The Covenant of Water Quizzes

The Covenant of Water Quiz Parts One and Two

1 Why does Mariamma accept her marriage to Big Appachen?
She believes marriages are "decided by adults"

She secretly loves Big Appachen

Her beloved father desired she marry young

She sees the marriage as a way to escape her abusive mother
2 How does Thankamma treat Mariamma on their first meeting?
With disdain and disgust, suspecting Mariamma has leprosy

With kindness and encouragement, assuring her that the marriage will be successful

With excessive enthusiasm, convinced Mariamma will cure the Condition

With suspicion, believing Mariamma is taking advantage of her brother
3 Why does the wedding venue have an emotional impact on Mariamma?
She believed the priest would object to the marriage, and feels hopeless when he ignores her pleas

The groom refuses to marry in a Christian church, making Mariamma feel her marriage is invalid

She recognizes it as one of the churches Saint Thomas established in Kerala

It is the same church where her father's funeral was held
4 Why does Mariamma think her husband's choice to walk home is strange?
Everyone in Kerala travels by boat

He refuses to walk with Mariamma, though she is afraid to sail

He has a disability that makes walking difficult

Sailing to the groom's home is an important part of the wedding ceremony
5 How does Jojo treat his new stepmother?
He immediately clings to her and follows her around

He screams and threatens to hurt her

He refuses to acknowledge her and hides whenever she enters the room

He mistakes her for the ghost of his biological mother
6 What event makes Mariamma feel comforted on her first night in her husband's home?
An elephant her husband rescued, Damo, visits her window and caresses her

Mariamma's husband gives her a pair of gold earrings

Thankamma invites Mariamma to sleep in her bed

Jojo calls her "Big Ammachi"
7 Which of her husband's behaviors does Mariamma find strange and concerning?
He is clearly intelligent but rarely speaks

He fears water, refusing to go out in the rain or travel by boat

He does not keep any pens, paper, or books in the house

All of these
8 Why does Mariamma begin to fear for her mother's well-being?
In her letters, Mariamma's mother warns her not to visit

Her mother never sends a letter or visits

Every time they meet, Mariamma's mother seems nervous and unwell

Mariamma dreams about her mother drowning
9 How does Mariamma convince her husband to bring her to church?
She promises to baptize Jojo if he escorts them to church

She makes a wish on the food she prepares him, as Thankamma suggested

She cries and expresses the depth of her lonliness

She threatens to leave him if he neglects her faith
10 How does Mariamma's husband indicate that he is ready to treat her as wife?
He presents her with a pair of gold earrings on her birthday

He begins to join her for dinner each night

He involves her in decision-making on the farm

He asks her to sleep in his room instead of Jojo's
11 What does Mariamma's mother reveal when she arrives at Parambil?
Mariamma's uncle lost the family fortune gambling

Mariamma's father is still alive

Mariamma's mother has cancer and is dying

Mariamma is pregnant
12 Why is Jojo's death shocking and ironic?
Though he hates bathing, Jojo jumps into the river, where he drowns

After avoiding water his whole life, he drowns in a puddle on land

After the entire household nearly died of fever, Jojo dies falling out of a tree

The day Baby Mol is born, Jojo collapses with no warning
13 What shocking secret does Mariamma's husband share after Jojo's death?
He was treated like a prisoner at Parambil growing up

Each generation, a member of the family dies by drowning

He cannot read

All of these
14 What incites Digby's mother's depression?
Her partner, Archie, abandons her for another woman

She is terminated from her job after organizing a worker's strike

Her mother, still living in Ireland, dies unexpectedly

She is discriminated against because she is Catholic
15 How does Digby cope with the chaos in his early life?
He begins drinking at the local pub

He sneaks out of the house to attend racy variety shows

He reads books about India and daydreams about going there

He draws images of people and anatomy
16 Why does Digby decide to join the Indian Medical Service?
His mother's lifelong dream was to visit India

He is unable to get a good job in England because he is Scottish and Catholic

He feels passionate about providing medical care to people in the British colonies

He has a mysterious medical condition that he thinks tropical weather can cure
17 Why does Digby feel overwhelmed when he begins working at the hospital?
The illnesses Digby is asked to treat are more severe than those he encountered in England

His supervisor, Claude Arnold, is bigoted and often intoxicated at work

Though he was oppressed in England, he is given significant privilege in India

All of these
18 What life-changing lessons does Digby learn from Ravi and Krishnan?
Surgeons are born, not made

No two surgeries are the same

Connecting with patients is essential for healing

It is more important to respect a patient's wishes than save their life
19 Why do Digby and Celeste immediately connect at the Arnold's Christmas party?
They realize they met once as children

They are both Scottish and miss their home

They are both devoted to their vocation as surgeons

They both appreciate art, particularly portraiture
20 Why does Claude accidentally cause Jeb's death?
Determined to be "right," he insists Jeb's affliction is an abscess, not an aneurysm

He refuses to properly prepare and cuts an artery

He is intoxicated when he performs the surgery

All of these
21 Why is Claude unable to hide his role in Jeb's death?
Jeb was a notable member of his community

Jeb's brother-in-law, a train operator, brings a visiting official to a protest

A letter is published in the local paper calling for an investigation

All of these
22 What plan does Claude suggest to Celeste to clear his name?
That he and Celeste file for divorce, accusing Digby of having an affair with Celeste to discredit him

Escaping to England and changing his name

Counter-suing Digby for defamation

Threatening his Indian colleagues with violence so they do not testify against him
23 What does Digby show Celeste when she visits his apartment?
Two tickets to Scotland for them to run away together

A collection of books he selected for her

A photograph of his mother, who looks like Celeste

His many paintings of her
24 Why does Celeste choose to end her affair with Digby?
She realizes she really loves Claude

She worries if she falls in love with Digby, she will never leave India

She is afraid she will be blackmailed by Claude's family

She needs to establish her own identity
25 Why does the fire in Digby's apartment spread so rapidly?
The apartment has no open windows

The monsoon season has not started and the air is dry

Flammable painting materials are scattered throughout the room

Celeste intentionally set the fire and made sure there was plenty of kindling available

The Covenant of Water Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for The Covenant of Water is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

Ask Your Own Question

Study Guide for The Covenant of Water

The Covenant of Water study guide contains a biography of Abraham Verghese, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

Read the Study Guide for The Covenant of Water…