Chapters 1-4

READING CHECK

1. Who narrates the first three chapters of the novel?

Answer: Mr. Lockwood

Discussion Suggestion: Prompted by the question above, introduce the concepts of a framework-novel and a frame narrator. What effect is created by the use of an outside narrator and several internal narrators to recount, retrospectively, the story of the Heathcliff, Catherine, and their families? How does the nesting of first-person narrative voices within each other affect the reliability of the narrators or the story they collectively tell?

2. On his second visit to Wuthering Heights, what compels Mr. Lockwood to stay the night there?

Answer: a snowstorm

3. Whom does the ghostly woman at Lockwood’s bedroom window claim to be?

Answer: Catherine (Earnshaw) Linton

4. Upon his return from Liverpool, what surprise does Mr. Earnshaw present to his family?

Answer: a homeless boy, or Heathcliff

QUIZ

1. Why does the Earnshaw family home bear the name “Wuthering Heights”?

A. “Wuthering” is a geological term describing the lowland moors.

B. “Wuthering” is a descriptive term for tumultuous weather.

C. “Wuthering” is a local term for the fir trees beside the dwelling.

D. “Wuthering” is a provincial term for weathered rock.

2. What name is scratched all over the oak-paneled bed that Lockwood sleeps in at Wuthering Heights? (short answer)

3. After Lockwood leaves the bedroom he believes is haunted, why does Heathcliff stay by himself in the room for a few moments?

A. to board up the broken window

B. to ascertain if Lockwood stole anything

C. to kneel quietly in prayer

D. to call the phantom’s name at the window

4. Why does Hindley develop a deep-seated hatred for Heathcliff?

A. He is jealous of Heathcliff’s handsome colt.

B. He is jealous of Heathcliff’s superior strength.

C. He is jealous of his father’s affection for Heathcliff.

D. He is jealous of Heathcliff’s freedom to do as he pleases.

QUIZ ANSWERS

1. B

2. Catherine

3. D

4. C

Chapters 5-9

READING CHECK

1. Who dies after Hindley goes away to college?

Answer: Mr. Earnshaw

2. What happens to Catherine while she and Heathcliff spy on the Lintons at Thrushcross Grange?

Answer: A dog bites her ankle.

3. Why does Heathcliff no longer have time to study and continue his education?

Answer: Hindley keeps him busy with chores and hard labor.

4. What does Heathcliff do after he overhears Catherine talking with Nelly about Edgar’s marriage proposal?

Answer: He leaves Wuthering Heights and does not return.

QUIZ

1. When Hindley takes charge at Wuthering Heights, where do Catherine and Heathcliff frequently go to escape his tyranny?

A. to the garret

B. to the stable

C. to the town of Gimmerton

D. to the moors

Discussion Suggestion: Use this question to introduce or review the literary movement known as Romanticism and particularly its emphasis on nature as a source of truth and authenticity. Texts from the Romantic period often promote the idea that nature fosters the individual’s spiritual and personal growth, whereas society thwarts that process. Consider the conflict between nature and society in Wuthering Heights as it unfolds in the relationships between the Earnshaw and Linton children.

2. After Catherine returns from her stay at Thrushcross Grange and sees Heathcliff again, what does she tell him?

A. He needs to wash the dirt off himself.

B. He needs to treat her like a lady.

C. He is her only true friend.

D. He is better company than Edgar and Isabella.

3. Hindley treats Heathcliff cruelly at their small Christmas party. As Heathcliff tells Nelly, what does he (Heathcliff) think about without "feel[ing] pain"?

A. how he will run away with Catherine one day

B. how he will pay Hindley back for his mistreatment

C. how he might be the son of the Emperor of China

D. how he will make something of himself some day

4. When Catherine tells Nelly her love for Linton is “like the foliage in the woods,” but her love for Heathcliff resembles the “rocks beneath,” what does she mean? (short answer)

QUIZ ANSWERS

1. D

2. A

3. B

4. Unlike her love for Edgar, her love for Heathcliff is solid and unchanging.

Chapters 10-13

READING CHECK

1. Where does Heathcliff live when he returns after an absence of several years?

Answer: Wuthering Heights

2. How does Hareton respond when he sees Nelly again at Wuthering Heights?

Answer: He curses and throws rocks at her.

