Chapter XIX. The Prince with the peasants. Practice Quiz — The Prince and the Pauper
by Mark Twain — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: Chapter XIX. The Prince with the peasants.
Where does Edward wake up at the beginning of Chapter 19?
In a barn (stall), where a rat has crept in and made a bed on his chest during the night.
How does Edward interpret the rat sleeping on him?
As a good omen — if a king has fallen so low that rats make a bed of him, his fortunes can only turn upward since he can sink no lower.
What are the names of the two peasant girls Edward meets?
Margery and Prissy.
How does Margery convince Prissy that Edward really is the King?
She reasons that if he says he is the King and it is not true, it would be a lie — and she cannot believe he would tell a lie. Therefore it must be true.
What vow does Edward make after the children believe him?
He vows that when he regains his throne, he will always honour little children, remembering how they trusted and believed in him when older people mocked him.
Who is the children's mother, and what is her situation?
She is a widow and rather poor, but her own experience with hardship has made her compassionate toward the unfortunate.
What does the widow believe about Edward?
She believes he is a demented (mentally disturbed) boy who has wandered away from his friends or keepers.
How does the widow try to discover Edward's background?
She tests his reactions to various trades and occupations — cattle, sheep, mills, weaving, tinkers, smiths, sweeping, fire-building, scrubbing, and scouring — watching for a response.
Which topic finally makes Edward's face light up?
Cooking. He delivers an eloquent and detailed discourse on fine dishes, revealing intimate knowledge of royal cuisine.
What conclusion does the widow draw from Edward's knowledge of food?
She concludes he must have worked in the kitchen of the King himself before losing his reason.
Which earlier English king does Edward think of when asked to tend the cooking?
King Alfred the Great, who according to legend was scolded by a peasant woman for letting her cakes burn while he was a fugitive.
What happens when Edward is left to mind the cooking?
Like King Alfred, he falls into deep thought about his "vast affairs" and burns the food.
How does the widow react to Edward burning the food?
She gives him a brisk tongue-lashing, but then softens when she sees how troubled he is over his "violated trust."
What is the central irony of the dinner scene?
Both parties think they are condescending to the other: the widow believes she is honoring a tramp by letting him sit at the table, while Edward believes he is humbling himself by not requiring the family to stand and serve him.
What household chores does the widow assign to Edward after breakfast?
Washing dishes, paring winter apples, grinding a butcher knife, and carding wool.
Why is Edward retired from paring apples?
Because he is so awkward at it that the widow reassigns him to grinding a butcher knife instead.
What task finally makes Edward decide to refuse (resign)?
Drowning a basket of kittens — he feels he must "draw the line somewhere" and kitten-drowning is where he draws it.
Who interrupts before Edward can refuse the kitten task?
John Canty (disguised with a peddler's pack) and Hugo, who approach the farmhouse's front gate.
How does Edward escape from John Canty and Hugo?
He spots them before they see him, leaves the kittens safely in an outhouse, and slips out the back way into a narrow lane.
What literary device does Twain use when the narrator says "It does us all good to unbend sometimes"?
Verbal irony / satire — the narrator pretends to endorse the mutual condescension while actually mocking both the widow's and Edward's self-congratulatory attitudes about class.
What theme does Edward's compassion for the rat and the kittens illustrate?
The theme that suffering breeds empathy — Edward's hardships among the common people are making him more compassionate, qualities that will make him a better king.
How does the children's belief in Edward contrast with the adults' reactions throughout the novel?
The children accept Edward's claim through innocent faith, while adults throughout the novel dismiss him as mad or a liar, suggesting that worldly experience can blind people to the truth.