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What were the weavers called who violently protested against mechanised textile production?

Silas Marner - Context

This GCSE English Literature quiz focuses on the historical and social context of Silas Marner, exploring religion, industry and village life behind Eliot’s characters and plot.

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Fascinating Fact:

Industrialisation made weaving a factory trade, so Silas’s work as a hand-loom weaver highlights the disappearance of older, independent crafts.

In GCSE English Literature, studying the context of Silas Marner means thinking about industrialisation, religion and rural life. Eliot contrasts traditional weaving and close village communities with growing towns and new factory systems, showing how social change affects work, faith and family.

Key Terms

Industrialisation: The move from hand-made goods to machine production in factories, changing work, wealth and social structures.
Hand-loom weaver: A worker who weaves cloth at home using a manual loom, like Silas before factory weaving takes over.
Rural community: A small, countryside settlement such as Raveloe, where many people know one another and traditions are strong.

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

Why is industrialisation important in Silas Marner?

Industrialisation is important because it shows how older crafts are disappearing. Silas’s work as a hand-loom weaver feels threatened by factories, highlighting change, insecurity and loss of independence.

How does the setting of Raveloe affect the story?

Raveloe is a close rural community, suspicious of outsiders but capable of kindness. Its traditions and gossip shape how people treat Silas and influence his journey from isolation to belonging.

How can I use context in a Silas Marner GCSE essay?

Choose one context point, such as religion or industrial change, link it to a scene or character, then add a short quotation to show how Eliot presents that issue.

Try These Related Quizzes

1 .

What were the weavers called who violently protested against mechanised textile production?

Puritans

Diggers

Luddites

Levellers

In a bid to save the livelihood of weavers, the Luddites broke up power looms and weaving frames between 1811 and 1812. Interestingly, these violent protests take place during the years when Silas Marner leaps forward to its second part. Silas's trade has begun to suffer by this point. Eliot writes from a perspective in time when mechanised textile production has become completely dominant

2 .

When was Silas Marner first published?

1761

1811

1861

1911

The novel is set in the first half of the century

3 .

Which of the following is NOT true?

George Eliot was the pen-name of Mary Ann Evans

George Eliot revealed her identity as an author during her lifetime

Women were not permitted to publish novels during the 19th century

Several female authors in the nineteenth-century published under male pen-names

By using a pen name, especially one which was masculine, some female authors hoped for their works to be judged upon merit, rather than being approached with prejudice

4 .

Which of the following refers to one of the greatest changes experienced in Britain between the latter half of the 18th century and the first half of the 19th century?

The Industrial Revolution

The Renaissance

The Civil War

The Reformation

Agriculture and textiles, along with other crafts, became more mechanised. Many people's livelihoods were destroyed as machines came to replace human labour. Silas's craft as a weaver is endangered by mechanised textile production

5 .

Which of the following is true?

Although the class system affects characters in the novel, class had ceased to affect British people during Eliot's lifetime

Although the Industrial Revolution encouraged some social mobility, the class system continued to have an impact on people's lives during the second half of the nineteenth century

In contrast to the rigid class system of her own time, Eliot creates an idealised village in which class plays no part

None of the above

Class distinctions are very much present in Raveloe. Silas's interruption of the men in the Rainbow to report the theft of his gold is not as disruptive as his interruption of a private dinner party at the Red House after he finds Molly Farren. In addition, Godfrey's secret marriage to Molly is disgraceful because of her lowly status. Such social stratification continues throughout the nineteenth century

6 .

Dunstan and Godfrey are short of money at the beginning of the novel despite being sons of the local squire. Which one of the following is NOT a reason for their lack of money?

The Squire's estate is poor and his tenants do not pay their rent

Godfrey, as the eldest son, will only inherit his wealth after his father's death

Dunstan, as a younger son of Squire Cass, will not inherit his father's estate

The Squire has been lax about making his sons leave home to earn a living

The nineteenth century saw the rise of a new class of people made wealthy through manufacture, rather than through inherited wealth linked to land

7 .

Silas's chapel in Lantern Yard differs from the church in Raveloe by being which of the following?

Silas's chapel is not Christian; the church in Raveloe is

Silas's chapel is non-conformist; the church in Raveloe is established (Church of England)

Silas's chapel is traditional; the church in Raveloe is not

The chapel and the church do not differ in any way other than by name

Eliot portrays the worshippers in Raveloe as content with tradition, even when they do not understand doctrine or their own beliefs. Silas's chapel encourages education and a better understanding of belief, but also becomes a cruel and unwelcoming place for the falsely-accused young man

8 .

Why can Godfrey not divorce Molly?

Fathers could forbid their heirs from divorcing

Obtaining a divorce was legally impossible

Obtaining a divorce required a private Act of Parliament

Only a woman could petition for divorce. Men could not ask for a divorce

Until 1857, only Parliament could grant a divorce. Such divorces could only be granted in cases of adultery. They were also very expensive and thus limited to the wealthy

9 .

Eliot's religious views were influenced by which of the following?

Evangelical Christianity

Atheism

Wide theological reading

All of the above

Eliot rejected her evangelical background, but developed a friendly predisposition towards genuine beliefs which encouraged good in humanity

10 .

Unlike many women in the nineteenth century, George Eliot was very well-educated, both formally and self-taught. How does Eppie receive an education?

She attends a grammar school for girls, where she learns reading, arithmetic, music and science

She learns to read from Silas

She attends grammar school alongside Aaron

She spends a short period each day at a "dame school" in order to learn to read

Girls who were fortunate enough to receive some education learned to read at dame school. George Eliot, who was born in 1819, was sent away to various boarding schools to receive a more thorough education than Eppie's

Author: Sheri Smith (PhD English Literature, English Teacher & Quiz Writer)