Quiz All That’s Left in the World Erik J. Brown

All That’s Left in the World – Full‑Book Quiz

Quiz Instructions

This quiz covers the entire novel All That’s Left in the World by Erik J. Brown. Questions are divided into four categories: Plot/Sequence, Character Motivation, Theme/Symbol, and Synthesis. Format is a mix of multiple‑choice and short‑answer. After the quiz you’ll find the answer key with brief explanations.

Part 1: Plot / Sequence (8 questions)

  1. How does Andrew injure his leg at the beginning of the story?

    • A) He falls while running from a lion
    • B) He steps into a bear trap
    • C) He is shot by a survivalist
    • D) He twists it in a flooded tunnel

  2. What does Jamison discover near his shed that suggests someone has been watching the cabin?

    • A) A torn map with a handwritten note
    • B) Four cigarette butts
    • C) A set of footprints leading to the woods
    • D) An empty food can that wasn’t his

  3. During their journey, Andrew and Jamison are ambushed by a group demanding “taxes.” Who leads this group?

    • A) Grover Denton
    • B) Howard
    • C) Mr. LaPage
    • D) Danny Rosewood

  4. What forces Andrew and Jamison to shelter in an ice‑cream shop in the town of Mailey?

    • A) A lion attack
    • B) A storm
    • C) A group of armed men
    • D) A flat bicycle tire

  5. How does Andrew eventually reach Alexandria after being separated from Jamison in the lion attack?

    • A) He hitches a ride with a friendly trucker
    • B) He walks alone, believing Jamison is dead
    • C) He follows a river using a map Cara gave him
    • D) He is rescued by Henri and driven there

  6. At Reagan National Airport, what do Andrew and Jamison learn from Chris, Desiree, and Keith?

    • A) That a rescue mission will arrive in two weeks
    • B) That international aid is nonexistent and the virus killed 73–86% of the population
    • C) That Fort Caroline is the only safe settlement
    • D) That Henri is waiting for them in Florida

  7. What event draws Andrew and Jamison to Fort Caroline?

    • A) A smoke signal
    • B) Fireworks on July Fourth
    • C) A radio broadcast inviting survivors
    • D) A sign posted on the highway

  8. In the final confrontation with Fort Caroline men, how does Jamison manage to free himself and Andrew from plastic ties?

    • A) He burns the ties with a lighter
    • B) He uses a knife from Henri’s multi‑tool
    • C) He bites through them
    • D) Cara shoots the ties off

Part 2: Character Motivation (5 questions)

  1. Short answer (1–2 sentences): Why does Jamison initially decide not to kill the doe he sees while hunting?

  2. Why does Andrew keep his true mission—finding the Foster family in Alexandria—secret from Jamison for so long?

    • A) He is ashamed of having killed George and Joanne Foster
    • B) He is afraid Jamison will force him to go alone
    • C) He plans to return to the cabin afterward without telling Jamison
    • D) He does not trust Jamison with the address

  3. Short answer (1–2 sentences): Why does Cara leave Fort Caroline and follow Andrew and Jamison?

  1. After killing Harvey to protect Andrew, Jamison vomits and barely speaks for days. What does this reaction reveal about his character?

    • A) He is weak and unsuited for survival
    • B) He is deeply troubled by taking a life, even in self‑defense
    • C) He is secretly glad to be rid of a threat
    • D) He is angry at Andrew for provoking the attack

  2. In the epilogue, why does Jamison lean toward leaving the coastal settlement despite its safety?

    • A) He misses the cabin and the isolation
    • B) He fears that settlements like Fort Caroline will eventually find them
    • C) He distrusts the community’s leaders
    • D) He wants to sail north alone to find Henri

Part 3: Theme / Symbol (4 questions)

  1. The garden gnome outside the cabin at the beginning is described as “oddly free of leaves.” What does this detail most likely symbolize?

    • A) The presence of someone who still cares for the property
    • B) The general decay of the world
    • C) Andrew’s hope for a better future
    • D) The supernatural survival of the virus

  2. How does the recurring motif of “do no harm” (Jamison’s mother’s mantra) reflect the novel’s central theme?

    • A) It proves that violence is never justified
    • B) It represents a moral code that the characters struggle to uphold in a brutal world
    • C) It shows that Jamison’s mother was naïve
    • D) It is a rule that Andrew rejects early on

  3. Short answer (1–2 sentences): What does the multi‑tool Jamison receives from Henri come to represent over the course of the story?

