Nights at the Circus Quizzes

Nights at the Circus Quiz #1 London 1/2

By Sean Michaels · Last reviewed April 12, 2021

1 Who is speaking when the novel begins?

Fevers

Walser

A third-person narrator

Lizzie
2 To which Roman deity is Fevvers often compared?

Zeus

Athena

Venus

Leda
3 What is Fevvers' slogan as a performer?

"Is she fact or is she fiction?"

"The albatross of the East End"

"Not English but an angel"

"The face that launched a thousand quips"
4 The Illustrated London News coins which term for the phenomenon of rabid fandom surrounding Fevvers' return to London?

"Fevvermania"

"Sophie's Soldiers"

"Avian Fever"

"Aerialistomania"
5 Which word best describes how Jack Walser feels about Fevvers at the start of the interview?

Skeptical

Admiring

Spiteful

Wary
6 From where does it seem Fevvers sources the ice for her champagne buckets?

From the circus's first aid stash, based on the bandage Walser spots in the bucket.

From Islotta's ice cream shop, based on the frozen milk Walser spots in the bucket.

From a fishmonger's display, based on the stray scales Walser spots in the bucket.

She steals it from Madame Schreck's private cooler.
7 Why is Walser so uncomfortable in Fevvers' dressing room?

Because Fevvers has a cat and he has a severe cat allergy.

Because he's there on a secret mission to expose her as a fraud, and the setting is more intimate than he expected.

Because Lizzie clearly hates him, and she makes no effort to hide her disdain.

It's cluttered with undergarments and reeks of perfume and meat pies.
8 Where is Jack Walser from, originally?

San Francisco

Los Angeles

Chicago

New York
9 Carter compares Walser's somewhat indistinct personality to which of the following?

An unfinished piece of custom furniture.

A grand piano in a country where everyone has had their hands cut off.

A beautiful gallery with no art in it.

A handsome house that has been let, furnished.
10 How tall is Fevvers?

7 feet tall

5'3"

6'2"

"No shorter than eight feet"
11 For what was Fevvers' dressing room notable?

Its clutteredness

Its hominess

Its anonymity

Its foul odor
12 Where is Fevvers performing the night Walser interviews her?

The Alhambra

Radio City Music Hall

Stratford-upon-Avon

London's West End Theatre
13 Which is Walser wondering while he watches Fevvers perform?

Does Fevvers have a belly button?

Would Fevvers marry me?

Are Fevvers' wings real?

Is Lizzie Fevvers' real mother?
14 To which Greek myth does Fevvers compare her own conception?

Narcissus and Echo

The Transformation of Daphne into a Lawrel

Pygmalion and Galatea

Leda and the Swan
15 According to Lizzie, marriage is...

a fine institution, for the rich.

prostitution to one man instead of many.

a more socially acceptable form of slavery.

the key to a fulfilled life.
16 What is Fevvers' role at Ma Nelson's brothel from ages 7 through 14?

She goes around the streets of East London, trying to drum up business by bringing men back to the brothel.

She panhandles outside of the brothel to bring in extra cash to the business.

She poses as Cupid at the entrance of the brothel.

She works as a host and housekeeper alongside Lizzie.
17 How did Ma Nelson die?

She was trampled by buggies.

Fevvers accidentally drops her while flying around London.

She was murdered by her covetous brother for possession of her brothel.

She died of consumption.
18 From where does Fevvers first test out her wings?

Off the top of parliament

Ma Nelson's mantel

From the steeple of St Mary-le-Bow

The roof of Ma Nelson's Brothel
19 After her first attempt fails, how does Fevvers initiate her first successful flight?

She takes flight from horseback, using the galloping momentum to put wind beneath her wings.

She jumps off the Cliffs of Dover, knowing if she fails, she'll surely die.

She ties weights to herself for a few weeks, so that when she takes them off, she feels light enough to fly.

She has Liz push her off of Ma Nelson's roof.
20 Which of the following do Lizzie and Fevvers consider the singular breast of London?

The largest turret of Buckingham Palace

The roof of Big Ben

The dome over St Mary-le-Bow

The dome over St. Paul's
21 To which Shakespearian character is Ma Nelson compared?

Claudius

Prospero

Othello

Lady Macbeth
22 What is "wet white"?

Drywall

The make-up clowns use to cover their faces

The paint used to mark boundaries on the sand in the circus ring

The glue Fevvers uses to paste on her wings
23 Scheherezade, to whom Walser compares Lizzie and Fevvers, is the narrator of which classic work of literature?

Conference of the Birds

Vikram and the Vampire

A Thousand and One Nights

The Magic Doe
24 Where was Ma Nelson going when she was trampled to death?

On her way to Blooms to buy the girls beef sandwiches

On her way to her lawyer's to finalize her will

On her way to Blooms to buy the girls new clothes

On her way to the bank to deposit the week's take
25 Which souvenir of her time at Ma Nelson's does Fevvers still keep close at hand at all times?

Ma Nelson's ceremonial jacket

Ma Nelson's admiral sword

Her first pair of shoes, now ten sizes too small

The magical clock

Essays for Nights at the Circus

Nights at the Circus essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Nights at the Circus by Angela Carter.

“Whores of Mirth”: Examining Sex Work in Angela Carter’s Nights at the Circus

Lesson Plan for Nights at the Circus

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Wikipedia Entries for Nights at the Circus

Introduction

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