Question 186
HardOriginal questionIt is a truth , that a single man in possession of a good must be a wife.
However little known the feelings or views of such a man may be on his first entering a neighbourhood, this truth is so well fixed in the minds of the surrounding families, that he is considered as the property of some one or other of their daughters.
“My dear Mr. Bennet,” said his lady to him one day, “have you heard that Netherfield Park is at last?”
Mr. Bennet replied that he had not.
“But it is,” returned she; “for Mrs. Long has just been here, and she told me all about it.”
Mr. Bennet made no answer.
“Do not you want to know who has taken it?” cried his wife, impatiently.
“You want to tell me, and I have no objection to hearing it.”
This was invitation enough.
“Why, my dear, you must know, Mrs. Long says that Netherfield is taken by a young man of large fortune from the north of England; that he came down on Monday in a chaise and four to see the place, and was so much delighted with it that he agreed with Mr. Morris immediately; that he is to take possession before Michaelmas, and some of his servants are to be in the house by the end of next week.”
“What is his name?”
“Bingley.”
“Is he married or single?”
“Oh, single, my dear, to be sure! A single man of large fortune; four or five thousand a year. What a fine thing for our girls!”
“How so? how can it affect them?”
The first sentence of the passage is best described as
Show the answer and explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
The sentence claims that everyone agrees a rich single man "must be in want of a wife". The next sentence shows whose belief it really is: the "surrounding families" with daughters.
The writer states the families' wish as a grand universal truth, which is gently ironic.
Worth noting
The sentence sounds like a statement of fact, and that is the trap. The second sentence shows that the "truth" is only what the neighbours want.
- Concept
- Recognising irony in a famous opening
- Typical timeTypical
- 60 s
- Your timeYours
- —
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