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 be born

to go through addiction
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 is another name for Hartford.

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

Philip II of France

The founder of East Gladness

Metacomet
4 Which word does the narrator use to describe the residents of East Gladness?
Joyful

God-fearing

Biblical

Addicted
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.

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.
6 Where is Grazina from?
Russia

Monaco

Ukraine

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

Bear

Owl

Hog
8 What does Grazina show Hai a recipe for?
Salisbury steak

Meatloaf

Dinner rolls

A way to brighten his soul by stomping on dinner rolls
9 Why is Hubbard Street known as Devil's Armpit?
Because of the corpse flowers that bloom

People who go there disappear

Because of a massive metam sodium spill from a shipping barge

Superstition
10 What question does Hai use to check what time period Grazina is living in?
What year is it?

Was the war difficult to live through?

Should we stomp on carrots or rolls?

Who is the current U.S. president?
11 When Hai sings Grazina a Vietnamese lullaby, he tells her it is__.
A song to raise the dead

A song he taught his grandmother

For children who cannot sleep

For folks struggling with dementia
12 How does BJ determine Hai's hirability?
She asks Sony to vouch for him, taking Sony's word for it.

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.
13 What does Grazina gift Hai upon his returning from his first shift?
Her husband's book collection

A Salisbury steak

A video game

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

The cornbread

The meatloaf

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

New Englanders

Addicts

Angry, disillusioned people
16 Where does Hai's mother believe him to be?
In Boston attending medical school

Caring for Grazina in the Devil's Armpit

Living with his cousin Sony in Florida

In New York pursuing his undergraduate degree
17 Why does a detective come to HomeMarket?
He questions Hai about caring for Grazina despite his lack of professional training.

He craves cornbread.

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

He is a USSR agent tailing Russia.
18 How does Hai approach Grazina's time shifts?
He enters her time frame rather than forcing her into their present reality.

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

He pretends they are back in the 1980s.

He argues and insists that it is 2009.
19 What identity does Hai adopt when speaking to Grazina?
A member of the Lonely Hearts Club Band

Her son Lucas

A pizza delivery person

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

New Jersey

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?
Hai often feels that reptiles siphon his joy and energy

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

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

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

A treasure trove of books

Vanilla cake mix to add to the cornbread

Thousands of dollars

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