Persuasion

70 pages • 2 hours read

Persuasion

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1817

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Introduction

Before Reading

During Reading

After Reading

During Reading

Reading Questions & Paired Texts

Reading Check and Short Answer Questions on key points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

VOLUME 1, CHAPTERS 1-3

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Reading Check

1. What are the names of Sir Walter Elliot’s daughters?

2. Who is Mr. Shepard?

3. To whom does Sir Elliot let out Kellynch Hall?

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Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Who is Lady Russell? How is she connected to the Elliot family?

2. Why does Sir Elliot decide to let out Kellynch Hall?

Paired Resource

“History of Barrington Court”

This resource provides an overview of the history of Barrington Court, a large estate with many similarities to the fictional Kellynch Hall of Austen’s novel.
It connects to the theme of The Dangers of Pride.
Why were aristocratic estates like Barrington Court and the fictional Kellynch Hall so important in the way the English aristocracy presented themselves?

VOLUME 1, CHAPTERS 4-6

Reading Check

1. When was Anne engaged to Frederick Wentworth?

2. Who lives at Uppercross?

3. Who are Charles Musgrove’s sisters?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Why did Anne break off her engagement to Frederick Wentworth?

2. Why does Anne go to live with Mary?

3. Why does Lady Russell dislike Mrs. Clay?

VOLUME 1, CHAPTERS 7-9

Reading Check

1. Why does Anne volunteer to watch over Mary’s injured son in Mary’s place?

2. When does Anne meet Wentworth again?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Who is Charles Hayter? Why is he at odds with Wentworth?

Paired Resource

“Women and Marriage in the Georgian and Regency Period”

This informative article discusses women’s lives in the time of Jane Austen.
It connects to the themes of Constancy in True Romantic Love and Woman’s Occupation.
What were women’s lives like in the Georgian and Regency Period? How were their lives more constrained than those of men?

History of the Royal Navy

This resource includes a comprehensive history of the English Royal Navy.
It connects to the theme of The Dangers of Pride.
Why does the Royal Navy play such an important role in English history? How did the importance of the Royal Navy shape the way that sailors and naval officers were seen in Georgian England?

VOLUME 1, CHAPTERS 10-12

Reading Check

1. Whom does Anne meet in Lyme?

2. Who is the gentleman who is attracted to Anne at Lyme?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What does Anne overhear Louisa saying about her?

2. How does Louisa get injured?

VOLUME 2, CHAPTERS 13-15

Reading Check

1. With whom does Mary believe Benwick to be in love?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Why are the Musgroves so warm toward Anne when she returns to Uppercross?

VOLUME 2, CHAPTERS 16-18

Reading Check

1. Who is Mrs. Smith?

2. To whom does Lady Russell think Mr. Elliot wants to propose?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Who are Lady Darlymple and Miss Carteret? Why is Sir Elliot so eager to make their acquaintance?

2. Why does Anne fear Wentworth might be angry with Benwick?

VOLUME 2, CHAPTERS 19-21

Reading Check

1. Whom does Anne hope to meet at the concert?

2. Who tells Anne about Mr. Elliot’s irresponsible ways?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Why is Anne so distracted during the concert?

2. Why does Mr. Elliot dislike Mrs. Clay, according to Mrs. Smith?

Paired Resource

“A Survivor’s Guide to Georgian Marriage”

This article discusses the social aspects of marriage in Georgian England.
It connects to the themes of Constancy in True Romantic Love and Woman’s Occupation.
What were some important considerations to make when choosing a spouse in Georgian England?

VOLUME 2, CHAPTERS 22-24

Reading Check

1. What is in the letter Wentworth leaves for Anne?

2. Why is Mary so elated to hear of Anne’s engagement to Wentworth?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Why is Captain Harville disappointed with Benwick?

2. Why does Anne think she did the right thing in choosing not to marry Wentworth?

Recommended Next Reads

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

One of Austen’s most famous novels, Pride and Prejudice follows the lives of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet’s five unmarried daughters living in Hertfordshire, England, who must contend with society’s expectations of manners and morality amid budding romance.
Shared themes include The Dangers of Pride and Woman’s Occupation.
Shared topics include romance, love, and English society.
Pride and Prejudice on SuperSummary

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

Emily Brontë’s only novel is a story about the complexities of love and obsession in 19th-century England. It follows Thrushcross Grange as he discovers the history of Catherine Earnshaw, a woman who was forced to choose between intense love and the expectations of her social class.
Shared themes include Constancy in True Romantic Love and Woman’s Occupation.
Shared topics include romance, love, and English society.
Wuthering Heights on SuperSummary

Reading Questions Answer Key

VOLUME 1, CHAPTERS 1-3

Reading Check

Get access to this full Teaching Guide and much more!

