A Family Matter Quiz
Think you know the intricacies of Claire Lynch’s A Family Matter? This 20-question quiz spans the entire book, from Heron’s quiet defiance to Dawn’s secret life and Maggie’s search for the truth. Each question draws directly on the novel’s plot, character motivations, symbols, and deeper themes.
Before you begin, you may want to revisit the book overview, explore questions and answers, or read the ending explained.
Plot and Sequence Questions (8 Questions)
1. What does Heron do immediately after learning he is dying?
- A. Book a holiday
- B. Continue his Thursday evening grocery routine and climb into a chest freezer filled with frozen potato smiley faces
- C. Call his daughter Maggie
- D. Walk to the hospital
2. In Chapter 3, what item does Dawn buy at the church jumble sale, and how much does she pay?
(Short answer)
3. In Chapter 5, how does Maggie spend her lunch break?
- A. Shopping for new clothes
- B. Sitting on a bench with armrests, photographing the sky
- C. Meeting Conor for a quick coffee
- D. Calling her father to check on him
4. In Chapter 6, what does Heron do at the gym?
(Short answer)
5. In Chapter 11, where do Dawn and Hazel have their secret tryst?
- A. In Hazel’s car
- B. On the bedroom floor of Hazel’s flat, with curtains open
- C. In a hotel on the outskirts of town
- D. In Dawn’s house while Heron is at work
6. In Chapter 20, what does Heron reveal to Maggie?
(Short answer)
7. In Chapter 25, what drastic plan does Dawn decide on when faced with a temporary custody order?
- A. Flee to a remote village alone
- B. Kidnap Maggie and escape to Dover by boat
- C. Hire a new solicitor and fight for full custody
- D. Confess everything to Heron
8. In Chapter 35, how does Maggie finally locate her mother Dawn?
(Short answer)
Character Motivation Questions (5 Questions)
9. Why does Heron climb into the chest freezer in Chapter 1?
- A. He is trying to hide from the supermarket staff
- B. He seeks a strange comfort and quiet defiance of his diagnosis
- C. He is confused and thinks it’s the cold aisle
- D. He is playing a prank on the shoppers
10. After the jumble sale, why does Dawn not invite Hazel into her house?
(Short answer)
11. Why does Maggie refuse to ask Heron about her mother after learning he is dying?
- A. She is afraid of what he might say
- B. She believes it would be a betrayal to turn toward a stranger at the moment her father needs her most
- C. She simply doesn’t care about her mother’s identity
- D. Conor tells her to drop the subject
12. Why does Heron initially avoid telling his family that he is dying?
(Short answer)
13. Why does Dawn attend the support group for lesbian mothers in Chapter 24?
- A. To meet potential new partners
- B. To overcome her fear and learn how to navigate the custody battle and systemic homophobia
- C. To socialize with other women in the village
- D. Because Hazel forces her to go
Theme and Symbol Questions (4 Questions)
14. What does the chest freezer full of frozen potato smiley faces primarily symbolize?
- A. Childhood innocence and joy
- B. Heron’s attempt to freeze time and escape his mortality
- C. The monotony of domestic life
- D. The coldness of the supermarket world
15. The repeated motif of “routine” in the novel mainly represents?
- A. Boredom and emptiness
- B. Stability and control in the face of chaos and painful truths
- C. Family tradition and harmony
- D. The characters’ lack of imagination
16. What does the “paperwork” (letters, court reports, oncology letters) symbolize in the story?
(Short answer)
17. The fence/gate between Dawn’s house and Hazel’s house symbolizes?
- A. The boundary between private and public life, and the crossing into forbidden love
- B. Property lines and legal ownership
- C. The separation of class backgrounds
- D. Protection from gossip
Synthesis Questions (3 Questions)
18. How does the epigraph from Adrienne Rich’s poem “What Kind of Times Are These” relate to the novel’s themes?
(Short answer)
19. Compare how Heron and Dawn each respond to their core crisis (terminal illness vs. same-sex attraction). What do their coping mechanisms reveal about the society they live in?
(Short answer)
20. In the Author’s Note, Claire Lynch states that roughly 90% of lesbian mothers lost custody in 1980s UK. How does this historical context shape the legal battle against Dawn?
(Short answer)
Answer Key
1. B. The outline states that after learning he is dying, Heron maintains his Thursday evening grocery routine and climbs into the chest freezer, finding odd comfort.
2. She buys a cream Aran cardigan for seventy-five pence (see chapter 3 summary).
3. B. In chapter 5, Maggie takes a lunch break on a bench with armrests and photographs the sky, reflecting on her boss’s advice about rest.
4. He meets personal trainer Jacob, who teaches him lunges and core engagement (see chapter 6 outline).
5. B. Chapter 11 describes Dawn and Hazel building a nest on the bedroom floor, leaving curtains open to avoid suspicion.
6. He shows her an oncology appointment letter, confirming that he will die (see chapter 20 outline and evidence).
7. B. Chapter 25 states that Dawn plans to kidnap Maggie and flee to Dover by boat.
8. After three nights of online searching, she contacts Hazel Wright, who gives her Dawn’s address (chapter 35 outline).
9. B. The outline explains Heron’s quiet defiance of his diagnosis; the freezer offers a momentary escape from the news.
10. She feels nervous, embarrassed by her awkward conversation, and doesn’t want to reveal her husband and child, keeping the friendship secret (chapter 3 outline).
11. B. In chapter 22, Maggie tells Conor it would be a betrayal to ask Heron about her mother now when he needs her most.
12. He cannot find the grammar to tell them, worries about burdening them with grief, and fears watching them grieve (chapter 10 outline).
13. B. Chapter 24 shows Dawn finding a support group through a magazine ad; she overcomes fear and learns about systemic discrimination.
14. B. The freezer represents Heron’s desire to stop time and avoid facing his mortality; the smiley faces contrast childlike happiness with his grim reality.
15. B. Throughout the novel, characters cling to routine as a way to manage anxiety, loss, and secrets (e.g., Heron’s gardening, Maggie’s busy mornings, Dawn’s domestic rituals).
16. The paperwork symbolizes the official documentation of private pain, secrets, and the legal systems that control lives (e.g., love letters read in court, the oncology letter, custody reports).
17. A. In chapters 7 and 8, the fence and gate mark the line between Dawn’s domestic life and the public world where her friendship with Hazel begins; crossing it represents entering a forbidden relationship.
18. Rich’s poem speaks of “picking mushrooms at the edge of dread” and a real country moving toward truth—mirroring the novel’s tension between personal love and political danger, especially around sexual identity and disappearance.
19. Heron uses routine, physical activity, and avoidance; Dawn initially hides but later seeks connection and risk. Both are constrained by societal expectations: Heron by ideas of masculine stoicism, Dawn by homophobia and gender roles. Their coping highlights the pressure to conform.
20. The 1980s legal climate meant judges viewed lesbian mothers as moral risks; the court in the novel uses language from real cases (e.g., “deviation,” “perversion”), and Dawn must dress as a “good mother” to have any chance. This context makes Heron’s victory in court historically plausible and underlines the systemic oppression.