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 live once

to go through addiction

to experience poverty
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.

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

Metacomet

Philip II of France

Philip II of Macedon

The founder of East Gladness
4 Which word does the narrator use to describe the residents of East Gladness?

Biblical

Addicted

Joyful

God-fearing
5 Why, ultimately, does the protagonist not die in the river?

A woman jumps in the water and rescues him.

He decides against his impulse to jump.

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.
6 Where is Grazina from?

Ukraine

Lithuania

Monaco

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

Snake

Hog

Owl

Bear
8 What does Grazina show Hai a recipe for?

A way to brighten his soul by stomping on dinner rolls

Dinner rolls

Meatloaf

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

Because of the corpse flowers that bloom

People who go there disappear

Superstition

Because of a massive metam sodium spill from a shipping barge
10 What question does Hai use to check what time period Grazina is living in?

Who is the current U.S. president?

What year is it?

Should we stomp on carrots or rolls?

Was the war difficult to live through?
11 When Hai sings Grazina a Vietnamese lullaby, he tells her it is__.

A song he taught his grandmother

For folks struggling with dementia

For children who cannot sleep

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

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.

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.
13 What does Grazina gift Hai upon his returning from his first shift?

A video game

Homemade delicious cornbread

A Salisbury steak

Her husband's book collection
14 What food is made fresh in-house at HomeMarket?

The macaroni and cheese

The meatloaf

The cornbread

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

Angry, disillusioned people

Shift workers

Addicts

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

In Boston attending medical school

Living with his cousin Sony in Florida

In New York pursuing his undergraduate degree

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

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.

He craves cornbread.

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

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.

He pretends they are back in the 1980s.
19 What identity does Hai adopt when speaking to Grazina?

Sergeant Pepper

A member of the Lonely Hearts Club Band

Her son Lucas

A pizza delivery person
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 U.S. Army official.

When Hai helps her call her children, particularly Lucas.

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

Japan

Italy

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

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

A musical note; disagrees

A random object; agrees

A wrestler; heartily agrees

Bugs Bunny; argues
23 What does the Peace Treaty refer to?

A food exchange with another nearby fast-casual franchise

The Treaty of Versailles

Grazina's recollection of the end of the war

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?

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

Hai often feels that reptiles siphon his joy and energy

Hai believes all of Maureen's theories in their entirety.

Addicts are controlled by pills just like human society is run by lizards.
25 What does Hai find and keep in Grazina's house?

Thousands of dollars

A treasure trove of books

An old painkiller prescription belonging to her dead husband

Vanilla cake mix to add to the cornbread

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