Quiz: Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme — 16 questions

1. Who wrote the comedy-ballet Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme, published in 1670?

A. Pierre Corneille, a leading seventeenth-century dramatist

B. Jean de La Fontaine, celebrated for his literary fables

C. Molière, also known as Jean-Baptiste Poquelin

D. Jean Racine, known for classical tragic drama

Answer: (C)

Explanation

Molière, whose real name was Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, wrote Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme, which was published in 1670. The other figures were prominent French writers but were not the authors of this comedy-ballet.

2. What type of theatrical work is Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme?

A. A historical chronicle presenting military events in sequence

B. A pastoral romance centered on shepherds and courtship

C. A classical tragedy focused on political conflict and fate

D. A comedy-ballet combining comic drama with music and dance

Answer: (D)

Explanation

Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme is a comedy-ballet, a form that combines comic action with musical and dance elements. A classical tragedy, pastoral romance, or historical chronicle describes a different dramatic genre.

3. What social identity best describes Mr Jourdain’s position and ambition?

A. He is a servant who hopes to become a wealthy merchant.

B. He is a gentleman who wants to be accepted as a bourgeois.

C. He is a bourgeois who wants to be recognized as a gentleman.

D. He is a count who seeks recognition as a court musician.

Answer: (C)

Explanation

Mr Jourdain is a bourgeois whose aspiration is to become a gentleman. The confusion arises from treating his desired status as his existing social identity.

4. Which relationship correctly connects Lucile, Cléonte, and Covielle?

A. Lucile is the Jourdains’ servant, Cléonte is her father, and Covielle courts her.

B. Lucile is Cléonte’s sister, Cléonte serves the Jourdains, and Covielle loves her.

C. Lucile is the Jourdains’ daughter, Cléonte loves her, and Covielle serves Cléonte.

D. Lucile is Dorante’s daughter, Cléonte loves her, and Covielle serves Dorante.

Answer: (C)

Explanation

Lucile is Mr and Mme Jourdain’s daughter, Cléonte is in love with her, and Covielle is Cléonte’s valet. The other combinations assign incorrect family, romantic, or service relationships.

5. How do the music and dance masters treat Mr Jourdain in Act I?

A. They ignore his lessons publicly and compete for his friendship privately.

B. They flatter him publicly for payment but mock his ignorance privately.

C. They criticize his ambitions publicly and defend his talent privately.

D. They teach him sincerely in public and refuse compensation in private.

Answer: (B)

Explanation

The masters praise Mr Jourdain when he can reward them, while privately ridiculing his lack of artistic understanding. The other choices reverse or replace this contrast between public flattery and private mockery.

6. Why does Mr Jourdain display his new clothes and discuss his lessons in Act I?

A. He intends to prepare for a professional career in music.

B. He wants to abandon his wealth and return to ordinary trade.

C. He believes these signs will help him rise in high society.

D. He hopes to expose the teachers as dishonest performers.

Answer: (C)

Explanation

Mr Jourdain interprets his fashionable clothes and lessons as steps toward social advancement. The teachers, however, view these activities mainly as opportunities for profit rather than as a genuine path to his social transformation.

7. What causes the quarrel among the masters in Act II?

A. They violently dispute which artistic discipline is the noblest while Mr Jourdain watches.

B. They fight because Lucile rejects their lessons and refuses to attend their performances.

C. They argue about whether Mr Jourdain’s clothes follow the latest court fashion.

D. They compete over which student should receive Mr Jourdain’s fortune after his death.

Answer: (A)

Explanation

The music, dance, and arms masters quarrel over the relative nobility of their disciplines, leaving Mr Jourdain confused. The dispute concerns professional prestige, not inheritance, clothing, or Lucile’s participation.

8. What does Mr Jourdain request during the philosophy lesson?

A. He asks for advice on choosing a military discipline.

B. He asks for assistance in exposing the teachers’ private mockery.

C. He asks for instruction in negotiating a marriage contract.

D. He asks for help composing a love letter to a great lady.

Answer: (D)

Explanation

During the philosophy lesson, Mr Jourdain wants help writing a love letter, which leads to comic discussion of spelling and vowels. The lesson does not focus on marriage law, military choice, or uncovering the teachers’ behavior.

