AQA GCSE English Literature · 3.1.2

Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

50 revision questions with answers for 3.1.2 Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde in AQA GCSE English Literature (spec 8702). Practise with flashcards, a topic quiz, a random quiz across the course, 5 crosswords, or read every question and answer below.

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Question 1
When was The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde published, and what genre is it?
Answer:
Published in 1886 by Robert Louis Stevenson. It is a Gothic novella that also uses the form of a detective or mystery story.
Question 2
How did Stevenson come up with the idea?
Answer:
He said the central scene came to him in a dream. He was also influenced by Edinburgh's Deacon Brodie, a respectable citizen by day who led a life of crime at night.
Question 3
What is the Gothic genre and how does Jekyll and Hyde fit it?
Answer:
Gothic fiction involves fear, mystery, the supernatural and dark settings. The novella has fog-bound London, secrets, a monstrous double and scientific horror.
Question 4
What was the Victorian idea of reputation and respectability?
Answer:
Victorian men were expected to be morally upright and keep up appearances, which could force people to hide their desires. Jekyll's secret life reflects this repression.
Question 5
How does Darwin's theory of evolution connect to the novella?
Answer:
Darwin's Origin of Species (1859) suggested humans evolved from animals, creating fears that people could 'degenerate' back into primitive creatures. Hyde is described in ape-like terms, which reflects these fears.
Question 6
What is the significance of science in the novella?
Answer:
Jekyll uses science to split his nature, but it goes wrong. It reflects Victorian anxieties that science could go beyond moral limits, as in Frankenstein.
Question 7
How does the structure of the novella build mystery?
Answer:
It starts with Utterson's investigation and Hyde's actions, and the truth is only revealed in Lanyon's narrative and Jekyll's final statement. The delayed revelation keeps readers guessing.
Question 8
Why is Utterson the main viewpoint character?
Answer:
As a rational, reserved lawyer who values reputation, he guides the reader through the mystery. His loyalty to Jekyll shows friendship and duty, and his limited knowledge creates suspense.
Question 9
How is Utterson described in Chapter One?
Answer:
As lean, long, dusty, dreary and yet somehow lovable. He is austere and tolerant, and his phrase 'I incline to Cain's heresy' shows he doesn't interfere in other people's lives.
Question 10
What happens in the 'Story of the Door' (Chapter 1)?
Answer:
Enfield tells Utterson how he saw Hyde trample a young girl and was forced to pay compensation with a cheque signed by Jekyll. The door becomes a symbol of secrecy.
Question 11
How does Stevenson present Hyde's violence in the trampling scene?
Answer:
Hyde 'trampled calmly over the child's body' and left her screaming. The word 'calmly' shows a lack of conscience and makes the violence more shocking.
Question 12
How is Hyde described when people see him?
Answer:
Pale and dwarfish, with a feeling of deformity that no one can name. Characters feel hatred and disgust without being able to explain why, which suggests evil is hard to pin down.
Question 13
Why does Stevenson give Hyde such a vague description?
Answer:
The lack of precise detail allows readers to imagine their own fear. It also suggests that his evil is not physical but moral and mysterious.
Question 14
What animal imagery is used about Hyde?
Answer:
He is described as attacking Carew 'with ape-like fury' and as drawing a 'hissing' breath. The animal language suggests he is primitive and less than human, and links to Darwin's ideas.
Question 15
What does Jekyll's cheerful appearance at the start suggest?
Answer:
He is described as a large, well-made, smooth-faced man with a kindly look. It shows his public reputation and hides his dark side.
Question 16
What is the significance of Dr Lanyon?
Answer:
A respected physician who refuses to accept Jekyll's 'scientific heresies'. After witnessing Hyde's transformation, the shock kills him, which shows the horror of the truth.
Question 17
What happens in the Carew murder case (Chapter 4)?
Answer:
Hyde beats Sir Danvers Carew to death with a cane in a fit of rage, in front of a maid who sees it from a window. It shows Hyde's uncontrolled violence and makes the police hunt him.
Question 18
Why is Sir Danvers Carew's murder important?
Answer:
It involves a respected old gentleman and an MP, and it turns Hyde from a mysterious figure into a murderer. It increases the tension and fear.
Question 19
How does Stevenson use setting in the novella?
Answer:
London is shown as foggy, dark and sinister, with contrasting respectable streets and squalid areas like Soho. The setting reflects the double nature of the city and its people.
Question 20
How is fog used as a symbol?
Answer:
The fog hides, confuses and creates mystery, just as the characters hide secrets. It reflects the difficulty of seeing the truth.
Question 21
What is the significance of doors and windows in the novella?
Answer:
Doors and windows are boundaries between public respectability and private secrets. Hyde's door is neglected and sinister, while Jekyll's house has a respectable front.
Question 22
What is Jekyll's reason for creating Hyde?
Answer:
He wants to separate his good and evil sides so that he can indulge his desires without damaging his reputation. He finds it thrilling, but Hyde becomes more powerful.
Question 23
What does Jekyll mean by 'man is not truly one, but truly two'?
Answer:
He believes that every person has a good and evil side. This statement sums up the theme of duality.
Question 24
How does Jekyll feel when he first becomes Hyde?
Answer:
