Book Trivia Questions about A TALE OF TWO CITIES
A bestseller figure nobody can prove, a plot Dickens rehearsed on stage before he wrote it, and a last line that ended up in a Batman movie. Think you know A Tale of Two Cities?
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Test yourself with 33 A Tale of Two Cities trivia questions and answers covering the story, the most famous quotes, Charles Dickens and the book's adaptations.
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Perfect for book clubs, trivia nights, English students, and anyone who's ever made it past that 119-word opening sentence. Fair warning: answers contain spoilers.
A TALE OF TWO CITIES Trivia Questions: The Story
What coded message does Jarvis Lorry send back to London at the start of the novel?
"Recalled to life." It's also the title of Book the First, and it refers to Dr Manette's release from prison.
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How long was Dr Alexandre Manette imprisoned in the Bastille?
18 years, in cell One Hundred and Five, North Tower.
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What does Dr Manette obsessively do after his release?
He makes shoes, the trade he taught himself in prison, and he slips back into it whenever he's under stress.
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What gets spilled in the streets of Saint Antoine, and what word is written with it?
A cask of wine breaks outside the Defarges' wine shop, and a man scrawls "BLOOD" on a wall with it, a warning of what's coming.
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How does Sydney Carton save Charles Darnay at his treason trial in London?
He gets Darnay's lawyer, Stryver, to point out how much he and Darnay look alike, which destroys a witness's identification and gets Darnay acquitted.
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What does the Marquis St. Evrémonde do after his carriage runs over a child?
He tosses a coin to the grieving father, Gaspard, and complains about the damage to his horses.
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What code name do the revolutionaries in Saint Antoine all use for each other?
Jacques.
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What is Jerry Cruncher's secret night job?
He's a "resurrection man," digging up corpses to sell to medical schools.
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Why does Charles Darnay return to revolutionary France?
To help Gabelle, his family's former servant, who has been imprisoned and writes begging for help.
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What evidence is used to condemn Darnay to death at his second trial?
A letter Dr Manette wrote and hid in his Bastille cell, denouncing the entire Evrémonde family.
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How does Madame Defarge die?
In a struggle with Miss Pross, when Madame Defarge's own pistol goes off.
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What permanent injury does Miss Pross suffer in that struggle?
She's left deaf for the rest of her life.
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A TALE OF TWO CITIES Quotes Trivia
What is the famous first line of A Tale of Two Cities?
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." The full opening sentence runs to 119 words.
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What is the last line of A Tale of Two Cities?
"It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known."
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Who is thinking "It is a far, far better thing that I do," and where?
Sydney Carton, on his way to the guillotine after taking Darnay's place.
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Does Carton actually say "a far, far better thing" out loud?
No. Dickens presents it as what Carton might have written down if he'd been given the chance, his unspoken final thoughts.
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Which Bible verse does Sydney Carton repeat to himself as he walks the streets of Paris?
"I am the Resurrection and the Life, saith the Lord."
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Complete the note left on the murdered Marquis's body:
"Drive him fast to his tomb..." "...This, from JACQUES."
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Which character tells Lucie, "think now and then that there is a man who would give his life, to keep a life you love beside you"?
Sydney Carton, in his confession of love to Lucie in Book the Second.
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What are the titles of the novel's three books?
Book the First: "Recalled to Life"; Book the Second: "The Golden Thread"; Book the Third: "The Track of a Storm."
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A TALE OF TWO CITIES Trivia Questions: Charles Dickens & The Book
In what year was A Tale of Two Cities published, and where was it first serialised?
1859, in weekly instalments in Dickens's own new magazine, All the Year Round.
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Has A Tale of Two Cities really sold 200 million copies?
Nobody knows. The figure is repeated everywhere, but it has never been traced to real sales data.
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Which play inspired Sydney Carton's sacrifice?
The Frozen Deep (1857), in which Dickens played Richard Wardour, a man who gives his life so the woman he loves can be happy with his rival.
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What was Sydney Carton's name in Dickens's early notes?
"Dick Carton," after Richard Wardour.
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Which historian's book did Dickens lean on for the French Revolution setting?
Thomas Carlyle's The French Revolution: A History (1837).
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What is Dickens's only other historical novel?
Barnaby Rudge (1841), set during London's Gordon Riots.
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Which rival play had a strikingly similar plot, leading to talk of plagiarism?
The Dead Heart by Watts Phillips, which opened in London in 1859.
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True or false: the phrase "what the dickens" was named after Charles Dickens.
False. It predates him by more than 200 years (Shakespeare used it in The Merry Wives of Windsor), and "dickens" was a euphemism for the devil.
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A TALE OF TWO CITIES Trivia Questions: Adaptations & Legacy
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Which 1935 A Tale of Two Cities film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture?
The MGM version starring Ronald Colman as Sydney Carton.
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Which famous actor played Sydney Carton on the radio in 1938, the same year as his War of the Worlds broadcast?
Orson Welles.
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Which Batman film ends with a character reading the novel's closing lines?
The Dark Knight Rises (2012), when Commissioner Gordon reads them at Bruce Wayne's funeral.
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Which Dark Knight Rises villain can be spotted knitting, in a nod to Madame Defarge?
Bane.
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Which Game of Thrones actor plays Sydney Carton in the 2026 TV series?
Kit Harington.
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FAQ
What are some good A Tale of Two Cities trivia questions?
The best mix story and real history: why Dr Manette makes shoes, what Jerry Cruncher does at night, who says "a far, far better thing," and which Batman film quotes the ending. This page has 33 questions with answers across the story, quotes, Charles Dickens and adaptations.
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What is the most famous quote from A Tale of Two Cities?
The opening line, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times," is the most quoted. The closing line, "It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done," is a close second and appears in films including The Dark Knight Rises.
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Who says "It is a far, far better thing that I do"?
Sydney Carton, in the novel's final paragraph, as he goes to the guillotine in Charles Darnay's place. Dickens frames the words as Carton's unspoken thoughts, what he might have said had he written them down, rather than something he says aloud.
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Is there an A Tale of Two Cities quiz with answers?
Yes. This page is an A Tale of Two Cities quiz with every answer included directly below its question, split into sections on the story, quotes, Charles Dickens and adaptations. Cover the answers to play solo, or read the questions aloud for a book club or trivia night.
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Are these A Tale of Two Cities questions suitable for book clubs?
Yes. The questions work for a full book club session, a classroom review or a trivia night, and range from easy quote completions to harder plot details. Fair warning: several answers spoil the ending, including Sydney Carton's fate.
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Want the Full Experience?
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Hear the story, the trivia and the real people behind Charles Dickens's characters in our full A Tale of Two Cities podcast episode, or read our A Tale of Two Cities fun facts.
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