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?

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.

Physical proximity to Hartford means that East Gladness residents are taken there by ambulances when necessary.
3 Who is King Philip's Bridge named after?

Philip II of France

The founder of East Gladness

Metacomet

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

God-fearing

Addicted

Joyful

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

He decides against his impulse to jump.

A woman jumps in the water and rescues him.

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?

Lithuania

Monaco

Russia

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

Bear

Owl

Snake

Hog
8 What does Grazina show Hai a recipe for?

Meatloaf

Dinner rolls

A way to brighten his soul by stomping on dinner rolls

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

Superstition

Because of a massive metam sodium spill from a shipping barge

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?

Should we stomp on carrots or rolls?

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__.

A song he taught his grandmother

A song to raise the dead

For children who cannot sleep

For folks struggling with dementia
12 How does BJ determine Hai's hirability?

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

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

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

Her husband's book collection

Homemade delicious cornbread

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

The cornbread

The macaroni and cheese

The meatloaf

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

New Englanders

Shift workers

Angry, disillusioned people

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

Living with his cousin Sony in Florida

In Boston attending medical school

In New York pursuing his undergraduate degree

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

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.

He craves cornbread.
18 How does Hai approach Grazina's time shifts?

He argues and insists that it is 2009.

He pretends they are back in the 1980s.

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 member of the Lonely Hearts Club Band

Sergeant Pepper

A pizza delivery person

Her son Lucas
20 What causes Grazina to respond with more awareness and clarity?

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 USSR Army official.

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

New Jersey

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

Italy

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

A random object; agrees

A wrestler; heartily agrees

Bugs Bunny; argues

A musical note; disagrees
23 What does the Peace Treaty refer to?

Grazina's recollection of the end of the war

The Treaty of Versailles

A food exchange with another nearby fast-casual franchise

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.

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

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

Hai often feels that reptiles siphon his joy and energy
25 What does Hai find and keep in Grazina's house?

An old painkiller prescription belonging to her dead husband

Thousands of dollars

Vanilla cake mix to add to the cornbread

A treasure trove of books

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