This GCSE English Literature quiz asks questions about The Woman in Black by Susan Hill. The Woman in Black is narrated by its central character, Arthur Kipps. Other figures who feature in the novel are his employer, Mr Bentley, his friend, Samuel Daily, his fiancée, Stella, his wife Esmé and her children, the landlord of the Gifford Arms, and Keckwick, the driver of the pony and trap which conveys Arthur across Nine Lives Causeway. Mrs Drablow and Jennet Humfrye, who are both dead at the time of Arthur’s visit to Crythin Gifford, play important roles in the tale nonetheless. Because Arthur narrates his own tale, the audience perceives events and other characters through his eyes. Stella, for example, is a fairly shadowy figure, evoked whenever Arthur thinks of home and comfort. She appears in the novel only twice: once when she comes north to accompany Arthur home and then again at her tragic death.
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Arthur is a self-reliant man in his business life, although he appreciates the presence of his family at home. This characteristic is ideally suited to a ghost story which involves the main character not really believing the dark hints and suspicions local people nervously share with him. Arthur’s only companion on the island is the dog, Spider, who provides him with some comfort when he confronts the terrors of the house.
Always pay close attention to the way in which characters interact in a work of fiction, or, in this instance, the way in which a narrating character represents others. With first person narration, our view of other characters and their motivations is limited to whatever Arthur himself knows, although he also has the benefit of hindsight since he writes down his recollection of the events surrounding his visit to Eel Marsh House long after these occur. Thus, although we can see that he himself has changed over time, we are not able to perceive such character development in others. Instead, we discover the mystery behind the ghost of the Woman in Black.
Answer the questions below to see how well you understand the characters in The Woman in Black.[/readmore]
1.
|
Arthur Kipps is employed in which profession? |
|
[ ] |
As a solicitor |
[ ] |
As a doctor |
[ ] |
As a teacher |
[ ] |
As a clergyman |
|
|
2.
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"Then, my boy, go home and pack your bags, and take the afternoon train from King's Cross, changing at Crewe and again at Homerby. From Homerby, you take the branch line to the little market town of Crythin Gifford." What do these lines tell us about Mr Bentley? |
|
[ ] |
He is older than Arthur |
[ ] |
He is organised |
[ ] |
He expects Arthur to follow instructions |
[ ] |
All of the above |
|
|
3.
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Who is Esmé? |
|
[ ] |
Arthur's first wife |
[ ] |
The longtime inhabitant of Eel Marsh House |
[ ] |
Arthur's second wife |
[ ] |
The bereaved mother whose ghost is known as the Woman in Black |
|
|
4.
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Puzzled by the landlord's abrupt behaviour after learning his business in Crythin Gifford, Arthur dismisses his remarks as "local tales and silliness which had grown out of all proportion, as such things will do in small, out of the way communities, which have only themselves to look to for whatever melodrama and mystery they can extract out of life." What do these thoughts tell the reader about Arthur? |
|
[ ] |
He believes himself to be calm and rational, while the inhabitants of the small town are gullible and irrational |
[ ] |
He is afraid that he shares the gullibility of the local townspeople |
[ ] |
He admires the landlord and local townspeople for their levelheadedness |
[ ] |
He believes the local townspeople to be more sensible than Londoners, with their love of melodrama |
|
|
5.
|
Samuel Daily might be described as which of the following? |
|
[ ] |
Brutal |
[ ] |
Over-friendly |
[ ] |
Compassionate |
[ ] |
Greedy |
|
|
6.
|
Which of the following characters might be described as vengeful? |
|
[ ] |
Mrs Drablow |
[ ] |
Jennet Humfrye |
[ ] |
Mr Jerome |
[ ] |
Mr Daily |
|
|
7.
