Chapter XXXII. Coronation Day. Practice Quiz — The Prince and the Pauper
by Mark Twain — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: Chapter XXXII. Coronation Day.
Where does Chapter 32 take place?
Westminster Abbey, on the morning of the Coronation Day.
What time do people begin filling the galleries in Westminster Abbey?
Four o'clock in the morning, after warning guns boom at three o'clock.
What is the Stone of Scone?
A rough flat rock enclosed within the seat of the throne, upon which generations of Scottish and English kings sat to be crowned.
How does Twain describe the assembled peeresses?
As "a solid acre or such a matter, of human flowers" frosted "like a Milky Way with diamonds."
Who is about to be crowned king at the start of the coronation ceremony?
Tom Canty, the pauper who has been impersonating the prince.
What interrupts the coronation just as the Archbishop lifts the crown?
A ragged, bareheaded boy (Edward, the true prince) walks up the central aisle and forbids the crowning.
What does Edward say when he interrupts the coronation?
"I forbid you to set the crown of England upon that forfeited head. I am the King!"
How does Tom Canty respond to Edward's claim?
He immediately confirms it, crying out "Loose him and forbear! He is the King!"
What does the Lord Protector initially want to do with Edward?
He orders that the "vagabond" be seized, claiming the King's "malady is upon him again."
What question does the Lord Protector ask to test Edward's identity?
He asks where the Great Seal of England lies, reasoning that only the true Prince of Wales could answer.
What is the Great Seal of England described as?
A "massy golden disk" with letters and devices engraved upon it.
Where does Edward first tell Lord St. John to look for the Great Seal?
In a hidden jewel-closet behind a brazen nail-head in the wall of his private cabinet at the palace.
What is the result of the first search for the Great Seal?
Lord St. John returns and announces, "Sire, the Seal is not there!"
How does Tom Canty help Edward remember where the Seal is?
Tom walks Edward through the events of the day they swapped identities, reminding him of each detail until Edward recalls hiding the Seal.
Where is the Great Seal ultimately found?
In an arm-piece of the Milanese armor that hangs on the wall of Edward's chamber.
What did Tom Canty use the Great Seal for?
He used it to crack nuts.
What literary device does Twain use when describing the courtiers shifting their allegiance from Tom to Edward?
A kaleidoscope simile—comparing the movement of the courtiers to the shifting patterns in a kaleidoscope turned slowly.
What title does the Lord Protector hold by the end of the chapter?
Duke of Somerset, a title Tom Canty had granted him. Edward warns he must petition through Tom to keep it or be reduced to an earl.
What narrative technique does Twain use to open Chapter 32?
First-person plural perspective ("Let us go backward a few hours"), placing the reader inside Westminster Abbey as an eyewitness.
What theme does the Great Seal-as-nutcracker detail illustrate?
The arbitrary nature of power and authority—the most important symbol of English royal power is reduced to a kitchen utensil by someone unfamiliar with its significance.
What does Lord St. John's obeisance reveal about the courtiers' behavior?
He bows at a "neutral ground about half-way between the two" boys, revealing that the courtiers are hedging their bets rather than acting on conviction.
What is the significance of Edward arriving in rags at the coronation?
It reinforces the theme of appearance versus reality—Edward's clothing marks him as a beggar, but his bearing, knowledge, and character prove his royalty.