Which rhetorical question does Gatsby utter in reply to the notion that the past can be recaptured?

• A. What is the use of wealth without memory?
• B. Where does the hope end?
• C. Can't repeat the past?
• D. Did I ever tell you about my education?

Answer: (C)

Gatsby’s famous line can be read as a moment that directly tests whether time can be reversed and a vanished romance relived. When the idea that the past can be recaptured is raised, he fires back with a terse, pointed question: “Can’t repeat the past?” This isn’t asking for information; it’s challenging the premise itself. The question reveals Gatsby’s stubborn belief that he can recreate a moment he cherished with Daisy and restore things to the way they once felt. It highlights his dreamlike certainty and his willingness to ignore time’s forward pull in favor of an idealized memory.

Other possible lines don’t fit that moment or carry the same meaning. They aren’t the words Gatsby speaks in that exchange, nor do they convey the confrontational impulse that time can be undone.