Hard Times

1. What is the name of Sissy’s father’s dog?

2. What is the main principle of Mr. Gradgrind’s philosophy?

3. Mrs. Pegler is the mother of which character?

4. Who robs the bank?

5. What is the common name for poor Coketown factory workers?

6. Sissy believes her father abandoned her for what reason?

7. Which of the following characters dies during the course of the novel?

8. Who is Kidderminster?

9. What does Rachael find that leads her to believe Stephen has been murdered?

10. How does Stephen die?

11. Who runs the circus?

12. About how much money is stolen from the bank?

13. Which character is a Member of Parliament?

14. What is Bounderby’s son’s name?

15. In which city does most of the novel take place?

16. From what does Mrs. Sparsit imagine Louisa falling?

17. Who is the first character to speak in the novel?

18. Why is Stephen unable to marry Rachael?

19. How do the poor of Coketown attempt to improve their conditions?

20. What is the name of Mrs. Sparsit’s aristocratic relative?

21. What does Gradgrind hope Tom will be able to do after Stephen’s death?

22. What is Bitzer’s defining characteristic?

23. Where does Louisa flee after Harthouse’s declaration of love?

24. What are Sissy’s father’s first words after he returns to his daughter?

25. What motivates Harthouse to become one of Gradgrind’s political disciples?