  1. The epilogue frames the choice between staying in the coastal settlement or returning to the cabin as a conflict between:
    • A) Safety and adventure
    • B) Community and isolation
    • C) Trust and paranoia
    • D) Hope and despair

Part 4: Synthesis (3 questions)

  1. Compare Andrew’s guilt over killing the Fosters with Jamison’s guilt over being unable to help his mother die. How do these parallel experiences affect their relationship?
    (2–4 sentences)

  2. In the Author’s Note, Erik J. Brown says he wrote the book because he “was tired of not seeing queer representation in postapocalyptic stories.” How does the novel’s portrayal of Andrew and Jamison’s relationship challenge typical post‑apocalyptic tropes?
    (2–4 sentences)

  3. Short answer (1–2 sentences): If you had to choose one scene that best captures the novel’s message about hope and human connection, which would it be and why?

Answer Key

# Correct Answer Explanation
1 B – He steps into a bear trap set by a survivalist. In Chapter 1, Andrew narrates the moment he is caught in a bear trap while travelling through the forest.
2 B – Four cigarette butts. In Chapter 6, Jamison finds four cigarette butts near the shed, indicating someone has been watching the cabin.
3 B – Howard. Howard leads the group that ransacks Jamison’s cabin, demanding food as “taxes” in Chapter 10.
4 B – A storm. In Chapter 11, a storm forces Andrew and Jamison to take shelter in an ice‑cream shop in Mailey.
5 B – He walks alone, believing Jamison is dead. In Chapter 17, Andrew obeys Jamison’s order to run from the lioness and continues alone to Alexandria after assuming Jamison died.
6 B – That international aid is nonexistent and the virus killed 73–86% of the population. In Chapter 19, Chris shows them classified documents revealing no rescue and the staggering death toll.
7 B – Fireworks on July Fourth. In Chapter 19, the boys see fireworks and decide to investigate, which leads them to Fort Caroline.
8 B – He uses a knife from Henri’s multi‑tool. In Chapter 28, Jamison retrieves the multi‑tool from his pocket and cuts the plastic ties while the Fort Caroline men are distracted.
9 Short answer – Jamison cannot kill the doe because she is with her fawn, which reminds him of his mother and the mercy killing he could not perform. In Chapter 10, Jamison sees the fawn and flashes back to his mother’s plea; he lowers the rifle.
10 A – He is ashamed of having killed George and Joanne Foster. In Chapter 18, Andrew confesses he killed the Fosters in self‑defense during a robbery attempt and feared Jamison would see him as a murderer.
11 Short answer – Cara follows them because she cannot trust the corrupt, exclusionary culture of Fort Caroline and hopes to find a better community. In Chapter 26, Cara explains she lost her family to people like those at Fort Caroline and escaped due to distrust.
12 B – He is deeply troubled by taking a life, even in self‑defense. In Chapter 24, Jamison vomits and is silent for days, showing the psychological toll of killing.
13 B – He fears that settlements like Fort Caroline will eventually find them. In the epilogue (Chapter 33), Jamison worries that hostile groups will expand and find their community.
14 A – The presence of someone who still cares for the property. The gnome free of leaves hints that Jamison has been maintaining the cabin, foreshadowing his continued human presence.
15 B – It represents a moral code that the characters struggle to uphold in a brutal world. Jamison invokes his mother’s mantra when he cannot shoot Andrew, and later struggles with the necessity of killing.
16 Short answer – The multi‑tool symbolizes resourcefulness, connection to Henri, and the practical tools of survival that also carry emotional weight, as it helps Jamison free himself and Andrew. Henri gives the multi‑tool in Chapter 16; Jamison treasures it and later uses it to cut their restraints (Chapter 28).
17 B – Community and isolation. In the epilogue, Jamison and Andrew debate whether to join the coastal settlement (community) or return to the secluded cabin (isolation).
18 Synthesis – Both Andrew and Jamison carry guilt about deaths they felt powerless to prevent or caused. Andrew’s confession about the Fosters and Jamison’s confession about his mother create a mutual vulnerability that deepens their trust and love. The parallel helps them forgive each other and themselves, strengthening their bond. Supported by Chapter 18 (Andrew’s confession) and Chapter 27 (Jamison’s breakdown over his mother).
19 Synthesis – Unlike many post‑apocalyptic stories that focus on survival through violence and heteronormative pairings, this novel centers a tender, growing romance between two boys. Their emotional honesty, caring for each other’s wounds, and refusal to become hardened killers offer a hopeful vision of resilience through love and community. Rooted in the Author’s Note (Chapter 34) and the gradual queer‑themed plot development.
20 Short answer – Acceptable answers include the first kiss under threat of death (Chapter 28) or the quiet moment on the dock in the epilogue (Chapter 33). For example: “I would choose the scene where Jamison confesses his love and they kiss before the Fort Caroline ambush, because it shows that hope and human connection can exist even in the darkest moment.” Accept any well‑reasoned scene with evidence from the outline.

Explore more about the novel: Book overview | Questions and answers | Ending explained