right behind her listening.
How does Mr. Laurence react to Jo's frank comments about his portrait?
He is charmed by her honesty, gives a short laugh, shakes her hand, and tells her she has her grandfather's spirit. He invites her to stay for tea.
What does Laurie do for Jo before she leaves the Laurence mansion?
He plays the piano for her and cuts the finest flowers from the conservatory, asking her to give them to her mother.
What room in the Laurence mansion most excites Jo?
The library, which is lined with books and filled with pictures, statues, curiosity cabinets, Sleepy Hollow chairs, and a great open fireplace with quaint tiles.
What does Jo first do when she arrives at Laurie's room?
She tidies up his messy parlor—brushing the hearth, straightening the mantelpiece, shelving books, turning his sofa from the light, and plumping his pillows.
How is Laurie described when Jo first sees him at his window?
He is described as a curly black head leaning on a thin hand, looking listless and lonely. His face brightens immediately when Jo tosses a snowball.
What does Laurie reveal about how he knows the March sisters' names?
He confesses that he often watches them from his window, hearing them call to each other, and describes their home as looking "like a picture" with the fire and their mother's face behind the flowers.
Who is Mr. Brooke, and what role does he play in Chapter 5?
Mr. Brooke is Laurie's tutor. Laurie mentions that Brooke sometimes reads to him but does not stay at the house, contributing to Laurie's isolation.
How does Jo describe herself when Laurie asks if she goes to school?
She starts to say she is a "businessman" then corrects herself to "business girl," explaining that she waits on her great-aunt March, whom she calls "a dear, cross old soul."
What nickname does Mr. Laurence give Jo at the end of the visit?
He calls her "Doctor Jo," acknowledging that her visit has been the best medicine for his lonely grandson.
What does the contrast between the March and Laurence houses represent thematically?
It represents the theme that love and human connection are more valuable than material wealth. The March home is shabby but full of warmth, while the grand Laurence mansion is lonely and lifeless.
How does the chapter illustrate the theme of authenticity over social convention?
Jo's blunt honesty and lack of pretense are precisely what win over both Laurie and Mr. Laurence, showing that sincerity is more valued than polished manners.
How does Beth connect the chapter's events to Pilgrim's Progress?
Beth compares the Laurence house to the Palace Beautiful, suggesting the new friendship is a spiritual milestone on the sisters' allegorical moral journey.
What does the chapter suggest about class and neighborliness?
It suggests that class barriers are easily overcome through genuine kindness. The low hedge between the properties symbolizes how simple it is to bridge social divides when people act with sincerity.
What literary device does Alcott use when Jo comments on Mr. Laurence's portrait while he stands behind her?
Dramatic irony—the reader and Mr. Laurence know he is present, but Jo does not, creating both comic tension and an opportunity to reveal her genuine character.
What does Marmee's story about Laurie's Italian mother foreshadow?
It foreshadows the recurring tension over Laurie's musical ambitions and Mr. Laurence's complicated feelings about his grandson's artistic nature.
How does Alcott use juxtaposition in the description of the two neighboring houses?
She contrasts the "old, brown house, looking rather bare and shabby" with the "stately stone mansion" to emphasize that true richness comes from family bonds, not material possessions.
What is "blancmange" as mentioned in Chapter 5?
Blancmange is a sweet, creamy dessert made from milk, sugar, and a thickening agent. Meg prepares it as a gift for the sick Laurie.
What does "conservatory" mean in the context of the Laurence mansion?
A conservatory is a glass-enclosed room for growing plants. Laurie takes Jo to the one at his house, which is filled with blooming flowers, vines, and trees.
What does the word "redoubtable" mean when Jo sees Laurie's "redoubtable grandfather"?
Redoubtable means formidable or commanding respect, often mixed with fear. It reflects Laurie's view of his stern grandfather.
Who says: "A fellow can't live on books"? What is the context?
Laurie says this when Jo marvels at his magnificent library and declares he should be the happiest boy in the world. It reveals his loneliness and longing for human connection.
Who says: "We'll never draw that curtain any more, and I give you leave to look as much as you like"?
Jo says this to Laurie after he confesses to watching the March family through their window. It shows Jo's generous desire to share her family's warmth with him.