PART TWO: CHAPTER TWENTY -NINE - Calls Practice Quiz — Little Women
by Louisa May Alcott — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: PART TWO: CHAPTER TWENTY -NINE - Calls
What bargain did Jo and Amy make that forces them to go on social calls?
Amy agreed to finish a crayon portrait of Beth, and in exchange Jo promised to accompany Amy on half a dozen formal social calls.
How does Jo behave at the Chesters' house?
Jo takes Amy's advice to be "calm, cool, and quiet" to the extreme, sitting in near-total silence and answering everything with a monosyllabic "Yes" or "No." The Chesters call her "a haughty, uninteresting creature."
What persona does Jo adopt at the Lambs' house?
Jo imitates May Chester's gushing, charming-girl style—kissing all the young ladies, beaming at the gentlemen, and telling entertaining but embarrassing stories about Amy.
What embarrassing stories does Jo tell about Amy at the Lambs'?
Jo tells stories about Amy rowing a saddle across a river to ride an untrained horse, Amy painting her old hats to look new, and Amy dyeing her soiled white boots sky blue to look like satin.
How does Jo respond when Miss Lamb compliments her published writing?
Jo dismisses her own work, saying "I write that rubbish because it sells, and ordinary people like it," which insults Miss Lamb, who had just said she enjoyed the story.
How does Jo spend her time at the third house (the Tudors')?
Jo abandons all pretense of elegance and romps with the boys—listening to college stories, petting dogs, visiting a turtle tank, and sitting on the grass. Her dress, bonnet, parasol, and gloves are all damaged by the children.
Why does Jo snub Mr. Tudor?
Jo dislikes Mr. Tudor because he "puts on airs, snubs his sisters, worries his father, and doesn't speak respectfully of his mother." Laurie also says he is "fast" (morally loose).
Why does Jo treat Tommy Chamberlain warmly despite his lower social status?
Jo respects Tommy because he is "poor and bashful and good and very clever"—she judges people by character, not social position, calling him "a gentleman in spite of the brown paper parcels" from his father's grocery store.
What is Amy's argument about why women should be agreeable?
Amy argues that "women should learn to be agreeable, particularly poor ones, for they have no other way of repaying the kindnesses they receive.” She sees social grace as a practical currency for women without wealth.
What is Jo's position on reform versus social conformity?
Jo declares herself a reformer, saying she'd "rather enjoy the brickbats and hooting" and that "the world would never get on" without reformers. She believes women should openly show disapproval of immoral men.
Who do Jo and Amy find at Aunt March's house?
They find Aunt Carrol visiting with Aunt March. Both aunts are discussing something they drop when the girls arrive, and they appear to have been talking about their nieces.
How does Jo offend the aunts during the final visit?
Jo declares "I don't like favors, they oppress and make me feel like a slave" and says she doesn't know French, calling it "a slippery, silly sort of language.” Both remarks displease the aunts, who exchange knowing looks.
How does Amy impress Aunt March and Aunt Carrol?
Amy is grateful, gracious, and agreeable. She credits Aunt March for her French practice, mentions volunteering for a charity fair, and speaks warmly about her plans to prepare for Rome. Both aunts praise her, saying "that child improves every day."
What do Aunt March and Aunt Carrol secretly decide at the end of the chapter?
Aunt March says "You'd better do it, Mary. I'll supply the money" and Aunt Carrol replies "I certainly will, if her father and mother consent"—secretly deciding to send Amy (not Jo) on a trip to Europe.
What is dramatic irony in Chapter 29?
The reader understands that the aunts are evaluating Jo and Amy for a European trip, but neither sister knows the stakes. Jo's blunt independence costs her the opportunity without her ever knowing it was available.
What Shakespeare reference does Jo make in Chapter 29?
Jo quotes The Merchant of Venice, saying "I stand to the letter of my bond, Shylock" when Amy insists she honor their bargain about making calls.
What does Polly the parrot say, and why is it significant?
Polly squawks "Crosspatch, draw the latch, / Sit by the fire and spin" while peering into Jo's face. The nursery rhyme mirrors Jo's irritable, contrary mood at the worst possible moment—right when the aunts are forming their judgment.
What Tennyson reference appears in the chapter?
The narrator describes Jo's deportment at the Chesters' as like "Maud's face, 'icily regular, splendidly null'" — a quote from Tennyson's poem "Maud" describing cold, emotionless beauty.
What role does Jo serve in the March household, as revealed at the chapter's opening?
Jo is the "mantua-maker general to the family"—the household's primary dressmaker. She takes special credit for being able to "use a needle as well as a pen."
What does Amy mean when she says "it pays for you to be fine" about herself versus Jo?
Amy believes that dressing well gives her social advantages ("it pays"), whereas Jo argues that since she doesn't care about impressing people, fine clothes are wasted on her and "furbelows only worry" her.