3. What does Catherine refuse to do for three days after locking herself in her bedroom?

Answer: eat

4. Who checks Heathcliff’s door every night, hoping to find it unlocked in order to shoot him?

Answer: Hindley

QUIZ

1. When Heathcliff returns, how does Edgar’s character appear in comparison?

A. less youthful

B. less respectable

C. less masculine

D. less refined

Discussion Suggestion: Use this question to discuss the figure of the Byronic Hero, so called after the Romantic poet Lord Byron, who invented, and to some extent embodied, this dark, brooding model of masculinity. Why is the character of Heathcliff regarded as one of the quintessential literary manifestations of Byronism or the Byronic Hero?

2. After Isabella confesses her fondness for Heathcliff, what does Catherine say about Heathcliff that angers Isabella?

A. She says Heathcliff is cruel and pitiless.

B. She says Heathcliff is too good for Isabella.

C. She says Isabella is too young for Heathcliff.

D. She says Heathcliff will never be wealthy.

3. What is Heathcliff’s true motivation for encouraging Isabella’s affections?

A. He is attracted by her beauty.

B. He is trying to make Catherine jealous.

C. He hopes to socially elevate himself by marrying her.

D. He wants to exact revenge upon Edgar by marrying her.

4. How has Heathcliff depleted Hindley’s wealth? (short answer)

QUIZ ANSWERS

1. C

2. A

3. D

4. Heathcliff routinely wins Hindley’s money when they play cards together.

Chapters 14-17

READING CHECK

1. During Nelly’s visit to Wuthering Heights, what does Heathcliff boast of convincing Isabella to believe?

Answer: that he does not love her

2. What event precedes Catherine's death by two hours?

Answer: the birth of her daughter

3. What action does Heathcliff plead for Catherine’s ghost to take?

Answer: to haunt him

4. Who becomes the new owner of Wuthering Heights?

Answer: Heathcliff

QUIZ

1. What prevents Edgar from agreeing to see Isabella again?

A. his commitment to his principles

B. his concern for Catherine’s health

C. his fear of Heathcliff

D. his fury at Isabella

2. As he explains it to Nelly, why is Heathcliff confident Catherine’s love for him is greater than her love for Edgar?

A. He and Catherine have known each other longer.

B. He and Catherine have deeper hearts than Edgar has.

C. He is more loyal than Edgar.

D. He is more handsome than Edgar.

Discussion Suggestion: Using the above question as a prompt, discuss the novel’s theme of love. The novel presents several different types of love—that between parent and child, brother and sister, husband and wife—but the love between Heathcliff and Catherine exceeds them all. What does the novel seem to be saying about their transcendent, even otherworldly love for each other? Does such a love invariably cause tragedy? Or, is it the obstacles thrown into the course of their love that cause tragedy?

3. During Heathcliff’s final encounter with Catherine at Thrushcross Grange, upon whom does he place the blame for her imminent death?

A. Edgar

B. himself

C. Catherine

D. Hindley

4. Why does Isabella move permanently to “the south, near London,” instead of remaining with Edgar at Thrushcross Grange?

A. She knows Edgar won’t want her there.

B. She knows Heathcliff will harass them if she stays.   

C. She cannot forgive Edgar for disowning her.

D. She cannot get over her love for Heathcliff if she stays.

QUIZ ANSWERS

1. A

2. B

C. C

D. B

Chapters 18-22

READING CHECK

1. Until the age of 13, Cathy Linton has no first-hand knowledge of what?

Answer: the world beyond Thrushcross Grange or the Grange’s park

Discussion Suggestion: Use the above question to continue or introduce a discussion about Romanticism, especially with respect to its idealization of childhood, freedom, and imagination. To the extent that Romanticism espouses a spiritual correspondence between the individual and nature, it also privileges childhood as a realm in which the individual is closer to nature and less hampered by social artifice. How does Cathy’s character develop after she is able to venture into ‘wild’ nature? Why is it significant that Linton shows little enthusiasm for nature?

