The Scarlet Pimpernel
by Baroness Orczy
Chapter Questions
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Chapter I
1. Where does chapter 1 take place? (city and location in the city)
What time of day is it?
What is the date?
2. What tyrant do you think will be ruling France “ten years later”? (not in book)
3. What is a barricade? Why do the people rush there?
4. Who are the rulers of France now?
5. According to the peasants, what was every aristocrat?
Write a definition for aristocrat in your own words :
________________________________________________________________
6. What committee was responsible for giving permission to come and go from Paris?
7. What are some of the disguises used to try to get out of Paris unnoticed?
8. Who catches the most people at the West Gate? How many has he caught?
Historical Fact: Robespierre led the Reign of Terror in 1792.
9. Why was Sargeant Grospierre sent to the guillotine?
10. What rumor was going around about the escapes?
11. Draw a picture of a scarlet pimpernel.
12. What was the reward for catching the Scarlet Pimpernel?
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13. How did Grospierre miss the S.P.? How was the S.P. disguised?
14. The women cart drivers spent their days doing what?
15. What does the horrible hag have on her whip?
16. What does the hag say her grandson (who is riding in her cart) has?
Historical Fact: In the 1400s, one third of the population of Europe died because of the Plague.
17. Who does the captain say the old hag actually was?
18. How did the Comtess de Tournay and her two grown children escape?
19. What do you think will happen to Sargeant Bibot now?
Chapter II
1. Dover is in what country?
2. Draw a miniature picture of France, England, and the English Channel. Use a map of Europe
to help you. Label Paris, France, and Dover, England.
3. List the four people who work in the kitchen.
1.
2.
3.
4.
4. Who is the landlord of the inn?
What is the name of the inn?
5. What is the date?
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6. List all the guests in the Fisherman’s Rest.
7. What is Hempseed always about to say when he gets so rudely interrupted by Jellyband?
8. What special guests are expected?
9. What does Jellyband call the French?
10. What game are the strangers playing? Why are we surprised that they are in the room?
11. Irony is the unexpected happening. Why is it ironic that Jellyband drinks with the
strangers?
Chapter III
1. How do the English feel about the French, in general?
2. What does Lord Anthony think of the strangers in the corner?
History = King George III of England, Queen Charlotte Sophia
3. Why are Sir Percy Blakeney and Lady Blakeney coming to the Fisherman’s Rest?
4. What is the name of Sir Percy’s yacht?
5. What romantic interests are expressed in chapters II and III?
Harry likes ______________________.
Sir Andrew likes ______________________.
The Vicomte likes ______________________.
6. Who gets jealous and leaves The Fisherman’s Rest angrily
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Chapter V
1. Why is the Comtesse so upset?
2. What does Lady Blakeney say to give the poor beggar outside the inn?
3. Describe Lady Blakeney.
height:
age:
hair color:
dress color:
eye color:
4. How do all French people address each other at this time?
5. What is Lady Blakeney’s brother’s name?
6. How does Suzanne finally greet Marguerite?
7. What word is used to describe Sir Percy’s laugh?
Chapter VI
1. Describe Sir Percy.
age:
height:
build:
eyes:
laugh: inane
(see vocabulary list above; write out definition on inanity)
inanity = _______________________
2. What was Sir Percy’s surprise?
3. Who was Marguerite’s only family?
4. Where did Marguerite live in Paris?
5. Marguerite was a Republican. What was her motto?
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History
Republican = an advocate of a republic (usually in opposition to a monarchy)
Plebian = one of the common people
6. What did Marguerite value more than wealth and titles?
7. What does the “golden key is said to open every door” mean as it related to Marguerite’s
marriage?
8. What are some words used to describe Sir Percy?
Marguerite?
9. What happened to Sir Percy’s mother?
10. What was his father’s name?
History
Incroyable fashions = coats with very high collars, wide lapels and tight sleeves,
reaching to the knees; worn in the 1790’s
11. Describe Sir Percy’s lifestyle.
house:
wife:
clothes:
12. What simile does Marguerite use for the Vicomte and Sir Percy?
13. Who does Marguerite bet on if there is a fight?
14. What shocks the Vicomte?
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15. How does the Vicomte describe England?
