PART TWO: CHAPTER TWENTY - FOUR - Gossip Practice Quiz — Little Women
by Louisa May Alcott — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: PART TWO: CHAPTER TWENTY - FOUR - Gossip
How much time has passed between Part One and the opening of Chapter 24?
Three years have passed. The Civil War has ended and Mr. March has returned home safely.
What is Mr. March's occupation after returning from the war?
He is busy with his books and a small parish, serving as a minister "by nature as by grace" — a quiet, studious scholar beloved by his community.
What happened to John Brooke during the war?
He served for a year, was wounded, and was sent home. He was not allowed to return to service and received no military honors, but he "cheerfully risked all he had."
What job does John Brooke take after his discharge?
He becomes a bookkeeper, refusing Mr. Laurence's more generous offers because he prefers to "begin with an honestly earned salary" rather than risk borrowed money.
Whose wealthy wedding does Meg envy, and how does she overcome her envy?
She envies Ned Moffat and Sallie Gardiner's wedding with its fine house, carriage, and splendid outfit. Her envy vanishes when she thinks of John's "patient love and labor" put into their little home.
Why does Amy replace Jo as Aunt March's companion?
Aunt March took a fancy to Amy and bribed her with the offer of drawing lessons from one of the best teachers. Amy gladly accepted, giving her mornings to duty and her afternoons to pleasure.
What is Jo's literary career at this point in the novel?
Jo earns a dollar a column writing stories (which she calls "rubbish") for The Spread Eagle, while secretly working on a more ambitious manuscript in the garret that she hopes will bring fame to the name of March.
What is Beth's condition after the scarlet fever?
She is "not an invalid exactly, but never again the rosy, healthy creature she had been" — always hopeful, happy, and serene, but permanently delicate.
What nickname does Laurie give to Meg and John's new home, and why?
He calls it the "Dovecote" because it is "highly appropriate to the gentle lovers who went on together like a pair of turtledoves, with first a bill and then a coo."
Describe the physical characteristics of the Dovecote.
It is a tiny brown house with a small garden behind it and a lawn "about as big as a pocket handkerchief" in front. The hall is so narrow a piano couldn't fit, the dining room seats six with a tight fit, and the kitchen stairs seem designed to send people tumbling into the coal bin.
What running joke does Laurie create around Meg's household?
He brings a new "useful and ingenious" gadget each weekly visit — a nutmeg grater that falls apart, a knife cleaner that ruins knives, a sweeper that picks up carpet nap but leaves dirt, and other absurd Yankee inventions.
How does Aunt March secretly help Meg despite vowing not to give her money?
She orders Mrs. Carrol to buy, have made, and monogram a generous supply of household and table linen and send it as Mrs. Carrol's own gift. The secret leaks out, amusing the whole family.
What does Aunt March claim is her only gift to Meg?
Old-fashioned pearls that she had long promised to the first bride in the family.
What advice does Mrs. March give Meg about housekeeping?
She says it is "a great mistake for young girls like Meg to leave themselves nothing to do but dress, give orders, and gossip." She urges Meg to learn practical housework so she can manage her home well, whether rich or poor.
What does Jo call Laurie because of his gadget-buying habit?
She calls him "Mr. Toodles" — a reference to a character known for bringing home useless purchases.
What does Jo say about her own romantic future?
She declares "Nobody will want me, and it's a mercy, for there should always be one old maid in a family." She firmly resists any suggestion of romance.
How does Laurie describe Jo's reaction to anyone showing romantic interest?
He says she "throw[s] cold water" over anyone who glimpses the soft side of her character and gets "so thorny no one dares touch or look at you," comparing her to Mrs. Gummidge's treatment of her sweetheart.
What is Laurie's parting prediction to Jo at the end of Chapter 24?
"Mark my words, Jo, you'll go next" — predicting that Jo will be the next March sister to fall in love, despite her protests.
How is Laurie described physically and socially at college?
He is a tall, broad-shouldered young man, about six feet, who is a "universal favorite" thanks to money, manners, and talent. He occasionally gets into trouble for pranks but always saves himself through frank confession or persuasion.
What role does Amy play socially among Laurie's college friends?
She becomes "quite a belle among them," using her natural gift of fascination. The college men admire her, and "very few escaped without paying the tribute of a sentimental sigh or two at Amy's shrine."
What does the chapter's title "Gossip" refer to?
The narrator uses the word to describe the chapter's purpose of catching readers up on three years of family news before Meg's wedding. It also echoes Mrs. March's warning against young wives who have nothing to do but "dress, give orders, and gossip."