Conclusion. Justice and retribution. Practice Quiz — The Prince and the Pauper
by Mark Twain — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: Conclusion. Justice and retribution.
Why did Lady Edith deny knowing Miles Hendon at Hendon Hall?
Hugh Hendon threatened to have Miles assassinated if she acknowledged him. She was willing to sacrifice her own life but not Miles's, so she gave her word and kept it.
What happened to Hugh Hendon after his treachery was exposed?
He was not prosecuted because his wife and brother refused to testify against him. He deserted his wife, fled to the continent, and died there.
Who did Miles Hendon marry after being restored as Earl of Kent?
He married Lady Edith, Hugh's abandoned wife (referred to as his "relict"), and there were grand rejoicings at Hendon village.
What happened to Tom Canty's father?
He was never heard of again. Twain disposes of this villainous character in a single sentence.
What did King Edward do for the farmer who had been branded and sold as a slave?
He sought him out, reclaimed him from his evil life with the Ruffler's gang, and put him in the way of a comfortable livelihood.
Which person was Edward too late to save?
The man who had been convicted of killing a deer in the royal forest. He had already been executed.
What did Edward do for the boy who captured the stray falcon?
He saved the boy from the gallows, as the boy had been sentenced to death merely for catching a stray falcon.
How did Edward help the daughters of the two Baptist women?
He provided good homes for them after he had witnessed their mothers burned at the stake.
What is the "privilege of the Kents"?
The hereditary right of the Earls of Kent to sit in the presence of the sovereign—an extraordinary honor when all others must stand.
How often did Miles Hendon exercise his privilege of sitting in the king's presence?
Three times total: once before Edward, once at Queen Mary's accession, and once at Queen Elizabeth's accession.
How did the privilege of the Kents finally end?
The last Earl of Kent died fighting for the King during the English Civil War (the wars of the Commonwealth), and the privilege ended with him.
What did Tom Canty look like as an old man?
He was described as "a handsome, white-haired old fellow, of grave and benignant aspect," honored and reverenced wherever he went.
What did people whisper when Tom Canty appeared in public?
"Doff thy hat, it is the King's Ward!" They would salute him and he would return a kindly smile.
Why did Edward repeatedly retell the story of his adventures as a pauper?
To keep "the springs of pity replenished in his heart" and stay strong in his purpose to make the lessons of his suffering benefit his people.
What was Edward's famous rebuke to courtiers who questioned his leniency?
"What dost thou know of suffering and oppression? I and my people know, but not thou."
How does Twain characterize Edward VI's reign?
As "a singularly merciful one for those harsh times," asking readers to remember this to Edward's credit.
Why was Hugh Hendon not prosecuted for stealing Miles's estates and title?
Because his wife and brother refused to testify against him, and Edith (as his wife) would not have been legally allowed to testify even if she wanted to.
What theme does the Conclusion most strongly convey?
Justice and compassion through personal experience—Edward becomes a merciful ruler because he lived among the poor and suffered injustice himself.
What literary device does Twain use when he addresses the reader directly at the end of the chapter?
Apostrophe (direct address to the reader) and breaking the fourth wall, transforming the novel into a moral lesson.
What is the structural function of the Conclusion in the novel?
It serves as an epilogue, rapidly compressing years of subsequent history into a few pages to resolve all character arcs and reinforce the novel's themes.