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 go through addiction

to experience poverty

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.

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

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 Macedon

The founder of East Gladness

Metacomet

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

God-fearing

Biblical

Joyful

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

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

A woman jumps in the water and rescues him.

Someone calls an ambulance, which takes him to Hartford.

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

Monaco

Russia

Lithuania

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

Hog

Snake

Owl

Bear
8 What does Grazina show Hai a recipe for?

A way to brighten his soul by stomping on dinner rolls

Salisbury steak

Meatloaf

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

Superstition

Because of the corpse flowers that bloom

People who go there disappear

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?

Should we stomp on carrots or rolls?

Who is the current U.S. president?

What year is it?

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

She physically checks to see if he shows signs of being under the influence of some drug.

She has him work a test shift to see if he is capable.
13 What does Grazina gift Hai upon his returning from his first shift?

Homemade delicious cornbread

A Salisbury steak

A video game

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

The greenbeans

The cornbread

The macaroni and cheese

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

New Englanders

Angry, disillusioned people

Addicts

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

Caring for Grazina in the Devil's Armpit

In New York pursuing his undergraduate degree

In Boston attending medical school

Living with his cousin Sony in Florida
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 is a USSR agent tailing Russia.

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

Her son Lucas

A pizza delivery person

Sergeant Pepper
20 What causes Grazina to respond with more awareness and clarity?

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.

When Hai triples her medicine dose.
21 Where is the war taking place?

Japan

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

Italy

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

A wrestler; heartily agrees

A musical note; disagrees

Bugs Bunny; argues

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

A food exchange with another nearby fast-casual franchise

Hai and Grazina agreeing to a ceasefire in their war games

Grazina's recollection of the end of the war

The Treaty of Versailles
24 What echo of truth does Hai see in Maureen's conspiracy theory of lizards controlling human society?

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.

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

A treasure trove of books

Vanilla cake mix to add to the cornbread

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