May 2023

Pride and Prejudice: Chapter 4

Exercise 1: True or False

1. Mr Bingley asked Jane for a dance twice. True/False

2. Elizabeth says that Jane always sees the best in people. True/False
3. Darcy has a more likeable character than Bingley. True/False
4. Darcy was not overly impressed by anyone at Netherfield, but Mr Bingley was. True/False
5. Darcy believes that Miss Bennet (Elizabeth) does not smile enough. True/False

Exercise 2: Vocabulary Matching

1. Ductility a) Arrogant; false; pretentious.

2. Fastidious b) To talk about someone in an unpleasant way in the manner of gossip.
3. Hasty c) To be of a pleasant disposition; easy to get along with.
4. Agreeable d) Being very choosy, fussy, meticulous; having attention to detail.
5. Candour e) To express severe disapproval, especially in a formal statement.
6. To censure f) Openness and honesty.
7. Conceited g) Happening too fast for its own good.
8. People of rank h) Not attacked or threatened.
9. To speak ill i) Flexibility of manner and mood; being pliable and amenable.
10. Apt j) Suitable or right for a particular situation.
11. Unassailed k) The specific budget that a person has per annum.
12. Fortune l) Those with a high station in life; dignitaries of distinction.

Exercise 3: Cloze Activity

Ductility Conceited
Fastidious People of rank
Hasty Spoken ill
Agreeable Apt
Candour Unassailed
Censured Fortune

In the time of Jane Austen, in eighteenth century England, life was much different to how it is today. People would be very
_________________ (1) about their appearance, and __________________ (2) who could afford servants would dress to
impress the members of their society. Members of the aristocracy and upper middle classes would not have jobs, and instead
have a _________________ (3), which was a certain amount of money that they were bequeathed to spend each year.

Although it was very elegant and refined, life in the upper classes would not have been without its pressures. Those who
stepped out of line, particularly women, would be immediately _________________ (4) by those around them if they did
anything that would be ___________________(5) of. Also, while on the surface everyone might seem __________________(6)
and amenable, this might simply be a façade masking the unpleasant reality. It is beyond doubt that much of what passed for
affable conversation was in fact __________________(7).

In the novel, Pride and Prejudice, Mr Darcy is a man of rank, but he is also slightly rebellious. The _______________ (8) that he
shows in giving his honest opinions would by many people be taken as rudeness. However, such fictional characters that go
against the grain are ________________ (9) for interesting storylines. Throughout the novel, people are often
__________________ (10) to judge Mr Darcy because he is controversial, but perhaps they should have had greater
__________________ (11) of manner and try seeing things from his perspective. He is a gentleman, but he is not overly
protective of his reputation, and does not care too much about his character remaining ___________________ (12).
 May 2023
Pride and Prejudice: Chapter 5

Exercise 4: Multiple Choice Questions

The main theme of this chapter is…

a) How Sir William Lucas built his fortune.

b) A conversation between Mr Darcy and Mr Robinson.
c) Mrs Long’s needing to buy a more stylish form of transport.
d) Miss Lucas and Miss Charlotte Bennet giving their opinions on Mr Darcy.

The purpose of this is to…

a) Build up interest in Mr Darcy’s character, and to make him a focal point of the narrative.
b) Make the reader despise Mr Darcy.
c) Create a sense of confusion about who Mr Darcy really is.
d) Show that Miss Lucas is madly in love with Mr Darcy.

Exercise 5: Vocabulary

1. A ‘tolerable’ fortune is one which is relatively moderate/extremely excessive.

2. If someone is ‘unshackled’ then they are free of/constrained by a specific obligation.
3. A ‘supercilious’ person is one who is always trying to offend/impress another person by using flattery.
4. Another word for ‘inoffensive’ would be pleasant/boring.
5. If someone is ‘prone’ to doing something, then that means that they are likely/unlikely to do it.
6. When we mention the ‘solidity’ of someone’s thoughts, we are saying that they have made a mistake/believe in
something strongly.
7. When we ‘overhear’ something, we hear are comment that we were intended/not intended to hear.
8. Something that is ‘rendered’ is sent, like a letter/made, like a state.
9. If a person says, ‘I dare say’, it means that they are making a challenge/assuming something to be true.
10. A person who is ‘civil’ is an ordinary person, like a civilian/polite and courteous.