9,150+ In-Depth Study Guides
4,650+ Quick-Read Plot Summaries
Downloadable PDFs

1. Elizabeth, Anne, and Mary (Chapter 1)

2. Sir Elliot’s lawyer (Chapter 2)

3. Admiral Croft and his wife (Chapter 3)

Short Answer

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8x more resources than SparkNotes and CliffsNotes combined
Study Guides you won’t find anywhere else
125+ fresh titles added every month

1. Lady Russell is a widow who was close friends with the late Lady Elliot. Since Lady Elliot’s death, she has helped Sir Elliot supervise his daughters’ upbringing. (Chapter 1)

2. Sir Elliot’s lavish expenses put him in heavy debt, so he decides to let out Kellynch Hall and move somewhere less expensive until he can get his finances under control. (Chapter 2)

VOLUME 1, CHAPTERS 4-6

Reading Check

1. 8 years before the novel begins, when she was 19 (Chapter 4)

2. The Musgrove family, including Mary and her husband Charles Musgrove (Chapter 5)

3. Henrietta and Louisa (Chapter 5)

Short Answer

1. Anne was persuaded by Lady Russell to end her engagement with Wentworth because she believed his lower social position and lack of money made him an unsuitable match for Anne. (Chapter 4)

2. As her father and sister are leaving Kellynch Hall, Anne goes to live with her sister Mary, who claims she is ill and needs Anne to help her and keep her company. (Chapter 5)

3. Lady Russell is afraid that Mrs. Clay will try to induce Sir Walter to marry her. (Chapter 5)

VOLUME 1, CHAPTERS 7-9

Reading Check

1. So she can avoid Wentworth (Chapter 7)

2. When he comes to Uppercross to socialize with the Musgroves (Chapter 7)

Short Answer

1. Charles Hayter is the man to whom Henrietta is informally engaged. He becomes upset with Wentworth when he sees that Henrietta is attracted to him. (Chapter 9)

VOLUME 1, CHAPTERS 10-12

Reading Check

1. Captain and Mrs. Harville and Captain Benwick (Chapter 11)

2. Mr. Elliot, Anne’s cousin (Chapter 12)

Short Answer

1. Anne overhears Louisa saying that the Musgroves would have preferred to have her as their daughter-in-law, but that she refused Charles’s proposal because of the extreme pride of the Elliot family. (Chapter 10)

2. Louisa insists on jumping from the harbor wall and being caught by Wentworth; she gets injured when he fails to catch her. (Chapter 12)

VOLUME 2, CHAPTERS 13-15

Reading Check

1. Anne (Chapter 15)

Short Answer

1. The Musgroves welcome Anne very warmly when she returns to Uppercross because they are grateful for how much she helped Louisa when she was hurt. (Chapter 15)

VOLUME 2, CHAPTERS 16-18

Reading Check

1. A friend of Anne’s from school (Chapter 17)

2. Anne (Chapter 17)

Short Answer

1. Lady Darlymple and Miss Carteret are aristocratic relatives of the Elliots. Sir Elliot is eager to make their acquaintance because he believes they might benefit from their connections. (Chapter 16)

2. Anne thinks Wentworth might have fallen out with Benwick because he wound up becoming engaged to Louisa, with whom Wentworth once had a flirtation. (Chapter 18)

VOLUME 2, CHAPTERS 19-21

Reading Check

1. Wentworth (Chapter 19)

2. Mrs. Smith (Chapter 21)

Short Answer

1. During the concert, Anne is distracted because she feels hope that Wentworth might still love her. (Chapter 20)

2. Mrs. Smith suggests that the real reason Mr. Elliot hates Mrs. Clay is because he is afraid she will replace him in Sir Elliot’s inheritance if she marries him. (Chapter 21)

VOLUME 2, CHAPTERS 22-24

Reading Check

1. A profession of his love for Anne (Chapter 23)

2. Because it is a more financially advantageous match than Louisa or Henrietta’s (Chapter 24)

Short Answer

1. Captain Harville is upset with Benwick because of his new engagement, feeling that he has forgotten about his late sister too quickly. (Chapter 23)

2. Anne explains that she thinks she did the right thing when she let Lady Russell persuade her not to marry Wentworth because it was a complex situation and Lady Russell was like a mother to her. (Chapter 23)