Bartleby the Scrivener Quizzes

Bartleby the Scrivener Quiz 1

By Eddie Borey · Last reviewed November 18, 2001

1 Herman Melville lived primarily in

eighteenth-century Ireland

nineteenth-century Britain

nineteenth-century America

eighteenth-century America
2 Melville's works

are deeply Christian

both are highly esteemed today and failed in his own lifetime

failed in his own lifetime

are highly esteemed today
3 Melville's masterpiece, Moby-Dick

was not published during Melville's lifetime

has been blasted by most feminist scholars

was well-regarded in his own lifetime, but has fallen in esteem recently

is often praised as the greatest novel in English
4 "Bartleby the Scrivener" was first published

in the eighteenth century

in the seventeenth century

in the nineteenth century

in the twentieth century
5 "Bartleby the Scrivener" was

Melville's last novel

found unfinished after Melville's death

originally an adventure story

first published in Putnam's magazine
6 Herman Melville was a native of

New York City

Boston

Paris

London
7 "Bartleby the Scrivener" is set in/on

the seventh arondissement of Paris

London's Soho

Wall Street, New York City

Boston's South End
8 The narrator of "Bartleby" is

Nippers

Ginger Nut

Turkey

Unnamed
9 The narrator of "Bartleby" is

an elderly man

a man of indeterminate age

a young woman

a young man
10 A "scrivener" is a

grave-digger

legal copyist

bodyguard

lawyer
11 The work of scriveners is now done by

machines

foreign banks

immigrant labor

trained animals
12 Turkey is

the narrator

an elderly man

a young man

a dog
13 Nippers is

both a scrivener and a young man

a dog

a scrivener

a young man
14 Ginger Nut is

the narrator's son

a scrivener

both a scrivener and an office-boy

an office-boy
15 Bartleby is

boisterous

rich

belligerent

a young man
16 The windows on one side of the office look out onto

le Jardin Luxembourg

Hyde Park

Central Park

a light shaft
17 The windows on the other side of the office look out onto

a wall

a textiles factory

the edge of Chinatown

a busy street
18 Bartleby's trademark statement is

"I would prefer not to."

"I accept Jesus."

"All in good time."

"I doubt that."
19 Bartleby utters his trademark statement for the first time when

asked if he believes in fate

asked to help proofread some copies

told that he will be rich

asked to get food for everyone
20 The narrator describes himself as

"an eminently respectable man"

"an eminently clever man"

"an eminently safe man"

"an eminently lazy man"
21 The narrator has always believed

pain is the way to redemption

the easiest way is best

man is inherently evil

love is stronger than hate
22 Bartleby is often described in terms reminiscent of

a bull

a corpse

a stallion

a dog
23 Bartleby is also often described in terms reminiscent of

a demon

a ghost

a criminal

a dandy
24 The narrator is disarmed by Bartleby's

effeminacy

passivity

warmth

fierce anger
25 Nippers is

productive in the afternoon but unproductive at night

productive in the afternoon but unproductive in the morning

productive in the morning but unproductive in the afternoon

productive in the morning but unproductive at night