Frankenstein Act 1 Quiz

How do Frankenstein and Clerval first enter the locked room at the beginning of the act?

• They use a service entrance at the back to avoid being seen by the landlady.

• The landlady reluctantly lets them in after they knock and make excuses.

• They climb athletically down from the roof and in through an arched window.

• They force the lock on the main door, as Frankenstein has lost his key.

What childhood event does Frankenstein say inspired his life's work?

• Witnessing a famous scientist make a frog's leg twitch with an electrical current.

• Seeing a great oak tree instantly obliterated by a powerful bolt of lightning.

• Reading ancient books on alchemy that promised the secret of creating life.

• The profound and lasting grief he felt after the sudden death of his mother.

When Clerval finds a human thigh-bone behind a cushion, his sarcastic comment suggests he:

• is deeply disturbed by the discovery and is trying to hide his genuine fear.

• is mocking Frankenstein's messy housekeeping and lack of proper food.

• uses dark, matter-of-fact humour to process and cope with a shocking situation.

• is genuinely curious about the scientific purpose of the bone in his friend's work.

What specific piece of equipment does Frankenstein use for his demonstration with the human hand?

• An Italian device invented by Galvani for studying what he called animal electricity.

• A Wimshurst machine, which uses two rotating glass discs to generate sparks.

• A complex apparatus of wires connected directly to a lightning rod on the roof.

• A large, electrical-looking machine surrounded by various phials and bottles.

Why does Frankenstein initially lie to Clerval about where he obtained the human hand?

• He wants to protect Clerval from the horrifying and illegal nature of his methods.

• He fears the university will discover his actions and expel him immediately.

• He is ashamed of having to resort to digging up bodies from graveyards.

• He is testing Clerval's reaction before revealing the full scope of his experiment.

What urgent and distressing news does Elizabeth bring when she arrives unexpectedly from Geneva?

• His younger brother, William, has gone missing while playing near their home.

• Their father has fallen gravely ill, and she has been unable to reach Victor by letter.

• The family is facing a sudden financial crisis and needs him to return at once.

• She has had terrible dreams about his work and has come to beg him to stop.

Why does Frankenstein refuse to leave for home with Elizabeth immediately?

• He believes the success of his work will ultimately be more important to his family.

• He is angry and frustrated that Elizabeth has interrupted him at such a critical time.

• He is on the verge of completing six years of obsessive work and cannot abandon it.

• He secretly believes that Elizabeth is exaggerating the danger to make him come home.

The stage directions describe Frankenstein's room as 'an odd mixture of shabby sitting-room and cluttered laboratory.' What does this setting imply about his character?

• He is a naturally untidy person who does not care about his personal comfort.

• His single-minded obsession with his work has eclipsed all other aspects of his life.

• He is poor and must combine his living quarters and his laboratory out of necessity.

• He deliberately keeps the room chaotic to discourage visitors and hide his secrets.

When Clerval bursts into the room during the storm, what is his first action upon seeing the sheeted figure?

• He tries to reason with Frankenstein, begging him to stop what he is doing.

• He immediately tears the sheet off the figure to see what Frankenstein has created.

• He attempts to smash the electrical machine to prevent the experiment from succeeding.

• He grabs Frankenstein, trying to physically pull him away from the apparatus.

How does Frankenstein stop Clerval from interfering at the experiment's most critical moment?

• He shoves Clerval with all his strength against the wall, stunning him.

• He grabs a nearby chair and strikes Clerval from behind, knocking him unconscious.

• He tackles Clerval to the floor and physically holds him down during the lightning flash.

• He threatens Clerval with a piece of equipment, forcing him to back away.