GCSE Charlotte Bronte | Text Revision in Jane Eyre

English Literature Quiz - Jane Eyre - Understanding the Text (Questions)

This GCSE English Literature quiz checks your understanding of Jane Eyre, covering plot, characters, settings and themes so you can follow the story confidently from start to finish.

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Fascinating Fact:

Jane’s role as a governess places her between classes, creating tension that shapes her relationships at Thornfield.

In GCSE English Literature, you are expected to understand what happens in the story and why it matters. This Jane Eyre quiz helps you track key events, relationships and social tensions so you can explain the novel clearly in your answers.

Key Terms

Protagonist: The main character in a story. In Jane Eyre, Jane is the protagonist whose thoughts and choices we follow.
Governess: A live-in teacher employed by a wealthy family to educate their children, usually placed between servants and employers.
Victorian society: Nineteenth-century Britain during Queen Victoria’s reign, marked by strict social classes and moral expectations.

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

What is Jane Eyre about for GCSE English students?

Jane Eyre follows Jane’s life from childhood to adulthood as she searches for love, respect and independence while facing cruelty, poverty, strict schooling and complex relationships at places like Lowood and Thornfield.

How should I revise Jane Eyre for my GCSE English Literature exam?

To revise Jane Eyre, make a timeline of key events, create mind maps for characters and themes, learn short quotations and practise answering exam-style questions using clear points and evidence.

What does understanding the text mean in GCSE English Literature?

Understanding the text means knowing what happens, who the main characters are, how they change, and how events link to themes such as social class, gender, religion and independence.

Try These Related Quizzes

Where is Jane sent by her aunt, Mrs Reed?

[ ]	Thornfield Hall
[ ]	Lowood School
[ ]	Gateshead
[ ]	Moor House

The regime at Lowood School is cruel and harsh on the children. Which occurrence brings a drastic change in circumstances at the school?

[ ]	The best teachers resign in protest at the conditions
[ ]	Children starve through only being given burnt porridge to eat
[ ]	Jane objects to her unfair punishment
[ ]	An epidemic of typhus fever spreads through the school

Why is Mr Rochester responsible for Adèle?

[ ]	Her mother died, leaving Rochester as her guardian
[ ]	She is his daughter
[ ]	She is his niece
[ ]	He takes an interest in all orphaned children

Who does Jane believe at first to be responsible for the strange sounds in the attic at Thornfield?

[ ]	Bertha Mason
[ ]	Grace Poole
[ ]	Sophie
[ ]	Mrs Fairfax

Mr Rochester is filled with self-loathing for his past mistakes and the wild behaviours of his youth. What does he say draws him to Jane?

[ ]	Her strong passions and powerful sense of self
[ ]	Her kindness towards Adèle
[ ]	Her skill at art
[ ]	Her honest and pure character

What does Jane learn from her visit to Gateshead as an adult?

[ ]	She learns the reason for her aunt's hatred of her as a child
[ ]	She learns to be compassionate and forgiving towards her aunt despite the past
[ ]	She learns that her cousins have become even unhappier than she had been as a child
[ ]	All of the above

Why is the wedding between Jane and Mr Rochester stopped?

[ ]	Mr Mason hates Mr Rochester and wishes to ruin his life
[ ]	Mr Rochester is already married
[ ]	Jane gives into her fears about marriage
[ ]	Jealousy prompts Bertha Mason to send her brother to interrupt the wedding

How are Jane and the Rivers siblings related?

[ ]	They were neighbours as children
[ ]	Jane is the long-lost sister of the Rivers siblings
[ ]	Jane's mother married their uncle
[ ]	They are not actually related, but refer to themselves as "cousins" to express how close they are

Which of the following is NOT a change Jane finds when she finds Mr Rochester at the end of the novel?

[ ]	Adèle has a new governess
[ ]	Rochester has been blinded
[ ]	Bertha Mason is dead
[ ]	Thornfield Hall has been gutted by fire

10.

Which of the following is true of Blanche Ingram?

[ ]	She makes efforts to befriend Jane
[ ]	She has little care for wealth
[ ]	She represents everything which Jane is not
[ ]	She deeply loves Rochester and is devastated when he decides to marry Jane

You can find more about this topic by visiting BBC Bitesize - Jane Eyre

English Literature Quiz - Jane Eyre - Understanding the Text (Answers)

Where is Jane sent by her aunt, Mrs Reed?

[ ]	Thornfield Hall
[x]	Lowood School
[ ]	Gateshead
[ ]	Moor House

Mrs Reed sends Jane to Lowood School not long after the incident in which Jane is locked into the Red Room. The apothecary who attends Jane suggests that a "change of air and scene" might be good for her, although Mrs Reed seems more intent on ridding herself of her responsibility towards Jane

The regime at Lowood School is cruel and harsh on the children. Which occurrence brings a drastic change in circumstances at the school?

[ ]	The best teachers resign in protest at the conditions
[ ]	Children starve through only being given burnt porridge to eat
[ ]	Jane objects to her unfair punishment
[x]	An epidemic of typhus fever spreads through the school

The devastating disease draws public attention to Lowood; afterwards wealthy individuals improve conditions at the school and provide some oversight of Mr Brocklehurst

Why is Mr Rochester responsible for Adèle?

[x]	Her mother died, leaving Rochester as her guardian
[ ]	She is his daughter
[ ]	She is his niece
[ ]	He takes an interest in all orphaned children

Adèle might be Rochester's daughter, but he never recognises her as such, rejecting the possibility. He does recognse that his relationship with her mother places some responsibility upon him for the child's upbringing. He is alternately cold and indulgent towards his ward

Who does Jane believe at first to be responsible for the strange sounds in the attic at Thornfield?

[ ]	Bertha Mason
[x]	Grace Poole
[ ]	Sophie
[ ]	Mrs Fairfax

Even after Bertha attacks her brother Mr Mason, Jane is kept ignorant of her existence

Mr Rochester is filled with self-loathing for his past mistakes and the wild behaviours of his youth. What does he say draws him to Jane?

[ ]	Her strong passions and powerful sense of self
[ ]	Her kindness towards Adèle
[ ]	Her skill at art
[x]	Her honest and pure character

Mr Rochester believes he can become a better man if Jane loves him, as if her character will rub off on his

What does Jane learn from her visit to Gateshead as an adult?

[ ]	She learns the reason for her aunt's hatred of her as a child
[ ]	She learns to be compassionate and forgiving towards her aunt despite the past
[ ]	She learns that her cousins have become even unhappier than she had been as a child
[x]	All of the above

Jane is the only practical presence in the house and stays at her aunt's bedside out of duty while her cousins bicker

Why is the wedding between Jane and Mr Rochester stopped?

[ ]	Mr Mason hates Mr Rochester and wishes to ruin his life
[x]	Mr Rochester is already married
[ ]	Jane gives into her fears about marriage
[ ]	Jealousy prompts Bertha Mason to send her brother to interrupt the wedding

Mr Rochester attempts an illegal bigamous marriage. He is already married and unable to divorce Bertha. He knows that Jane would not agree to be his mistress

How are Jane and the Rivers siblings related?

[ ]	They were neighbours as children
[ ]	Jane is the long-lost sister of the Rivers siblings
[x]	Jane's mother married their uncle
[ ]	They are not actually related, but refer to themselves as "cousins" to express how close they are

Jane is overjoyed to find cousins (the Reeds are also cousins, but the family had disowned her mother and they do not treat Jane as family)