Northanger Abbey MCQs & Summary

Summary:

Northanger Abbey is a novel by Jane Austen, published posthumously in 1817. It follows the story of Catherine Morland, a young and naive heroine who loves Gothic novels and has an overactive imagination. She is invited to Bath by the Allens, where she befriends Isabella Thorpe and falls for Henry Tilney, a charming clergyman.

Catherine is later invited to Northanger Abbey by Henry’s family, and her imagination runs wild, leading her to believe the abbey holds dark secrets. She suspects General Tilney, Henry’s father, of being involved in a sinister mystery, but eventually realizes her fears are unfounded. Catherine matures and learns to differentiate fiction from reality. In the end, she and Henry confess their love and marry, overcoming misunderstandings and societal pressures.

The novel explores themes of imagination versus reality, social class, and the coming-of-age journey of a young woman. Through satire, Austen critiques the influence of Gothic novels and the social conventions of her time.

MCQs:

1. Who wrote Northanger Abbey?
   A) Charlotte Brontë
   B) Jane Austen
   C) Emily Brontë
   D) Charles Dickens
   Answer: B) Jane Austen
2. What is Catherine Morland’s main flaw?
   A) She is too proud
   B) She is overly imaginative and naive
   C) She is dishonest
   D) She is greedy
   Answer: B) She is overly imaginative and naive
3. Where does Catherine first meet Henry Tilney?
   A) At Northanger Abbey
   B) At the Thorpes’ house
   C) At a ball in Bath
   D) In London
   Answer: C) At a ball in Bath

   

4. Who is Isabella Thorpe engaged to initially?
   A) Henry Tilney
   B) John Thorpe
   C) James Morland
   D) General Tilney
   Answer: C) James Morland
5. Why is Catherine invited to Northanger Abbey?
   A) General Tilney believes she is wealthy
   B) She is already engaged to Henry
   C) Eleanor Tilney wants a companion
   D) John Thorpe persuades General Tilney
   Answer: A) General Tilney believes she is wealthy
6. What does Catherine wrongly suspect about General Tilney?
   A) He is secretly married
   B) He murdered his wife
   C) He has a hidden fortune
   D) He is a criminal
   Answer: B) He murdered his wife
7. What ultimately happens between Isabella Thorpe and James Morland?
   A) They marry happily
   B) Isabella leaves James for Captain Tilney
   C) Isabella is forced to become a governess
   D) James rejects Isabella first
   Answer: B) Isabella leaves James for Captain Tilney
8. Why does General Tilney send Catherine away from Northanger Abbey?
   A) He finds out she is not as wealthy as he thought
   B) She insults Eleanor Tilney
   C) She confesses her suspicions about him
   D) Henry tells him to do so
   Answer: A) He finds out she is not as wealthy as he thought
9. How does Henry Tilney respond to Catherine’s mistake about his father?
   A) He is angry and never speaks to her again
   B) He laughs but helps her understand reality
   C) He agrees with her suspicions
   D) He sends her away immediately
   Answer: B) He laughs but helps her understand reality
10. What lesson does Catherine learn by the end of the novel?
    A) Fiction is more exciting than real life
    B) Social status is the key to happiness
    C) Imagination should be balanced with reason
    D) Love is not important
    Answer: C) Imagination should be balanced with reason