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The narrator describes Mr Jerome as bland, professional and courteous, with a "shuttered expression". What does this phrase mean? |
|
[ ] |
Mr Jerome has long hair which obscures his expression |
[ ] |
Mr Jerome wears his heart on his sleeve |
[ ] |
Mr Jerome is an angry man |
[ ] |
Mr Jerome does not reveal his thoughts through his facial expressions |
|
|
8.
|
What does the reader know of Stella's character? |
|
[ ] |
She is friendly and caring |
[ ] |
She is clever and somewhat stand-offish |
[ ] |
She is cold and bitter |
[ ] |
She is nervous and troubled |
|
|
9.
|
When Keckwick returns to the island in the middle of the night after being delayed by the sea-fret, he says to Arthur, "I wouldn't have left you over the night, wouldn't have done that to you." What do these words display of his character? |
|
[ ] |
He is chatty |
[ ] |
He is warm |
[ ] |
He is empathetic |
[ ] |
He is cowardly |
|
|
10.
|
How does Arthur respond to the events he experiences during his first few hours on the island? |
|
[ ] |
He is overcome by horror, feeling both claustrophobic in the house and angry |
[ ] |
He experiences an overwhelming physical response to hearing cries and screams and other sounds of the pony and trap sinking into the mud |
[ ] |
He retreats to a bottle of brandy for comfort |
[ ] |
All of the above |
|
|
1.
|
Arthur Kipps is employed in which profession? |
|
[x] |
As a solicitor |
[ ] |
As a doctor |
[ ] |
As a teacher |
[ ] |
As a clergyman |
|
|
2.
|
"Then, my boy, go home and pack your bags, and take the afternoon train from King's Cross, changing at Crewe and again at Homerby. From Homerby, you take the branch line to the little market town of Crythin Gifford." What do these lines tell us about Mr Bentley? |
|
[ ] |
He is older than Arthur |
[ ] |
He is organised |
[ ] |
He expects Arthur to follow instructions |
[x] |
All of the above |
|
|
3.
|
Who is Esmé? |
|
[ ] |
Arthur's first wife |
[ ] |
The longtime inhabitant of Eel Marsh House |
[x] |
Arthur's second wife |
[ ] |
The bereaved mother whose ghost is known as the Woman in Black |
|
|
4.
|
Puzzled by the landlord's abrupt behaviour after learning his business in Crythin Gifford, Arthur dismisses his remarks as "local tales and silliness which had grown out of all proportion, as such things will do in small, out of the way communities, which have only themselves to look to for whatever melodrama and mystery they can extract out of life." What do these thoughts tell the reader about Arthur? |
|
[x] |
He believes himself to be calm and rational, while the inhabitants of the small town are gullible and irrational |
[ ] |
He is afraid that he shares the gullibility of the local townspeople |
[ ] |
He admires the landlord and local townspeople for their levelheadedness |
[ ] |
He believes the local townspeople to be more sensible than Londoners, with their love of melodrama |
|
|
5.
|
Samuel Daily might be described as which of the following? |
|
[ ] |
Brutal |
[ ] |
Over-friendly |
[x] |
Compassionate |
[ ] |
Greedy |
|
|
6.
|
Which of the following characters might be described as vengeful? |
|
[ ] |
Mrs Drablow |
[x] |
Jennet Humfrye |
[ ] |
Mr Jerome |
[ ] |
Mr Daily |
|
|
7.
|
The narrator describes Mr Jerome as bland, professional and courteous, with a "shuttered expression". What does this phrase mean? |
|
[ ] |
Mr Jerome has long hair which obscures his expression |
[ ] |
Mr Jerome wears his heart on his sleeve |
[ ] |
Mr Jerome is an angry man |
[x] |
Mr Jerome does not reveal his thoughts through his facial expressions |
|
|
8.
|
What does the reader know of Stella's character? |
|
[x] |
She is friendly and caring |
[ ] |
She is clever and somewhat stand-offish |
[ ] |
She is cold and bitter |
[ ] |
She is nervous and troubled |
|
|
9.
|
When Keckwick returns to the island in the middle of the night after being delayed by the sea-fret, he says to Arthur, "I wouldn't have left you over the night, wouldn't have done that to you." What do these words display of his character? |
|
[ ] |
He is chatty |
[ ] |
He is warm |
[x] |
He is empathetic |
[ ] |
He is cowardly |
|
|
10.
|
How does Arthur respond to the events he experiences during his first few hours on the island? |
|
[ ] |
He is overcome by horror, feeling both claustrophobic in the house and angry |
[ ] |
He experiences an overwhelming physical response to hearing cries and screams and other sounds of the pony and trap sinking into the mud |
[ ] |
He retreats to a bottle of brandy for comfort |
[x] |
All of the above |
|
|