A Tale of Two Cities ~ Book One and Book Two STUDY GUIDE
1. Which two cities does the title refer to?
• London and Liverpool
• London and Rome|
• Paris and Berlin
• London and Paris
2. Mr. Lorry is a
• banker
• barrister
• solicitor
• mail-coach driver
3. What is the message that Mr. Lorry receives?
• "continue as planned"
• "abort mission"
• "turn around"
• "recalled to life"
4. Who delivers the message to Mr. Lorry?
• Dr. Manette
• Sydney Carton
• Mr. Stryver
• Jerry Cruncher
5. What does Mr. Lorry tell Lucie Manette?
• She has inherited a large sum of money
• Her father is still alive
• She is to be tried for treason
• She is his daughter
6. How long was Doctor Manette imprisoned in the Bastille?
• 8 years
• 25 years
• 18 years
• a day
7. What does Gaspard write on the wall in wine and mud?
• i am hungry
• wine
• his name
• blood
8. What is the name that Defarge called himself and the other revolutionaries?
• Jann
• Jacques
• Henri
• Baptiste
9. What hobby did Dr. Manette pick up in prison?
• novel-writing
• shoemaking
• blacksmithing
• knitting
10. In what year does this novel begin?
• 1767
• 1775
• 1783
• 1793
11. What is Charles Darnay tried for in England?
• murder
• robbery
• treason
• petty theft
12. Why is Darnay acquitted?
• he has a brilliant defense lawyer
• he resembles Carton
• he has an alibi
• he proves that he is not French
13. Which gentleman does not want to marry Lucie?
• Sydney Carton
• Mr. Stryver
• Charles Darnay
• Mr. Lorry
14. Where do Darnay and Carton go together after the trial?
• the Thames
• a tavern
• Paris
• the Manettes' house
15. Where in London do the Manettes live?
• Soho
• Kensington
• Fleet Street
• Whitefriars
16. What does Miss Pross call Lucie Manette?
• "my Ladybird"
• "sweetheart"
• "daughter"
• "a golden-haired doll"
17. What is the most noticeable feature of the Manettes' house?
• its proximity to Temple Bar
• the sunniness of the front room
• the resounding echoes from the street
• the musty smell
18. How many books is the novel divided into?
• two
• five
• three
• seven
19. What does Lucie think the echoes in her house mean?
• she should shut her front door
• people are coming to intrude in her
family's life
• the walls are too thin
• Soho is urbanizing very fast
20. What does "Monseigneur" mean?
• "the man"
• "my lord"
• "the king"
• "my man"
21. What does not happen on the Marquis's way home in his carriage?
• he runs over a little boy
• he stops for a meal
• he gives Defarge a coin
• he refuses to erect a gravestone for a
woman's husband
22. Monseigneur is
• Lucie's husband
• Charles Darnay's uncle
• Charles Darnay's father
• Dr. Manette's brother
23. Charles Darnay does not
• renounce his aristocratic title
• get persecuted by the French lower class
• help tumble the Bastille
• sympathize with the peasants’ plight
24. Monseigneur is murdered by
• Dr. Manette
• someone who calls himself Jacques
• Charles Darnay
• Mr. Lorry
25. Charles Darnay's moonlighting profession is
• lawyer • street cleaner
• "resurrection-man" • teacher
1. A Tale of Two Cities opens in 1775. Which of the following does not characterize this period?
(A) The British colonies in America have just presented a list of grievances to the King of England.
(B) Crime and capital punishment plague the streets of London.
(C) The guillotine stands as a much-feared fixture on the streets of Paris.
(D) The French aristocracy causes great suffering among the lower classes.
2. Why are the drivers of the Dover mail coach hesitant to stop for Jerry Cruncher’s message?
(A) They fear that he is a highwayman attempting to rob the passengers.
(B) They fear that stopping will put them behind schedule for delivering the mail in a timely fashion.
(C) They have been charged with the safety of Jarvis Lorry, one of the coach’s passengers.
(D) Jerry Cruncher’s troublesome reputation precedes him.
3. What object does Doctor Manette keep during his imprisonment in order to escape “in spirit”?
(A) A picture of his wife and daughter
(B) The Bible
(C) A keg of wine
(D) A lock of his wife’s hair
4. By what name do the men in Defarge’s wine shop call their fellow revolutionaries?
(A) Jacques (B) Pierre
(C) Jasper (D) Xavier
5. What skill did Doctor Manette develop in order to pass the time during his incarceration?
(A) Drawing
(B) Whittling
(C) Shoemaking
(D) Storytelling
6. What symbol does Dickens use to portend the bloodshed of the French Revolution?
(A) The Dover mail coach
(B) The broken wine cask
(C) Tellson’s Bank
(D) Madame Defarge’s malevolent stare
7. During her testimony, to whom does Lucie claim that Charles Darnay alluded on the boat ride from Calais to Dover?
(A) Louis XVI
(B) John Adams
(C) Napoleon Bonaparte
(D) George Washington
8. After Darnay’s acquittal, why does Sydney Carton claim to dislike him?
(A) Darnay is unattractive and mean-spirited.
(B) Darnay abuses the love of Lucie Manette.
(C) Darnay reminds him of how far he has fallen and everything he might have been. (D) Even though he has been acquitted, Darnay is a traitor.
