20
QuizMultiple Choice

Part 4: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: Theme — Quiz

Question 20 • English IV

Read the excerpt from The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. "Sir,” said the butler, turning to a sort of mottled pallor, "that thing was not my master, and there’s the truth. My master”—here he looked round him and began to whisper—"is a tall, fine build of a man, and this was more of a dwarf.” Utterson attempted to protest. "O, sir,” cried Poole, "do you think I do not know my master after twenty years? Do you think I do not know where his head comes to in the cabinet door, where I saw him every morning of my life? No, sir, that thing in the mask was never Dr. Jekyll—God knows what it was, but it was never Dr. Jekyll; and it is the belief of my heart that there was murder done.” Which theme does this passage best support?

Answer
A
Appearances shape people’s opinions.
B
Mr. Utterson listens to the butler with concern.
C
Poole is frightened by Mr. Hyde’s appearance.
D
Good will always prevail over evil.

Explanation

Poole argues that the figure could not be Jekyll because he looked different: Jekyll was tall and finely built, while the figure was a dwarf. His judgment shows how a person’s appearance influences what others believe about their identity and actions. “Appearances shape people’s opinions” is therefore the best-supported theme; Poole’s fear is present, but it is not the broader theme.

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