F_____________ - R_____________ I_______________
16. What does Sir Percy jokingly tell Andrew he should have done with the Vicomte?
17. Who is “old Pitt”? (see chapter III questions)
18. What “bundle of goods” did Sir Percy bring from France?
19. What does Sir Percy call the French?
20. Where does Marguerite go to meet with her brother?
21. Where has Armand been for the last few weeks?
22. What did Sir Andrew notice about Sir Percy as Marguerite contemptuously passes by him?
23. How does that observation contradict what we have learned of Sir Percy?
Chapter VII
Geography
Kent – a county in England; Dover is in the county of Kent
1. Are you surprised when Marguerite starts to cry? Why is she crying?
2. What nickname does Armand use for Marguerite?
3. When did Marguerite tell her husband that she had denounced the St. Cyr family, before or
after their marriage?
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4. What did it mean to denounce someone during the French Revolution? (not in book, use your
head or the dictionary!)
5. Why did Marguerite marry Sir Percy? Were her motives noble?
6. What does Armand think of Sir Percy’s difficulty in forgiving his wife for her mistake?
7. When did Marguerite and Armand’s parents die?
8. Is Armand older or younger than she? By how much?
9. What does ‘the secret orchard” mean?
10. What secrets does Armand keep from Marguerite?
11. What secrets does Marguerite keep from Armand?
Chapter VIII
1. Where did the Percys get married?
2. What story did Marguerite tell her husband?
3. How long had they been married when she told him this story?
4. Who beat Armand?
Why? What had he done?
5. What happened to the Marquis de St. Cyr after Marguerite denounced him?
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6. What is the stranger’s name who speaks to Marguerite?
7. Describe him.
age:
personality:
eyes:
habit:
8. Why is Chauvelin in England?
9. What does he ask Marguerite to do?
10. What does Marguerite imagine the Scarlet Pimpernel to be like?
11. In Marguerite’s mind, who is the opposite of the Scarlet Pimpernel?
Literary Term:
Foil = a character that is a contrast to another character
12. What is Marguerite’s answer to Chauvelin?
Chapter IX
1. Sir Percy and Lady Blakeney are on their way home from the Fisherman’s Rest. How far is
Dover from London?
2. Who stays by the fire having a “private” conversation? Is their conversation “private”?
Why or why not?
3. Where did Sir Andrew last see the Scarlet Pimpernel?
4. Where is Calais?
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5. How was the Scarlet Pimpernel disguised?
6. Where and when and with whom will the Scarlet Pimpernel next meet? Who is the new
member of the league mentioned here?
7. Who will they rescue?
8. Who has gone ahead and started work on the rescue?
9. What is written on the piece of paper?
10. What happens to Antony and Andrew?
11. How many men attack them? Who is their leader?
12. What new information will be useful in bribing Marguerite to help Chauvelin find the Scarlet
Pimpernel?
Chapter X
1. What is the name of the Theatre?
What is playing?
2. List the guests mentioned at the opera.
1. P_________________________
2. P _______________________
3. C ___________________________
4. Lord G_________________________(
5. C _____________________________
6. Lady P__________________________
7. M ________________________________
8. P _________________________________
3. Why is the Comtesse rebuked by Lady Portarles?
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)
4. What did Marguerite hear from Armand?
5. What does Chauvelin tell Marguerite about Armand?
6. Write down what the note says.
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
7. Where had Chauvelin taken Antony and Andrew?
8. If Marguerite helps Chauvelin, what will he give her? When?
9. What animal other than a fox is used to describe Chauvelin in this chapter?
10. Where will Chauvelin next meet Marguerite?
Chapter XI
1. What season is it?
What is the most brilliant function of the year?
2. According to Chauvelin, who is the bitterest enemy of France?
3. To whom was the Prince of Wales speaking when he spoke of “her enemies being the enemies
of England”?
4. Does the Prince of Wales know who the Scarlet Pimpernel is?
Chapter XII
1. Why is Marguerite so nervous?
2. What has Chauvelin asked her to do?
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3. Who makes up a poem about the Scarlet Pimpernel?
