Great Expectations - Questions & Answers
These question and answers are from the "Exercises" section (last part of the book, Great Expectations), after chapter 30 [page 136 to page 143].Chapter 16-19
As you read
1. Whom did Pip meet at Miss Havisham’s house? Why was he surprised?
Pip met Estella at Miss Havisham's house. He was surprised because she had changed into an elegant and beautiful lady, having made such "wonderful progress" since he last saw her that he felt like a "coarse and common boy" again in her presence.
2. What secret did Pip reveal to Herbert? Who was Herbert in love with?
Pip revealed to Herbert that he was deeply in love with Estella and had never stopped adoring her. In return, Herbert shared that he was engaged to a young lady named Clara, who lived in London with her invalid father.
3. What was the bad news from home?
The bad news was delivered in a letter with a black border, informing Pip that his sister had died on a Monday evening and requesting his attendance at her funeral.
4. What happened on Pip’s twenty-first birthday?
On his twenty-first birthday, Pip visited Mr Jaggers, who congratulated him and presented him with a note for five hundred pounds. Jaggers explained that Pip would receive this sum annually and was now to manage his own money affairs until his benefactor finally appeared.
5. How did Pip show his generosity?
Pip showed his generosity by secretly using half of his five hundred pounds to secure a business partnership for Herbert in a shipping firm. He arranged this through Wemmick so that Herbert would remain unaware of Pip's financial assistance, allowing him to succeed without damaging his pride.
Looking at language
1. My parents met one of their friends near the market.
My parents met a friend of theirs near the market.
2. Susan borrowed one of my books.
Susan borrowed a book of mine.
3. Reena invited some of her friends to her house.
Reena invited some friends of hers to her house.
4. We were invited for lunch by one of our neighbours.
We were invited for lunch by a neighbour of ours.
5. I met one of his friends at the party.
I met a friend of his at the party.
Chapter 20-22
As you Read
1. How did Estella behave with Miss Havisham? Describe her feelings towards Miss Havisham.
Estella behaved with a sense of cold detachment and indifference, continuing her knitting even while Pip and Miss Havisham engaged in a tense conversation. While the sources do not explicitly describe her inner feelings for Miss Havisham, they show her acting as a calm, unmoved participant in the environment Miss Havisham created to punish her self-seeking relations.
2. Who was the unexpected visitor who met Pip? What did he look like?
The unexpected visitor was the convict Pip had encountered in the churchyard many years earlier. He was a muscular man of about sixty years of age, with long iron-grey hair and a face that had been browned by exposure to the weather, and he was dressed roughly like a sea voyager.
3. How did Pip feel about the stranger? Why was he shocked?
Pip felt a sense of dread, disgust, and misery toward the stranger, shuddering at his touch. He was shocked because he suddenly realised that this convict—and not Miss Havisham—was his secret benefactor, which meant that his "great expectations" were not part of a plan to unite him with Estella.
4. Were Provis and Abel Magwitch the same person? How do you know?
Yes, they were the same person. The visitor explicitly told Pip that he had assumed the name Provis while on the ship to England, but that his real name was Abel Magwitch.
Looking at language
A. Put the jumbled words in the correct order so as to make a proper sentence.
1. My/bought/uncle/a/table/beautiful/round/wooden
My uncle bought a beautiful round wooden table.
2. Farha/an/gold/unusual/to/mother/presented/her/ring
Farha presented an unusual gold ring to her mother.
3. When/visited/I/France/bought/I/an/painting/old/French/interesting
When I visited France, I bought an interesting old French painting.
B. Compeyson’s business was swindling and forging. Try and find out what kind of crimes these and those given below are.
Swindling: Cheating a person or business out of money or assets through deceit.
Forging: The crime of creating a fake document, signature, or banknote with the intent to defraud.
Arson: The criminal act of deliberately setting fire to property.
Blackmail: Demanding money or favours from someone in return for not revealing compromising or damaging information about them.
Burglary: Illegal entry into a building with the intent to commit a crime, usually theft.
Hijacking: Unlawfully seizing control of a vehicle, such as an aircraft, ship, or truck, while it is in transit.
Kidnapping: Taking someone away by force or deception, often to demand a ransom for their release.
Murder: The unlawful and intentional killing of one human being by another.
Chapter 23-25
As You Read
1. What did Pip accuse Miss Havisham of? And how did he ask her to rectify it?
Pip accused Miss Havisham of doing him an injury by misleading him about his expectations, but he focused more on her treatment of Estella, accusing her of stealing Estella's heart away and replacing it with ice. He asked her to rectify this by doing whatever she could to restore Estella's "right nature" and by providing the nine hundred pounds needed to complete the business partnership for Herbert, which Pip could no longer afford himself.