9. To which animal does Dickens compare Sydney Carton?
(A) A jackal
(B) A lion
(C) A weasel
(D) A sloth
10. A Tale of Two Cities was published in weekly installments from April to November of what year?
(A) 1845 (B) 1859
(C) 1879 (D) 1890
11. What image does Dickens frequently use to describe Lucie Manette?
(A) An earth-bound angel
(B) A golden thread
(C) A tiger lily
(D) A calm in a storm
12. What sound does Lucie often hear echoing off the street in her home?
(A) Footsteps
(B) Brawling
(C) The yells of the crowd at public executions
(D) A choir singing
13. Which of the following characters is related to the Marquis, whose carriage runs down a small child?
(A) Doctor Manette (B) Sydney Carton
(C) Charles Darnay (D) Miss Pross
14. Who does Miss Pross believe is the ideal suitor for Lucie Manette?
(A) Sydney Carton
(B) Charles Darnay
(C) Her brother, Solomon
(D) She believes that no man is good enough for Lucie.
15. What does Mr. Lorry try to persuade Mr. Stryver not to do?
(A) Propose to Lucie Manette
(B) Invest his money in Tellson’s Bank
(C) Drop Sydney Carton as a business colleague
(D) Visit Paris at a time of political turmoil
16. Who promises Lucie Manette that he would, if necessary, die for her?
(A) Jarvis Lorry
(B) Sydney Carton
(C) Charles Darnay
(D) Monsieur Defarge
17. What does Jerry Cruncher frequently go out to do at night?
(A) Raid Tellson’s Bank
(B) Deliver messages to prisoners in the Bastille
(C) Dig up bodies in the cemetery
(D) Meet with other revolutionaries to plan uprisings
18. Who informs the Defarges that Lucie Manette has married Charles Darnay?
(A) The mender of roads
(B) Jarvis Lorry
(C) Gaspard
(D) John Barsad
19. On the night after Lucie and Charles are married, what does Doctor Manette do?
(A) He prepares to join them on their honeymoon.
(B) He reverts to his prison pastime of making shoes.
(C) He confesses to Miss Pross that he thinks Lucie has made a terrible mistake.
(D) He writes a letter to Defarge, asking him to spare Darnay’s life.
20. During the storming of the Bastille, who decapitates the fortress’s guard?
(A) Madame Defarge
(B) Defarge
(C) John Barsad
(D) An anonymous Jacques
21. Why does the Paris mob kill Foulon?
(A) Because he is a spy
(B) Because he suggested that starving
people should eat grass
(C) Because his carriage ran down a child in
the street
(D) Because he collected high taxes from the peasants
22. What is the duration of Manette’s psychological relapse after Lucie leaves for her honeymoon?
(A) Nine days
(B) Four days
(C) A fortnight
(D) A year and three months
23. Who develops a habit of watching and speaking to Lucie as she waits on a Paris street corner each day, hoping that Darnay will be able to see her from his prison window?
(A) Madame Defarge
(B) Defarge
(C) A wood-sawyer
(D) A seamstress
24. Who does the spy John Barsad turn out to be?
(A) Miss Pross’ brother, Solomon
(B) A relation of the Marquis Evrémonde (C) Madame Defarge’s long-lost brother
(D) Roger Cly
25. Why was Doctor Manette imprisoned? (A) He stole bread.
(B) He failed to save the life of an
aristocrat’s daughter.
(C) The Marquis Evrémonde feared Manette
would reveal a dark secret.
(D) He was an outspoken critic of the royal
family.
26. Who is the spy that is commissioned for Defarge's neighborhood?
A) Doctor Manette
B) Roger Cly
C) Charles Darnay
D) John Barsard
28. Chapter 19 How does Mr. Lorry begin his conversation with Doctor Manette on the tenth day after Lucie's wedding? (from Book 2, Chapter 19 | Book 2, Chapter 20)
A) He asks the doctor's advice on what to do about a friend who had a mental shock.
B) He asks the doctor if he has heard from Lucie.
C) He tells the doctor that he is going on a trip.
D) He asks the doctor if he is accepting new patients.
29. Chapter 18 What is the condition of Doctor Manette when Charles leaves his room on Lucie's wedding day? (from Book 2, Chapter 17 | Book 2, Chapter 18)
A) Nervous and fidgety
B) Vibrant and happy
C) Excited but nervous
D) Deathly pale
30) What steps does Foulon take to protect himself from the revolutionaries? (from Book 2, Chapter 21 | Book 2, Chapter 22)
A. He lives in a cave.
B. He hides in the mountains.
C. He stages his own death.
D. He leaves the country.
31)What does Lorry do with Doctor Manette's shoemaking implements? (from Book 2, Chapter 19 | Book 2, Chapter 20)
A. Helps the doctor polish the shoemaking tools
B. Replaces them with new ones
C. Destroys them
D. Donates them to charity
32) What does Madame Defarge do when the Governor of the Bastille is killed? (from Book 2, Chapter 21 | Book 2, Chapter 22)
A. She screams at the sight.
B. She cuts off his head.
C. She turns and runs away.
D. She cheers.
33) What does Mr. Lorry observe about Doctor Manette after Lucie's wedding? (from Book 2, Chapter 17 | Book 2, Ch. 18)
A. Manette is relieved that Lucie is gone.
B. Manette seems overjoyed.
C. Manette seems too happy.
D. Manette looks like he was struck with a poisoned blow.
34) What does Doctor Manette tell Lucie he thought about as he looked at the moon while in prison? (from Book 2, Chapter 17 | Book 2, Chapter 18)
A. He thought about the child he had never seen.
B. He thought about returning to his medical practice.
C. He thought about revenge on those who imprisoned him.
D. He thought about escape.
35) What is Charles Darnay’s real name?
36) Why was Charles Darnay on trial?
37) What is the name given to the revolutionaries, meaning “brother”?
38) Who is hanged for killing the Marquis?
39) Chapter 18 - What does Dr. Manette do after Lucie gets married?
40) List two examples of the theme of ressurection
41) List two examples of the theme of oppression
42) List two examples of the motif of doubles
43) List two examples of the motif of darkness/shadows OR light
44) What is symbolized by the spilled cask of wine?
45) What is symbolized by Madame Defarge’s knitting?