9. What does the tailor deliver to Mr Jourdain in Act III?

A. A modest costume that restores his family’s trust

B. An extravagant outfit that costs him a great deal

C. A military uniform intended for Dorante’s service

D. A formal robe purchased by Dorimène for the ceremony

Answer: (B)

Explanation

The tailor provides an expensive and ridiculous outfit, while the valets praise it hypocritically to gain further payment. The family does not regain trust, and the clothing is not supplied by Dorimène or intended as a military uniform.

10. Why does Mr Jourdain announce that he wants to ennoble Dorimène?

A. He hopes her family will forgive his financial mistakes

B. He wants Nicole to receive a noble title through her

C. He plans to make her responsible for his household

D. He believes marriage to her will raise his social status

Answer: (D)

Explanation

Mr Jourdain loves Dorimène and imagines that ennobling her will help satisfy his obsession with aristocratic status. Nicole and Mme Jourdain instead view this ambition as foolish, not as a practical family plan.

11. How does Dorante exploit Mr Jourdain’s trust in Act III?

A. He persuades Dorimène to reject Jourdain and marry another man

B. He sells Jourdain’s clothes and uses the proceeds to flee

C. He arranges lessons that make Jourdain abandon his aristocratic ambitions

D. He borrows Jourdain’s money while courting Dorimène for himself

Answer: (D)

Explanation

Dorante repeatedly borrows money, claims to court Dorimène for Jourdain, and actually spends the money on his own courtship and debts. He does not help Jourdain renounce his ambitions or arrange his social education.

12. Who finances the sumptuous feast for Dorimène and Dorante in Act IV?

A. Mme Jourdain, while Mr Jourdain performs for the guests

B. Dorante, while Mr Jourdain prepares the musical interludes

C. Dorimène, while Mme Jourdain welcomes the dancers

D. Mr Jourdain, while Mme Jourdain watches angrily

Answer: (D)

Explanation

Mr Jourdain pays for the feast, which includes music and dance, while Mme Jourdain observes with anger and disappointment. Dorante and Dorimène are guests rather than the people financing or hosting the meal.

13. How does Covielle appear during the Turkish ceremony?

A. As a wealthy merchant offering Jourdain a diplomatic position

B. As a French nobleman bringing a legal marriage contract

C. As the son of the Grand Turk with an accompanying retinue

D. As a Turkish musician leading the feast’s dance interludes

Answer: (C)

Explanation

Covielle disguises himself as the son of the Grand Turk and arrives with a retinue to make Mr Jourdain believe he can be ennobled. His real identity is Cléonte’s valet, not a genuine Turkish prince.

14. What does Mr Jourdain do after being deceived by the Turkish ceremony?

A. He refuses the title and demands proof of Turkish ancestry

B. He gives the title to Dorante in exchange for repayment

C. He accepts the title of Mamamouchi and joins its absurd ritual

D. He exposes Covielle and cancels the proposed marriages

Answer: (C)

Explanation

Completely deceived, Mr Jourdain accepts the ridiculous title of Mamamouchi and takes part in the burlesque ceremony. He neither recognizes the deception nor transfers the title to Dorante.

15. What is true of Lucile and Cléonte’s marriage at the end of the comedy?

A. The marriage is rejected because Lucile discovers Cléonte’s disguise

B. The marriage is postponed until Mr Jourdain receives authentic noble status

C. The marriage is genuine, although Cléonte’s Turkish identity is false

D. The marriage is symbolic, while Cléonte truly becomes a Turkish prince

Answer: (C)

Explanation

Lucile and Cléonte are genuinely arranged to marry, even though Cléonte’s appearance as the son of the Grand Turk is an invention. The disguise supports the marriage but does not change Cléonte’s real identity.

16. How does the comedy end after the deception succeeds?

A. The characters celebrate with joy and music while Jourdain believes he rose socially

B. The families separate in anger while Jourdain admits that his ambitions failed

C. The Turkish visitors depart in silence while Jourdain abandons his fortune

D. The marriages are canceled when Mme Jourdain reveals the entire scheme

Answer: (A)

Explanation

The ending turns the successful deception into a festive comic resolution filled with joy and music, while Mr Jourdain remains convinced that he has achieved social advancement. He does not recognize the falsity of his supposed elevation.