2. How did Herbert plan Provis’ escape?
Herbert planned to hide Provis in a furnished upper floor of a house at Mill Pond Bank where his fiancée, Clara, lived, as its riverside location would make it easier to slip him onto a foreign steamer. He also suggested that he and Pip should start rowing a boat regularly at the Temple stairs to establish a habit, ensuring that when they eventually took Provis down the river themselves, it would not look suspicious to any onlookers.
3. Who was Molly? What did Pip discover about her?
Molly was Mr Jaggers' housekeeper, whom Wemmick described as a "wild beast tamed." Pip discovered that she was Estella’s biological mother after recognizing the similarity in their eyes, hands, and hair, and he later learned from Wemmick and Jaggers that she had been tried for murder years ago after a woman was found throttled in a barn.
4. Why did Pip visit Miss Havisham? What followed his visit?
Pip visited Miss Havisham because Mr Jaggers had informed him that she wished to see him regarding a matter of business he had previously mentioned to her. Following their emotional interview, Pip had a "presentiment" that something was wrong and returned to her room to find her engulfed in flames; he managed to save her by smothering the fire with his coats, though his hands were severely burnt in the process.
5. Who were Estella’s parents?
Estella’s parents were Molly, Mr Jaggers' housekeeper, and Abel Magwitch (also known as Provis), the convict who had become Pip’s secret benefactor.
6. How did Pip save Miss Havisham’s life?
Pip saved Miss Havisham’s life by stripping off his greatcoat and another thick coat he was carrying and throwing them over her as she ran toward him shrieking in flames. He wrestled her to the floor and held her down, using the coats to suppress the fire until the flames were extinguished.
Looking at language
1. The driver of the truck was ............ injured (serious)
The driver of the truck was seriously injured.
2. The girl behaved in a very ............ manner (selfish).
The girl behaved in a very selfish manner.
3. The weather changed ............ (sudden) and spoilt our picnic.
The weather changed suddenly and spoilt our picnic.
4. She fell down and hurt herself............ (bad).
She fell down and hurt herself badly.
5. He looked at me ............ (angry) and shouted ............ (loud).
He looked at me angrily and shouted loudly.
Chapter 26-30
As You Read
1. Why did Mr Jaggers keep the story of the little girl a secret?
While the provided excerpts focus on the aftermath of these events, the sources and our conversation history indicate that Mr Jaggers kept Estella’s identity a secret to protect her from the legal and social consequences of her parents' criminal backgrounds and to give her a chance at a better life away from the "wild" nature of her mother.
2. Describe the plan made by Pip and Herbert for Provis’ escape. Why did it fail?
Pip and Herbert planned to row Provis down the river to a secluded public house, where they would stay the night before hailing a steamer bound for Hamburg the next morning. The plan failed because a police galley, carrying an officer and the rival convict Compeyson, intercepted them just as they reached the steamer; a struggle ensued, the boat capsized, Compeyson drowned, and Magwitch was severely injured and captured.
3. How did Pip’s feelings for Provis change?
Pip’s initial repugnance and disgust for Provis completely melted away as he watched the man suffer; he eventually saw Provis not as a criminal, but as a generous and affectionate benefactor who was a much better man than Pip himself had been to Joe.
4. How did Herbert try to help Pip?
Herbert helped Pip by assisting in the dangerous escape attempt and later, seeing Pip's dire financial and emotional state, offered him a position as a clerk in his business firm in the East, which eventually allowed Pip to become a partner and earn an honest living.
5. Describe the trial and the last days of Magwitch.
Magwitch’s trial was short and decisive; despite evidence of his industrious life abroad, his return from transportation meant he was found guilty and sentenced to death. He spent his final days in the prison infirmary, suffering from broken ribs and a wounded lung, but he died peacefully after Pip told him that his lost daughter was alive, beautiful, and loved by Pip.
6. Who proved to be Pip’s best friend? How?
Joe Gargery proved to be Pip’s best friend by coming to London to nurse him through a long, life-threatening illness and by secretly paying off the massive debts that would have sent Pip to prison.
7. How did Pip’s life change?
Pip’s life changed from one of idle "great expectations" and debt to one of hard work and modest success; he sold his possessions, moved abroad to work as a clerk, and eventually became a partner in Herbert’s firm, maintaining a happy and honest life.
8. What change does Pip find in Estella? Do they get married or do they part as friends?
Pip finds that Estella has been softened and saddened by her own sufferings, possessing a "softened light" in her eyes and a "touch of friendliness" she lacked before. Although they agree to "continue friends apart," the final moment suggests a deeper union as Pip sees "no shadow of another parting" from her.
Looking at language
1. The children were very ............ at the outing.
The children were very well-behaved at the outing.
2. Sumit is always ............ when he goes out.
Sumit is always well-dressed when he goes out.
3. The lady is ............ for her writings.
The lady is well-known for her writings.
4. Our friend's house is so ............ that we feel like visiting him often.
Our friend's house is so well-kept that we feel like visiting him often.
5. The trip was so ............ that we enjoyed it very much.
The trip was so well-planned that we enjoyed it very much.