The Emperor of Gladness Quizzes

The Emperor of Gladness Quiz for Chapters 1–7

By Isabella Ribeiro · Edited by James Cooper · Last reviewed February 28, 2026

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

to go through addiction

to live once

to experience poverty

to be born
2 Why are the residents of East Gladness connected to the heart of the state?

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

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

East Gladness residents believe that people who live in Hartford are ghosts.

East Gladness is another name for Hartford.
3 Who is King Philip's Bridge named after?

The founder of East Gladness

Metacomet

Philip II of Macedon

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

Addicted

God-fearing

Joyful

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

A woman jumps in the water and rescues him.

Someone calls an ambulance, which takes him to Hartford.

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

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

Ukraine

Russia

Lithuania

Monaco
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?

Superstition

People who go there disappear

Because of a massive metam sodium spill from a shipping barge

Because of the corpse flowers that bloom
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

A song to raise the dead

A song he taught his grandmother

For children who cannot sleep
12 How does BJ determine Hai's hirability?

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

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

She has him work a test shift to see if he is capable.

She physically checks to see if he shows signs of being under the influence of some drug.
13 What does Grazina gift Hai upon his returning from his first shift?

Homemade delicious cornbread

Her husband's book collection

A video game

A Salisbury steak
14 What food is made fresh in-house at HomeMarket?

The cornbread

The meatloaf

The greenbeans

The macaroni and cheese
15 Hai describes his co-workers as typical__.

New Englanders

Angry, disillusioned people

Shift workers

Addicts
16 Where does Hai's mother believe him to be?

Living with his cousin Sony in Florida

In New York pursuing his undergraduate degree

In Boston attending medical school

Caring for Grazina in the Devil's Armpit
17 Why does a detective come to HomeMarket?

He questions Hai about caring for Grazina despite his lack of professional training.

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

He craves cornbread.

He is a USSR agent tailing Russia.
18 How does Hai approach Grazina's time shifts?

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

He argues and insists that it is 2009.

He pretends they are back in the 1980s.

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

Her son Lucas

A pizza delivery person

Sergeant Pepper

A member of the Lonely Hearts Club Band
20 What causes Grazina to respond with more awareness and clarity?

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

When Hai triples her medicine dose.

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?

Italy

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

Japan

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

A musical note; disagrees

Bugs Bunny; argues

A wrestler; heartily agrees

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

Grazina's recollection of the end of the war

The Treaty of Versailles

Hai and Grazina agreeing to a ceasefire in their war games

A food exchange with another nearby fast-casual franchise
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?

Thousands of dollars

Vanilla cake mix to add to the cornbread

An old painkiller prescription belonging to her dead husband

A treasure trove of books

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