Younger, lighter and happier, with a sense of 'reckless' freedom. It shows the attraction of indulging desires without guilt.
Question 25
How does Hyde gradually take over Jekyll?
Answer:
Jekyll begins to turn into Hyde without the potion and needs larger doses to change back. It shows that evil, once released, becomes difficult to control.
Question 26
What does the window scene in Chapter 8 show?
Answer:
Utterson and Enfield see Jekyll at his window, and his face changes with 'abject terror and despair' as he starts to transform. The sudden shut-out of the window shows his shame and fear.
Question 27
What does Poole tell Utterson in 'The Last Night'?
Answer:
Poole says the voice in the cabinet is not Jekyll's and he suspects foul play. His fear and loyalty add to the tension before they break down the door.
Question 28
What do Utterson and Poole find when they break into the cabinet?
Answer:
The body of Hyde, dead and wearing Jekyll's clothes, and a letter and document for Utterson. It suggests Jekyll can no longer control the change and that Hyde has died.
Question 29
How does Lanyon's narrative reveal the truth?
Answer:
He tells how he saw Hyde drink a potion and change into Jekyll in front of him. The shock of seeing the truth is enough to kill him.
Question 30
How does Jekyll's 'Full Statement' end the novella?
Answer:
Jekyll explains how he created Hyde, enjoyed his freedom and lost control. The final confession gives him a voice and ends on a note of despair and doom.
Question 31
What does the potion represent?
Answer:
The danger of scientific experiment and of hidden desires. It is a way to escape morality but also a source of addiction.
Question 32
What is the role of Mr Enfield?
Answer:
He tells the story of the door and the trampling, and shows the ability of people to ignore what they see. His desire to avoid gossip fits the Victorian value of discretion.
Question 33
What does Stevenson suggest about the nature of evil?
Answer:
It is part of everyone, and if repressed it may grow. Hyde's growth suggests that hiding evil can make it stronger.
Question 34
How does the novella explore secrecy and repression?
Answer:
Characters avoid scandal, remain silent and keep secrets. Jekyll's need to hide his desires leads to Hyde and the final tragedy.
Question 35
How does Stevenson present the theme of reputation?
Answer:
Characters such as Utterson and Jekyll are deeply concerned about respectability. Jekyll creates Hyde to protect his reputation, and it ends up destroying him.
Question 36
How does Stevenson present friendship and loyalty?
Answer:
Utterson stays loyal to Jekyll and tries to protect him, while Lanyon and Jekyll's friendship ends over scientific disagreement. Loyalty is tested by secrecy.
Question 37
How does Stevenson use dual narrative structure?
Answer:
The story is told through multiple viewpoints and documents: Utterson, Lanyon's letter and Jekyll's statement. This builds a layered mystery and lets the truth emerge gradually.
Question 38
What are the effects of the novella's chapter titles?
Answer:
Titles such as 'The Search for Mr Hyde' and 'Incident of the Letter' sound like a detective story. They add to the sense of mystery and a tightly controlled plot.
Question 39
How does Stevenson create suspense?
Answer:
Through withheld information, a mysterious villain, eerie settings, and reports of events by other characters. The reader is kept unsure until the final chapters.
Question 40
What does the cane symbolise?
Answer:
The cane that Hyde uses to kill Carew was a gift from Utterson to Jekyll. It links the murder to Jekyll's respectable circle and to the connection between Jekyll and Hyde.
Question 41
What is the importance of Jekyll's will?
Answer:
It leaves everything to Hyde, which alarms Utterson and suggests a relationship between them. It is a clue and sets the plot in motion.
Question 42
What is Jekyll's attitude to Hyde in the later chapters?
Answer:
He becomes terrified and trapped, trying to resist Hyde and to stop the changes. He realises that Hyde is growing stronger and that he is losing control of his own life.
Question 43
How does Stevenson use the symbol of the 'door'?
Answer:
The door is described as 'blistered and distained', a sign of neglect and hidden secrets. It suggests that the respectable front of the house hides a dark side.
Question 44
How does the final chapter present Jekyll's fate?
Answer:
He writes his confession knowing he is turning permanently into Hyde. There is no heroic redemption, only a private, tragic end that shows the moral consequences of his choices.
Question 45
What is the message of the novella about human nature?
Answer:
That everyone has a capacity for good and evil, and that suppressing desires can be dangerous. It warns against hypocrisy and playing God.
Question 46
How does Stevenson use first-person narration in Jekyll's statement?
Answer:
Jekyll tells his story in his own voice, which gives insight into his thoughts and guilt. It makes him a more complex and sympathetic character.
Question 47
How do the men in the novella reflect Victorian society?
Answer:
They are professional men (lawyers, doctors) who value reputation and avoid scandal. The lack of women in the story emphasises a male-dominated, secretive world.
Question 48
Why does Utterson refuse to look at Lanyon's letter at first?
Answer:
It is marked not to be opened until Jekyll's death or disappearance, and Utterson's sense of duty makes him hold back. It increases suspense.
Question 49
What does the end of the novella suggest about justice?
Answer:
Hyde is never formally punished by law, and Jekyll's end is private and tragic. This suggests that moral consequences are internal and unavoidable.
Question 50
What can the name 'Hyde' suggest?
Answer:
It sounds like 'hide', which suggests concealment and the hidden self. It fits a novella full of secrets, closed doors and hidden desires.

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