Question

Jane Eyre
by Charlotte Bronte

“In what order you keep these rooms, Mrs. Fairfax!” said I. “No dust, no canvas coverings: except that the air feels chilly, one would think they were inhabited daily.”

“Why, Miss Eyre, though Mr. Rochester’s visits here are rare, they are always sudden and unexpected; and as I observed that it put him out to find everything swathed up, and to have a bustle of arrangement on his arrival, I thought it best to keep the rooms in readiness.”

“Is Mr. Rochester an exacting, fastidious sort of man?”

“Not particularly so; but he has a gentleman’s tastes and habits, and he expects to have things managed in conformity to them.”

“Do you like him? Is he generally liked?”

“Oh, yes; the family have always been respected here. Almost all the land in this neighbourhood, as far as you can see, has belonged to the Rochesters time out of mind.”

“Well, but, leaving his land out of the question, do you like him? Is he liked for himself?”

“I have no cause to do otherwise than like him; and I believe he is considered a just and liberal landlord by his tenants: but he has never lived much amongst them.”

“But has he no peculiarities? What, in short, is his character?”

Jane
by April Lindner

“For now, it’s just you, me, Benjamin, the grounds crew, and the housekeepers,” Lucia said. “Maddy has a playdate; she’ll be back this evening. Usually there’s a cook, but he’s on vacation. And Nico has a personal assistant who travels with him.”

“He’s away?” Relief washed over me.

“Off promoting his new album.” She cut a slice of bread and set it down on the edge of her plate. “Doing the Tonight Show and radio programs. I don’t know yet when he’ll be back. His manager keeps adding dates to his schedule.”

It occurred to me that Lucia might answer my questions. “What’s it like? Working for . . . Nico?” I tried the name out; it sounded presumptuous coming from me. “Mr. Rathburn, I mean. What’s he like?”

Lucia smiled cryptically. “Not what you would expect.”

Not used to getting his own way? Not self-centered? Not given to temper tantrums, orgies, trashing hotel rooms, driving sports cars into swimming pools? “I don’t know what I expect.” I fibbed.

Use the passages from Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë and Jane, a modern retelling of the story, to answer the question. Select Passage 1 and Passage 2.

Which two characters are similar in the excerpts?

(1 point)
Responses

Mrs. Fairfax and Lucia
Mrs. Fairfax and Lucia

Mrs. Fairfax and Mr. Rathburn
Mrs. Fairfax and Mr. Rathburn

Maddy and Jane
Maddy and Jane

Miss Eyre and Lucia

Answer 1

Mrs. Fairfax and Lucia

Both are household attendants who explain and defend their employer’s habits and character to the protagonist.