2. Whom does Linton Heathcliff strongly resemble?

Answer: Edgar, his uncle

3. Where does Cathy want to go to mark the occasion of her 16th birthday?

Answer: to the moors

4. After Cathy climbs over the wall to get her hat, she encounters Heathcliff on horseback. What does he press her to do?

Answer: visit Linton at Wuthering Heights

QUIZ

1. In what way does Cathy Linton resemble her mother?

A. She is susceptible to fits of uncontrollable anger.

B. She doesn’t have the capacity to learn from her mistakes.

C. She has a capacity for intense attachments.

D. She is gleefully mischievous.

2. When Nelly goes to Wuthering Heights seeking Cathy, what observation does she make about Hareton?

A. He has a finer mind than his father had.

B. He has a cruel streak, like Heathcliff.

C. He is weak and unprincipled.

D. He is well-mannered, despite his circumstances.

3. Why does Heathcliff want responsibility for his son’s upbringing, even though, as he tells Nelly, he “hate[s] him for the memories he revives”?

A. He is determined to stunt Linton’s education, as he did Hareton’s.

B. He is naturally proud of his son, in spite of himself.

C. He wants to give purpose to his empty, wasted life.

D. He wants his son to inherit the Earnshaw and Linton estates.

4. Inside Cathy’s books, Nelly finds “love letters” from Linton, although they display “touches, here and there, which [Nelly] thought were borrowed from a more experienced source.” Who is likely this “experienced source”? (short answer)

QUIZ ANSWERS

1. C

2. A

3. D

4. Heathcliff

Chapters 23-27

READING CHECK

1. What circumstance allows Cathy to visit Wuthering Heights as she wishes for several weeks?

Answer: Nelly is confined to her room by illness.

2. When Hareton tries to impress Cathy with his reading skills, how does she respond?

Answer: She laughs at him.

3. How has Linton changed when Cathy finally sees him again near the end of summer?

Answer: He is much frailer and more lethargic.

4. After Heathcliff locks Cathy and Nelly inside Wuthering Heights, what does Cathy do to get the key from his hand?

Answer: She bites his hand.

QUIZ

1. Why does Linton scream and writhe on the floor of Wuthering Heights after he tells Cathy and Nelly he wants them to leave?

A. He is angry at Cathy for coming to Wuthering Heights.

B. He is trying to get the attention of Cathy and Nelly.

C. He has been bitten by a dog.

D. He is hallucinating.

2. How does Cathy’s idea of “the pleasantest manner of spending a hot July day” compare with Linton’s?

A. Hers is livelier; his is more tranquil.

B. Hers is lying on the moors; his is reading books.

C. Hers would be outdoors; his would be indoors.

D. Hers and his are essentially the same.

Discussion Suggestion: Using the question above as a prompt, discuss how the novel uses contrasts between characters to develop its important ideas. For example, how does the contrast between the unruly Earnshaws and the refined Lintons inform and advance the theme of nature versus society? Does the narrative seem to endorse the characters of Heathcliff and Catherine over those of Edgar and Isabella? If not, what does that suggest about any possible resolution to the conflict between nature and society?

3. What reason does Edgar tell Nelly to explain why he dreads the prospect of dying?

A. He is afraid Heathcliff will acquire Thrushcross Grange.

B. He is afraid Cathy will forget him.

C. He fears death won’t reunite him with Catherine.

D. He fears leaving Cathy alone and solitary after he dies.

4. Why is Linton desperate for Cathy to marry him? (short answer)

QUIZ ANSWERS

1. B

2. A

3. D

4. He fears Heathcliff will harm him otherwise.

Chapters 28-31

READING CHECK

1. After Nelly tells Edgar about her imprisonment at Wuthering Heights and Cathy’s marriage, what does he summon Mr. Green to do?

