The Emperor of Gladness Quizzes

The Emperor of Gladness Quiz for Chapters 1–7

1 The novel begins with a declaration that the hardest thing in the world is__.

to be born

to experience poverty

to go through addiction

to live once
2 Why are the residents of East Gladness connected to the heart of the state?

East Gladness is another name for Hartford.

Physical proximity to Hartford means that East Gladness residents are taken there by ambulances when necessary.

East Gladness is just east of where one can be happy, which is humanity's natural state.

East Gladness residents believe that people who live in Hartford are ghosts.
3 Who is King Philip's Bridge named after?

The founder of East Gladness

Philip II of France

Metacomet

Philip II of Macedon
4 Which word does the narrator use to describe the residents of East Gladness?

Biblical

Addicted

God-fearing

Joyful
5 Why, ultimately, does the protagonist not die in the river?

He lives because, distracted by the sight of a woman with her sheets, he forgets to jump.

Someone calls an ambulance, which takes him to Hartford.

A woman jumps in the water and rescues him.

He decides against his impulse to jump.
6 Where is Grazina from?

Lithuania

Ukraine

Monaco

Russia
7 What animal does Grazina identify with, decorating her house with its image?

Hog

Snake

Bear

Owl
8 What does Grazina show Hai a recipe for?

Dinner rolls

A way to brighten his soul by stomping on dinner rolls

Salisbury steak

Meatloaf
9 Why is Hubbard Street known as Devil's Armpit?

Because of a massive metam sodium spill from a shipping barge

Superstition

Because of the corpse flowers that bloom

People who go there disappear
10 What question does Hai use to check what time period Grazina is living in?

What year is it?

Who is the current U.S. president?

Was the war difficult to live through?

Should we stomp on carrots or rolls?
11 When Hai sings Grazina a Vietnamese lullaby, he tells her it is__.

For folks struggling with dementia

For children who cannot sleep

A song he taught his grandmother

A song to raise the dead
12 How does BJ determine Hai's hirability?

In desperate need of employees, she takes the first person who applies, which happened to be Hai.

She asks Sony to vouch for him, taking Sony's word for it.

She physically checks to see if he shows signs of being under the influence of some drug.

She has him work a test shift to see if he is capable.
13 What does Grazina gift Hai upon his returning from his first shift?

A Salisbury steak

Her husband's book collection

A video game

Homemade delicious cornbread
14 What food is made fresh in-house at HomeMarket?

The macaroni and cheese

The greenbeans

The meatloaf

The cornbread
15 Hai describes his co-workers as typical__.

Shift workers

Addicts

New Englanders

Angry, disillusioned people
16 Where does Hai's mother believe him to be?

Living with his cousin Sony in Florida

Caring for Grazina in the Devil's Armpit

In Boston attending medical school

In New York pursuing his undergraduate degree
17 Why does a detective come to HomeMarket?

He craves cornbread.

He is a USSR agent tailing Russia.

An old unsolved case (the murder of a girl named Rachel Miotti) brings him out of retirement.

He questions Hai about caring for Grazina despite his lack of professional training.
18 How does Hai approach Grazina's time shifts?

He pretends they are back in the 1980s.

He argues and insists that it is 2009.

He nods and smiles but otherwise disregards her confused time frame.

He enters her time frame rather than forcing her into their present reality.
19 What identity does Hai adopt when speaking to Grazina?

A pizza delivery person

A member of the Lonely Hearts Club Band

Her son Lucas

Sergeant Pepper
20 What causes Grazina to respond with more awareness and clarity?

When Hai triples her medicine dose.

When Hai speaks to her with the identity of a USSR Army official.

When Hai helps her call her children, particularly Lucas.

When Hai speaks to her with the identity of a U.S. Army official.
21 Where is the war taking place?

Japan

In East Gladness and in Germany since Hai engages Grazina in her memories of World War II.

New Jersey

Italy
22 BJ believes her birthmark to be the shape of __. The crew __.

A wrestler; heartily agrees

Bugs Bunny; argues

A musical note; disagrees

A random object; agrees
23 What does the Peace Treaty refer to?

Grazina's recollection of the end of the war

A food exchange with another nearby fast-casual franchise

The Treaty of Versailles

Hai and Grazina agreeing to a ceasefire in their war games
24 What echo of truth does Hai see in Maureen's conspiracy theory of lizards controlling human society?

Hai often feels that reptiles siphon his joy and energy

The rich and powerful benefit from the labor of impoverished people.

Addicts are controlled by pills just like human society is run by lizards.

Hai believes all of Maureen's theories in their entirety.
25 What does Hai find and keep in Grazina's house?

An old painkiller prescription belonging to her dead husband

Vanilla cake mix to add to the cornbread

A treasure trove of books

Thousands of dollars

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