Père Goriot — Questions and answers

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In what year did Jean-Joachim Goriot, Eugène de Rastignac, and Vautrin live in Madame Vauquer's boarding house on the Rue Neuve-Sainte-Geneviève in Paris?

Choices

  1. 1825
  2. 1830
  3. 1819 ✓
  4. 1809

Answer: 1819

From page 1

What did Rastignac observe old Goriot doing early one morning at the front door of the boarding house?

Choices

  1. He saw Goriot saying goodbye to a beautiful young woman in a dark cloak. ✓
  2. He saw Goriot arguing with Madame Vauquer about his rent.
  3. He saw Goriot secretly counting a large sum of money.
  4. He saw Goriot receiving a mysterious package from a stranger.

Answer: He saw Goriot saying goodbye to a beautiful young woman in a dark cloak.

From page 2

At Madame de Beauséant's ball, who did Rastignac realize was the woman he had seen leaving Goriot's house?

Choices

  1. Madame de Nucingen
  2. Victorine Taillefer
  3. Madame de Beauséant
  4. The Comtesse de Restaud ✓

Answer: The Comtesse de Restaud

From page 3

Why was Rastignac shown coldly to the door during his visit to the Comtesse de Restaud?

Choices

  1. He mentioned that he lodged in the same house as Monsieur Goriot. ✓
  2. He revealed a secret about Madame de Beauséant.
  3. He spoke disrespectfully about Parisian society.
  4. He insulted the Comte de Restaud's family.

Answer: He mentioned that he lodged in the same house as Monsieur Goriot.

From page 4

In Père Goriot, why were Goriot's daughters ashamed of him, according to Madame de Beauséant?

Choices

  1. He had lost all his money through poor investments.
  2. He had been involved in a public scandal.
  3. He had given them everything he owned to make them rich. ✓
  4. He had remarried a woman they disliked.

Answer: He had given them everything he owned to make them rich.

From page 5

What terrible offer did Vautrin make to Rastignac in the garden of the boarding house?

Choices

  1. He offered to arrange the death of Victorine Taillefer's brother so Rastignac could marry her for her fortune. ✓
  2. He offered to help Rastignac steal money from a wealthy banker.
  3. He offered to introduce Rastignac to a powerful criminal organization.
  4. He offered to forge documents that would secure Rastignac a large inheritance.

Answer: He offered to arrange the death of Victorine Taillefer's brother so Rastignac could marry her for her fortune.

From page 6

What did Goriot do to enable Delphine de Nucingen to attend the Opera with Rastignac?

Choices

  1. He convinced her husband, the banker, to pay for the tickets.
  2. He used money he had secretly saved for his own retirement.
  3. He borrowed a large sum of money from Madame Vauquer.
  4. He quietly sold off his last silver and belongings to pay her debts and buy the box seats. ✓

Answer: He quietly sold off his last silver and belongings to pay her debts and buy the box seats.

From page 7

In Père Goriot, what was Vautrin's true identity when he was seized by police officers?

Choices

  1. He was a wealthy nobleman in disguise.
  2. He was a foreign spy gathering intelligence.
  3. He was Jacques Collin, also known as Trompe-la-Mort, an escaped convict. ✓
  4. He was a secret agent working for the Parisian police.

Answer: He was Jacques Collin, also known as Trompe-la-Mort, an escaped convict.

From page 8

What was the immediate cause of Goriot's final collapse?

Choices

  1. He was robbed of his remaining possessions.
  2. His two daughters quarreled bitterly over money in front of him. ✓
  3. He was abandoned by all his friends and acquaintances.
  4. He suffered a sudden illness after a long walk.

Answer: His two daughters quarreled bitterly over money in front of him.

From page 9

Who paid for Goriot's burial at Père Lachaise cemetery?

Choices

  1. Rastignac and his one true friend ✓
  2. His daughters, Anastasie and Delphine
  3. Madame Vauquer and the other boarders
  4. The city of Paris, as he was a pauper

Answer: Rastignac and his one true friend

From page 10