4. Who does Sir Andrew enjoy talking with at the Ball?
5. When does Suzanne expect her father to be rescued?
6. List the people Marguerite considers who might be the Scarlet Pimpernel?
P __________________________
A _________________________
7. Who puts something into Andrew’s hand?
8. How does Marguerite get the paper?
9. As Marguerite stands holding the paper, what does Andrew recall?
10. Why is Andrew unaware that she reads the note?
11. What does he do with the note?
Chapter XIII
1. Write out all the lines that Marguerite remembered from the paper.
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________
2. Who beats whom playing cards?
Chapter XIV
1. Why were the destinies of two brave men about to be pitted against each other?
2. What two brave men?
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3. What is the Cabinet Minister’s name?
4. What does Marguerite tell Chauvelin?
5. What time will the Scarlet Pimpernel be in the supper room?
6. Why is Chauvelin so sure that Andrew has not warned the Scarlet Pimpernel?
7. How will Chauvelin and his men confirm the Scarlet Pimpernel’s identity? The Scarlet
Pimpernel will leave for ________________________ tomorrow and go to an inn called
______________________________ or to a place by the sea known as
______________________________________________.
8. How long has Chauvelin been trying to find the identity of the Scarlet Pimpernel?
9. When will Marguerite get Armand’s note back?
10. Who is the only guest in the supper room at 1pm? What is he doing?
Who do you think the Scarlet Pimpernel is?
__________________________________________________
Chapter XV
1. What two animals are likened to the Scarlet Pimpernel and Chauvelin?
2. Whose name sounds strange and unfamiliar to Lady Blakeney? Why? (Think!)
3. Why is Lady Blakeney irritated with Lord Fancourt?
4. Why does Marguerite think she and Chauvelin have failed in finding the Scarlet Pimpernel?
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5. Does Chauvelin think they have failed in finding him?
6. What confirmation does Chauvelin need in order to positively identify the Scarlet Pimpernel?
7. Who does Marguerite say is Chauvelin’s “master”?
Chapter XVI
1. How far is Richmond from London?
2. Why is Marguerite feeling “indulgent” towards Sir Percy on the ride home?
3. What two people had Marguerite now betrayed? (one from the present, one from the past)
4. Describe the Percy’s house:
town:
next to:
special features:
color:
lawn and garden:
trees:
rooms:
5. Why does Sir Percy look “ghostly”?
6. Why do you think Sir Percy seems so stubborn about not loving Marguerite? (not in book)
7. What decoration does Marguerite wear in her hair?
8. What does Marguerite say caused her to be tricked into renouncing the Marquis de St. Cyr?
9. Why was Armand beaten? by whom?
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10. What had the Marquis de St. Cyr done that was illegal?
11. How had Marguerite hurt Sir Percy’s pride?
12. In what month does this chapter take place? Year?
13. What action in this chapter shows Sir Percy’s true feelings for his wife?
Chapter XVII
1. What time was it when Marguerite came to bed?
2. What is Marguerite’s maid’s name?
3. Does Marguerite actually love Sir Percy? Why or why not?
4. What do the faint footsteps outside Marguerite’s door seem to indicate?
5. Describe Sir Percy’s plan as outlined in the note:
destination:
reason:
duration:
date of water-party he will miss:
6. What is the name of Sir Percy’s horse?
7. What is the mask that Sir Percy wears? Why?
Chapter XVIII
1. What is the Day Dream’s skipper’s name?
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2. Who has charge of Sir Percy’s study?
3. Whose portrait hangs in Sir Percy’s study?
4. What two maps hang in the study?
5. What does Marguerite find in the study on the floor?
Chapter XIX
1. What “strange doubt” is bothering Marguerite?
2. What information shared by Suzanne causes Marguerite to suspect that her husband is the
Scarlet Pimpernel?
3. What does the letter say?
4. Where was the gentleman who sent the letter?
5. What was he doing there?
6. Who is Sir Percy’s best friend?
Chapter XX
1. Who does Marguerite visit in London?
2. Who does Marguerite say has “the sharpest eyes in the world”?
3. How will Sir Andrew be disguised while crossing the channel to France? Look up the word
lacquey and write out the definition.
lackey = ______________________________________________
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4. At what London inn does Marguerite change horses on her way to Dover?
