PREFACE Quiz — Little Women

What is the source of the verse quoted in the preface to Little Women?

• The Bible (King James Version)
• John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress
• William Shakespeare's The Tempest
• John Milton's Paradise Lost

Which character from The Pilgrim's Progress is specifically named in the preface?

• Christian
• Faithful
• Mercy
• Evangelist

What literary device is used when the poem addresses the "little Book" directly?

• Simile
• Apostrophe
• Hyperbole
• Onomatopoeia

According to the preface, what should young damsels learn from Mercy?

• To value wealth and social standing
• To prize the world which is to come and be wise
• To seek adventure in distant lands
• To pursue education above all else

What dual purpose does the preface establish for Little Women?

• To frighten and to thrill
• To entertain and to instruct morally
• To document history and to preserve culture
• To challenge conventions and to provoke debate

Why does Alcott select a passage about a female character rather than the male protagonist of The Pilgrim's Progress?

• Because the male protagonist was not well known
• To signal her novel will center on young women's moral journeys
• Because Bunyan's work only has female characters
• To make the preface shorter and simpler

What does the closing line "little tripping maids may follow God / Along the ways which saintly feet have trod" suggest?

• That only saints can achieve spiritual virtue
• That young girls can walk the same path of virtue as great saints
• That women should literally go on religious pilgrimages
• That children are incapable of understanding moral lessons

Which of these events actually happened in this chapter?

What does the word "damsels" mean as used in the preface?

• Elderly women of high rank
• Young unmarried women or maidens
• Female servants in a household
• Women who have completed a pilgrimage

In the preface, what does "prize" mean in the line "let young damsels learn of her to prize"?

• To win as a reward or trophy
• To compete against others
• To value highly or regard as precious
• To open or pry apart

What does "trod" mean in "Along the ways which saintly feet have trod"?

• Danced joyfully
• Walked or stepped upon
• Avoided carefully
• Built or constructed