Lady Catherine's Visit Trivia Quiz

Answer: Early morning

Austen does not give the exact hour, but states that it was too early in the day for visitors. Lady Catherine decides to call upon the Bennets not only unannounced, but at an inopportune time of day. This is consistent with her behavior throughout this episode, which is insolent and impolite in the extreme.

She treats Mrs. Bennet and Kitty with appalling rudeness, and makes slighting comments about the size of their park and the situation of the drawing room. Despite her obsession with the dignity and distinction of rank, Lady Catherine's own behavior throughout the novel is quite as bad, in its different way, as that of Elizabeth's mother.

Answer: That Elizabeth and her family have spread the rumor.

Lady Catherine has assumed that Elizabeth presumptuously seeks to become engaged to her nephew Mr. Darcy, and that she and her family have industriously spread this rumor abroad. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth; Elizabeth had refused Darcy's proposal, and though she has since come to entertain very different feelings for him, she is by no means certain that he will make another proposal to her.

As for her family, with the exception of Jane, all of them dislike Mr. Darcy, and have no idea that he and Elizabeth might be in love.

Answer: Because he is engaged to Anne de Bourgh

Lady Catherine hopes to crush Elizabeth's hopes with this revelation, but Elizabeth coolly replies that if Darcy is indeed engaged to her daughter, she can have no reason to believe that he will make an offer to herself. It is then that Lady Catherine is forced to admit that the engagement was the wish of herself and her late sister (Darcy's mother) when he and Anne were still infants.

She offers various reasons why the union between Anne and Darcy is the fulfillment of both their destinies, but has clearly given no thought to the actual wishes or feelings of either of them. Elizabeth, as it happens, is aware of Lady Catherine's hopes for their marriage, but she knows that Darcy's feelings, at any rate, are quite at variance with his aunt's desires.

She points out to Lady Catherine that even if she does refuse Darcy's hand, it will not make him wish to marry his cousin.

Answer: no

Unlike Lady Catherine, Elizabeth is truly well-bred; she has never uttered a word about Darcy's futile proposal to her to anyone but her sister Jane, and that in the strictest confidence. Though it would undoubtedly give her great satisfaction to see her Ladyship's astonished reaction to such a revelation, she refrains from doing so.

Answer: no

Elizabeth had by this time met Darcy's closest friend, Mr. Bingley, and his family, as well as his cousin, Col. Fitzwilliam; Darcy had also introduced her to his sister Georgiana, and she had met the housekeeper at Pemberly, Mrs. Reynolds, during her visit there with her uncle and aunt Gardiner. None of these had expressed any cherished desire of Darcy marrying Anne de Bourgh. Caroline Bingley, to be sure, was unhappy about Darcy's increasing attentions to Elizabeth, but that was because she hoped to marry Darcy herself. Mrs. Reynolds expresses the doubt that he will find a wife who is worthy of him, and makes no mention of Miss de Bourgh. And Georgiana is delighted with Elizabeth after making her acquaintance, and seems to regard her from the first as a sister.

The only member of Darcy's circle who regards the pre-arranged engagement between himself and Anne as a point of honor is Lady Catherine herself, and possibly her daughter . Lady Catherine's assumption- in this and in other matters- that others in her circle share her own opinions is an example of her extreme short-sightedness.

Answer: She tells her that she is not engaged to Darcy.

Elizabeth has no desire to dignify Lady Catherine's impertinent demand with an answer, but she cannot help but reply in the negative. One suspects that she does so out of a desire to end the unpleasant interview. When, however, Lady Catherine demands that she promise never to enter into an engagement with Darcy, should he make her an offer, Elizabeth firmly and indignantly refuses, much to Lady Catherine's displeasure.

Answer: Georgianna Darcy

In his letter to Elizabeth after she had refused his suit, Darcy had related the mortifying details of his sister Georgianna's intended elopement with Wickham, which Darcy had intercepted. Wickham, having squandered his bequest from Darcy's father, was after Georgianna's considerable fortune, and convinced her, against her better judgment, to elope with him. She was only fifteen at the time (the same age as Lydia). They were unexpectedly met by Darcy, whereupon Georgianna impulsively revealed the plan to her brother, who put a stop to Wickham's plans. Apart from Elizabeth, the only other person to know of this matter was Col. Fitzwilliam, unavoidably since he was the executor of Darcy's father's estate.

Although Georgianna's manners and breeding are infinitely superior to that of the obnoxious Lydia, she had also fallen under Wickham's spell, very nearly with unhappy results.

Answer: Duty, honor, and gratitude.

Lady Catherine considers that Elizabeth is obliged by the demands of duty, honor, and gratitude to decline any offer of marriage from Darcy. Her Ladyship believes that a marriage between Darcy and Elizabeth must disgrace him in the eyes of the world, and that it is Elizabeth's duty to refuse him and preserve his honor.

She also feels that it is Elizabeth's obligation, out of gratitude to her own attentions to her the previous spring, when she had invited Elizabeth and the Collins family to dine at Rosings on several occasions. Elizabeth informs her with great dignity that no principle of honor, duty, or gratitude would be violated by her accepting Darcy's hand.

Answer: Mr. Collins

Mr. Bennet has received a letter of congratulations from the insufferable Mr. Collins, congratulating him on the engagement between Jane and Mr. Bingley. Mr. Collins goes on to relate that a rumor has arisen that Elizabeth too is likely to marry a man of considerable credit and character, whom he does not name.

He does, however, warn that the man's aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, does not approve the union. Mr. Bennet guesses rightly that the man is Mr. Darcy, and finds the letter highly diverting, seeing as how Elizabeth greatly dislikes Darcy (or so he thinks).

He likewise supposes- correctly- that the purpose of Lady Catherine's visit the previous day was to state her objections to the match. Elizabeth cannot join her father's amusement; she is still upset over the visit, and is mortified that her father is oblivious to her altered feelings for Darcy.

Answer: Darcy is encouraged to hope that he can win Elizabeth.

Lady Catherine had indignantly informed her nephew of her interview with Elizabeth, and of the latter's headstrong determination (as she saw it) to have Darcy for her husband at any cost. Though she intends this relation to harden her nephew against Elizabeth, it has quite the opposite effect. Darcy realizes that if Elizabeth's feelings about him had not changed, she would have no qualms about stating her feelings to Lady Catherine.

The fact that she did not promise to refuse his hand indicated that her feelings had possibly changed.

It gave him hope that he might again propose to Elizabeth and this time be accepted. After their engagement takes place, he informs Elizabeth that Lady Catherine's endeavors to keep them apart were the means of removing all of his doubts. To this Elizabeth teasingly replies that "...Lady Catherine has been of infinite use which ought to make her happy, for she loves to be of use." (Needless to say, it does NOT make her happy!)