Answer: change his will

2. When Heathcliff comes to Thrushcross Grange to get Cathy, what plans does he reveal he has for the estate?

Answer: to rent it out to a tenant

3. What does Lockwood decide to do after he regains his health?

Answer: leave the Grange for London

4. In Heathcliff’s estimation, whom does Hareton increasingly resemble?

Answer: Catherine Earnshaw Linton

QUIZ

1. When Linton tells Nelly why he won’t let Cathy, his new wife, leave her room, what character trait that he shares with his father becomes apparent?

A. assertiveness

B. vanity

C. vindictiveness

D. tenacity

Discussion Suggestion: Use the above question to launch a discussion about the novel’s theme of revenge as a self-destructive emotion. Heathcliff experiences the emotions of love and spite very powerfully. Which other characters demonstrate vengeful behavior? Is it possible to trace the chain of wrongdoing and vengeful reactions back to a root cause? As the forces of love and vindictiveness battle in Heathcliff’s heart, which do you think will win?

2. Why does Heathcliff feel “pacified” after the sexton opens Catherine’s grave, and he sees her face once more?

A. He sees she is at rest and will no longer torment him.

B. He sees she still wears the locket containing his hair.

C. He is assured that Edgar did not relocate her body.

D. He is assured that he will never forget her beauty.

3. After Linton dies, why is Cathy “destitute of cash”? (short answer)

4. What is revealed about Hareton when Cathy discovers in Hareton’s room a “secret stock” of books that were once hers?

A. He is a compulsive thief.

B. He is vengeful and stole them to spite her.

C. He is eager to improve his knowledge.

D. He is envious of Cathy’s refinement.

QUIZ ANSWERS

1. C

2. A

3. Linton’s will leaves everything to Heathcliff.

4. C

Chapters 32-34

READING CHECK

1. What does Lockwood spy Cathy doing inside Wuthering Heights when he ventures there upon his return from London?

Answer: teaching Hareton to read

2. Who is “aghast at the spectacle of Catherine seated on the same bench with Hareton Earnshaw, leaning her hand on his shoulder”?

Answer: Joseph

3. What does Heathcliff notice about Cathy’s and Hareton’s eyes that startles him?

Answer: They both have Catherine Earnshaw’s eyes.

4. According to Nelly, what do “country folk” report seeing after Heathcliff dies?

Answer: Heathcliff walking with a woman

Discussion Suggestion: Use the above question to introduce the term Gothic and discuss the salient characteristics of the Gothic novel, particularly the genre’s concern with the supernatural. Consider why Romantic novels also often allude to supernatural phenomena. In Wuthering Heights, how does the inclusion of supernatural, gothic elements relate to the Romantic idea of sublime emotion and Heathcliff’s transcendent love for Catherine?

QUIZ

1. While sitting with Nelly and Hareton in the kitchen, what does Cathy demean Hareton for, just as her mother once demeaned Heathcliff?

A. his dull, uncultivated mind

B. his rude manners

C. his dirty face and hands

D. his rudimentary clothing

2. How does Heathcliff explain to Nelly his sudden lack of interest in exacting vengeance upon the Lintons and Earnshaws?

A. He realizes he cannot do more harm than he has already done.

B. He has grown mellow with age.

C. He has found a sense of tranquility in nature.

D. He has grown preoccupied with a sense of impending change.

3. What does Heathcliff most likely mean when he tells Nelly he has no need for a clergyman’s guidance because, in his words, “I have nearly attained my heaven” already?

A. He has almost completed his renewed efforts at revenge.

B. He has found what seems like heaven walking in nature.

C. He has finally understood Joseph’s religious teachings.

D. He has faith he will soon reunite with Catherine.

4. In his final words to the reader, what does Lockwood wonder as he pauses at the graves of Catherine, Heathcliff, and Edgar and contemplates “the sleepers in that quiet earth”?

A. He wonders if their souls have gone to Heaven.

B. He wonders how anyone could imagine they are not at peace.

C. He wonders if he will encounter their spirits on the highway.

D. He wonders if their children will find happiness.

QUIZ ANSWERS

1. A

2. D

3. D

4. B