Exercise 6: Vocabulary

1. The incivility that Mr Barnes showed to the guests _____________________ everyone speechless.
2. Now that we are ____________________ from the restrictions brought about COVID-19, everyone
Unshackled
can enjoy life again.
Tolerable
3. Despite the crowd yelling insults and derogatory words, the representative of the bank remained Civil
__________________ throughout the interview. Rendered
4. __________________ is a social event in which there is dancing, sophisticated fashion, and a high Supercilious
degree of formality. Inoffensive
5. There is a new movie production of Pride and Prejudice being filmed right now. I A ball
Overheard
_______________ it will be another blockbuster. Dare say
6. Everyone was ____________________ when Lord Davenport announced that he was getting Mortified
married to a humble housemaid. Solidity
7. You can always rely on her for the ________________ of her thoughts. She is very decisive in Prone
nature and has fixed objectives.
8. I don’t love this song, but I find it _________________, so I am happy to listen to it.
9. Gareth is so _________________. He is always buying presents for his boss and telling him how much he appreciates
his guidance and leadership.
10. Sometimes gossip is a result of what people have _______________ through eavesdropping.
11. Thanks to the rise in popularity of the internet, many young people are _______________ to being addicted to social
media.
12. Mr Sharp was a member of the aristocracy who had built up a _______________ fortune, but he was by no means the
richest person in the county.
 May 2023
Pride and Prejudice: Chapter 6
Exercise 7

“You are a very strange creature by way of a friend!—always wanting me to play and sing before anybody and
everybody! If my vanity had taken a musical turn, you would have been invaluable; but as it is, I would really rather
not sit down before those who must be in the habit of hearing the very best performers.” On Miss Lucas’s
persevering, however, she added, “Very well, if it must be so, it must.” And gravely glancing at Mr. Darcy, “There is
a fine old saying, which everybody here is of course familiar with: ‘Keep your breath to cool your porridge’; and I
shall keep mine to swell my song.”

Her performance was pleasing, though by no means capital. After a song or two, and before she could reply to the
entreaties of several that she would sing again, she was eagerly succeeded at the instrument by her sister Mary, who
having, in consequence of being the only plain one in the family, worked hard for knowledge and accomplishments,
was always impatient for display.

Mary had neither genius nor taste; and though vanity had given her application, it had given her likewise a pedantic
air and conceited manner, which would have injured a higher degree of excellence than she had reached. Elizabeth,
easy and unaffected, had been listened to with much more pleasure, though not playing half so well; and Mary, at
the end of a long concerto, was glad to purchase praise and gratitude by Scotch and Irish airs, at the request of her
younger sisters, who, with some of the Lucases, and two or three officers, joined eagerly in dancing at one end of the
room.

1. Which word in the first paragraph has the same meaning as, ‘having an inestimable cost’? __________________
2. Which word in the first paragraph has the same meaning as, ‘trying very hard, despite setbacks’?
_________________
3. Which word in the first paragraph means that something is done with seriousness? ____________________
4. Which word in the first paragraph means to look at something/someone quickly? __________________
5. Which word in the second paragraph means that something is excellent or outstanding? ___________________
6. Which word in the second paragraph means that something is done with enthusiasm? ___________________
7. Which word in the second paragraph is a noun that means, ‘performance, exhibition’? _____________________
8. Which word in the third paragraph is a noun that means, ‘appreciation’? ____________________________
9. Which word in the third paragraph is a past participle that means, ‘attained’? ______________________
10. Which word in the third paragraph is an adjective that means someone is not conceited? ___________________