A Ladder to the Sky Quiz

Take our free A Ladder to the Sky quiz below, with 25 multiple choice questions that help you test your knowledge. Determine which chapters, themes and styles you already know and what you need to study for your upcoming essay, midterm, or final exam. Take the free quiz now!

Why does Daniel slap Jupiter in response to being kissed? (from Interlude: The Threatened Animal)

He has seen this kind of behavior on some of the television programs he watches.

He did not like being kissed and has seen other boys interact this way on the playground.

He has witnessed Maurice hitting one of his dates.

He wants to scare her away.

Why does Nicholas come to visit Edith in the hospital after hours? (from Part 2: The Tribesman)

The special relationship they shared was unknown to anyone, so he wanted to keep it that way.

He wanted Edith all to himself and not have to share her with other visitors.

Maurice did not allow any of the students to come visit Edith.

Nicholas was not able to come during regular hours because of school.

Based on her comment concerning Daniel's response to the gifts Jupiter gives him (240), what is Mrs. Lane's opinion of men? (from Interlude: The Threatened Animal)

She believes men need to learn how to say thank you to women and appreciate them more.

She sees men as very gracious and thoughtful.

She views men as taking what they can from women and then casting them aside.

She believes men need to learn to be kinder to women and give them gifts in return.

What does Boyne mean when he writes that Maurice was like "the work of a mediocre painter, [that] might look good on an initial viewing but would eventually reveal itself to be holding little substance beneath the brushstrokes" (101)? (from Interlude: The Swallow's Nest)

Maurice was a handsome man that attracted attention, but underneath his character was shallow.

Maurice pretended to know what he was doing, but he really was not a good writer.

Maurice put on a good show for everyone, but he only got published because he used other writers to get him what he wanted.

Maurice's fancy facade and youth would soon fade and then he would no longer be able to use his sex appeal to get what he wanted.

Why do the chapter titles in Part II change suddenly from naming individual months to the single word, "Now" (216)? (from Part 2: The Tribesman)

Because of the fall, Edith cannot really remember what month it is.

Edith is in a coma and she has no idea how long she has been in the hospital or what month it is.

The story is finally caught up to the present, so the last few months are all lumped into the phrase "now".

"Now" helps the reader to feel like the story is taking place right there with them.