5. Who was “the shadowy king” in Marguerite’s heart?
Chapter XXI
1. How long does it take to get from London to Dover by coach?
2. Where does Marguerite stay in Dover?
3. What does Jellyband think is going on with Marguerite?
4. Who is the protagonist in this story?
5. Who is the antagonist?
6. Why can’t Marguerite and Sir Andrew sail to France immediately?
7. What is lawful in France that is against the law in England?
8. What was always the Scarlet Pimpernel’s hardest feature to disguise?
Chapter XXII
1. What is the name of the dock?
2. What is the name of the boat Marguerite and Andrew take to France?
3. How many miles is it from Paris to Calais?
4. What are the French now wearing?
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5. Why did walking in the mud seem to Marguerite like walking “on a carpet of rose-leaves”?
6. What is the name of the inn where they are to meet the Scarlet Pimpernel?
7. The inn on the outskirts of Calais is on the road going to what town?
8. Describe the Chat Gris.
9. What words were written on the wall?
10. What do those words mean in English?
11. What is the landlord of the Chat Gris’ name?
12. Describe the landlord.
13. Describe the other person in the room.
14. Why does Sir Andrew stand behind Marguerite’s chair while she eats?
15. What news does Brogard have of the Scarlet Pimpernel?
Chapter XXIII
1. When does Chauvelin leave for Dover?
2. What is the date?
3. What did the Scarlet Pimpernel’s note say at Lord Grenville’s Ball?
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4. What does Andrew go to do in town?
5. Where does Marguerite wait?
Chapter XXIV
1. What two Frenchmen come into the hut?
2. Who is Degas?
3. What orders has Chauvelin given to Captain Tutley?
4. To what two animals are Chauvelin and the Scarlet Pimpernel compared?
Chapter XXV
1. Who is the representative of the French government?
2. What action takes Chauvelin completely by surprise?
3. For whom does the Scarlet Pimpernel jokingly accuse Chauvelin of waiting?
4. For whom is Chauvelin actually waiting?
5. What trick does the Scarlet Pimpernel play on Chauvelin?
Chapter XXVI
1. Why can Chauvelin neither see nor hear nor speak?
2. Who did the tall Englishman visit and what did he ask for?
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3. How are the Jews portrayed in this chapter? Do you think Baroness Orczy, the author, is
prejudiced against the Jews? (answer not in book, just your opinion)
4. Describe the Jew.
Clothes:
Hair:
Descendants came from which country:
How he walks:
Age:
Occupation:
Speech:
5. Why is the Jew so upset with Reuben Goldstein?
6. What is wrong with Reuben’s horse and cart, according to the Jew?
7. Where does the Jew say that he can take Chauvelin? How much does he pay the Jew?
8. What is the name of the road going to Pere Blanchard’s hut?
9. What is the name of the next town on St. Martin’s Road?
Chapter XXVII
1. Why have Brogard and his wife stayed out of sight?
2. Why is the Jew called “the son of Moses”? (not in book, use your head)
3. How much will Chauvelin pay the Jew when they arrive at the hut?
4. What greeting do the soldiers give Chauvelin?
5. Who does Marguerite think that the young and old persons are whom the soldiers see?
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Chapter XXVIII
1. What names does Chauvelin guess might be the Jew’s first name? What do all those first
names have in common?
2. What is the Jew’s name?
3. Why does the Jew want to stay behind?
4. Why is the Jew gagged?
5. What schooner is visible waiting off the coast?
6. Who gagged Marguerite?
7. Who is carrying Marguerite? (not in book)
Chapter XXIX
1. What time is it?
2. How many men are in the hut?
3. Who does Chauvelin think the four men are?
4. How far away is the singing voice?
Chapter XXX
1. What decision does Marguerite make?
2. What do the soldiers find when they get to the hut?
3. Why had the soldiers let the four men escape?
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4. How many men does Chauvelin have guarding the area?
5. Summarize the note.
6. What reward is offered for catching the Scarlet Pimpernel?
7. Was the Jew still tied up?
8. Why is the Jew beaten?
9. Who does Chauvelin leave behind to be the “gallant defender” of Marguerite?
10. Why did Marguerite not know about the men escaping?
Chapter XXXI
1. Who is disguised as the Jew?
2. Why did he choose this disguise?
3. How did the note get into the hut?
4. Why did he take the beating?
5. Where was Sir Andrew all this time?
6. Was the note that was found on the floor the real note?
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7. What did the second note say?
8. Where is the Day Dream to pick up the Scarlet Pimpernel?
9. Why was Sir Percy’s crew not surprised to see how he was dressed?
10. Who gets married?
11. Who is never seen again in England?
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