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 live once

to experience poverty

to go through addiction

to be born
2 Why are the residents of East Gladness connected to the heart of the state?
Physical proximity to Hartford means that East Gladness residents are taken there by ambulances when necessary.

East Gladness is another name for Hartford.

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?
Philip II of France

The founder of East Gladness

Philip II of Macedon

Metacomet
4 Which word does the narrator use to describe the residents of East Gladness?
God-fearing

Biblical

Addicted

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

A woman jumps in the water and rescues him.
6 Where is Grazina from?
Monaco

Ukraine

Lithuania

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

Bear

Owl

Snake
8 What does Grazina show Hai a recipe for?
A way to brighten his soul by stomping on dinner rolls

Meatloaf

Salisbury steak

Dinner rolls
9 Why is Hubbard Street known as Devil's Armpit?
Superstition

Because of the corpse flowers that bloom

Because of a massive metam sodium spill from a shipping barge

People who go there disappear
10 What question does Hai use to check what time period Grazina is living in?
Should we stomp on carrots or rolls?

What year is it?

Who is the current U.S. president?

Was the war difficult to live through?
11 When Hai sings Grazina a Vietnamese lullaby, he tells her it is__.
For children who cannot sleep

A song to raise the dead

For folks struggling with dementia

A song he taught his grandmother
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 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.

She asks Sony to vouch for him, taking Sony's word for it.
13 What does Grazina gift Hai upon his returning from his first shift?
A Salisbury steak

Homemade delicious cornbread

Her husband's book collection

A video game
14 What food is made fresh in-house at HomeMarket?
The meatloaf

The cornbread

The greenbeans

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

Angry, disillusioned people

New Englanders

Shift workers
16 Where does Hai's mother believe him to be?
In Boston attending medical school

Caring for Grazina in the Devil's Armpit

In New York pursuing his undergraduate degree

Living with his cousin Sony in Florida
17 Why does a detective come to HomeMarket?
He questions Hai about caring for Grazina despite his lack of professional training.

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.
18 How does Hai approach Grazina's time shifts?
He enters her time frame rather than forcing her into their present reality.

He pretends they are back in the 1980s.

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

He argues and insists that it is 2009.
19 What identity does Hai adopt when speaking to Grazina?
Her son Lucas

Sergeant Pepper

A pizza delivery person

A member of the Lonely Hearts Club Band
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 speaks to her with the identity of a U.S. Army official.

When Hai helps her call her children, particularly Lucas.
21 Where is the war taking place?
New Jersey

Japan

Italy

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

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 believes all of Maureen's theories in their entirety.

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

Hai often feels that reptiles siphon his joy and energy

The rich and powerful benefit from the labor of impoverished people.
25 What does Hai find and keep in Grazina's house?
An old painkiller prescription belonging to her dead husband

Thousands of dollars

A treasure trove of books

Vanilla cake mix to add to the cornbread

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