Apples Never Fall Quiz: Test Your Knowledge of the Delaney Family Mystery
About This Quiz
This 20-question quiz covers the opening of Liane Moriarty's Apples Never Fall (2021), drawing on the Prologue, Chapter 1, and Chapter 2. Questions span plot and sequence, character motivation, theme and symbol, and synthesis. Each answer includes a brief explanation traced directly to the source material. Use the book overview, questions and answers, or ending explained pages for deeper study.
Part 1: Plot and Sequence (8 questions)
1. What object lies abandoned under a tree in the Prologue?
- A. A suitcase
- B. A vintage bike
- C. A tennis racket
- D. A car
2. What causes the unidentified man's fatal accident in the Prologue?
- A. A drunk driver
- B. A bushfire
- C. A stop sign concealed by an overgrown tree
- D. A bike on the road
3. Where do the four Delaney siblings meet to discuss their mother's disappearance?
- A. A police station
- B. Their parents' home
- C. A suburban café
- D. A tennis court
4. Which sibling jokingly suggests Stan may have snapped and harmed Joy?
- A. Troy
- B. Brooke
- C. The blue-haired sister
- D. The cheaper-version brother
5. What does Joy listen to while packing the dishwasher in Chapter 2?
- A. A memoir writing lecture
- B. A documentary about bridges
- C. The Migraine Guy Podcast
- D. A true crime podcast
6. What do the siblings order at the café?
- A. Banana bread and cappuccinos
- B. Apple crumble and long blacks
- C. Pancakes and orange juice
- D. Fruit toast and lattes
7. Who appears at the Delaney front door at the end of Chapter 2?
- A. A police officer
- B. Troy
- C. A sobbing young woman named Savannah
- D. A neighbor
8. What does the man who steals the bike plan to do with it?
- A. Sell it for cash
- B. Give it to his wife as a belated Valentine's gift
- C. Use it for his daily commute
- D. Return it to its owner
Part 2: Character Motivation (5 questions)
9. (Short answer) Why does Joy listen to The Migraine Guy Podcast?
10. Why does Troy warn the siblings not to report Joy missing?
- A. He thinks Joy will return soon
- B. He fears police will suspect Stan of harming Joy
- C. He doesn't want media attention
- D. He knows exactly where Joy is
11. Why does Joy insist Savannah stay the night despite Stan's reservations?
- A. Curiosity about Savannah's story
- B. Maternal instinct and desire to protect
- C. Loneliness and need for company
- D. Obligation to help any stranger
12. What does Joy secretly hope her children will give her to stop the silence in her empty nest?
- A. A new podcast subscription
- B. Grandchildren
- C. A regular phone call
- D. A visit every weekend
13. Why did the man steal the bike from the roadside in the Prologue?
- A. He needed transportation
- B. He believed the bike was truly abandoned
- C. To give it to his wife as a gift
- D. To sell it for quick money
Part 3: Theme and Symbol (4 questions)
14. What do the rotting apples in the Prologue primarily symbolize?
- A. Growth and renewal
- B. Decay and hidden consequences
- C. The sweetness of family life
- D. Athletic achievement
15. The Delaney family identity tied to tennis reflects which central theme?
- A. The importance of physical fitness
- B. Sibling rivalry over achievements
- C. Family legacy and loss of identity after selling the business
- D. Financial success through sport
16. The concealed stop sign in the Prologue represents:
- A. Poor urban planning
- B. Hidden dangers and the role of fate
- C. Community neglect
- D. Bad luck alone
17. The "empty nest" concept in Chapter 2 primarily conveys Joy's feeling of:
- A. Relief at having time for herself
- B. Freedom to pursue new hobbies
- C. Loss of purpose and overwhelming silence
- D. Boredom with her daily routine
Part 4: Synthesis (3 questions)
18. (Short answer) How does the Prologue's atmosphere of decay and hidden danger connect to the Delaney family's situation in Chapter 1?
19. (Short answer) Based on the evidence, what might Savannah's arrival at the Delaney home signify for the family's dynamics?
20. (Short answer) If the memoir theme exercise in Chapter 2 ("A Regretful Life") applies to the novel overall, what does Joy's regret suggest about the story's central concerns?
Answer Key
| Question | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | B | The Prologue describes a "mint green" vintage lady's bike abandoned under a gray oak. |
| 2 | C | The man dies in a head-on collision because a semitrailer driver didn't see a stop sign concealed by an overgrown liquidambar. |
| 3 | C | Chapter 1 opens with two men and two women sitting in a suburban café, discussing their missing mother. |
| 4 | C | The blue-haired sister says, "Maybe Dad did have something to do with it… Maybe he snapped." |
| 5 | C | Joy listens to "the latest episode of The Migraine Guy Podcast" while packing the dishwasher. |
| 6 | B | The expensive-version brother orders four long blacks and says, "We'll all try the apple crumble with cream." |
| 7 | C | At the end of Chapter 2, a sobbing young woman falls into Stan's arms at the door; Chapter 3 identifies her as Savannah. |
| 8 | B | The man plans to give the bike to his wife as a belated Valentine's gift, saying "Happy late Valentine's Day, babe." |
| 9 | She wants tips to pass on to her daughter Brooke (who suffers migraines) and as penance for her dismissive response to Brooke's childhood headaches. | Joy listens both for informative tips and as "a kind of penance" for her earlier impatience with Brooke. |
| 10 | B | Troy says, "They'd suspect Dad… That he… you know," and draws a finger across his neck. |
| 11 | B | Joy feels a maternal, protective urge. She and Stan share a "We are The Fixers" mindset, and she overrides Stan's wariness. |
| 12 | B | Joy thinks one grandchild would stop the silence: "She knew one tiny grandchild was all it would take." |
| 13 | C | The man takes the bike to give it to his wife, saying he'll present it as a belated Valentine's gift. |
| 14 | B | The apples rot fast in the heat, symbolizing decay, missed opportunities, and the hidden consequences of chance events. |
| 15 | C | Joy feels lost after selling the family tennis academy; Caro says, "Tennis is your family's passion," but Joy rejects that framing. |
| 16 | B | The stop sign was an "accident waiting to happen," illustrating hidden dangers and fateful chance. |
| 17 | C | Joy describes the silence as howling through her empty nest; she feels everything ended when they sold the business. |
| 18 | Both sections show outward calm masking deeper trouble. The abandoned bike leads to a fatal crash, while the family's surface normalcy hides Joy's disappearance and unspoken tensions among siblings and between the parents. | The Prologue depicts a seemingly quiet scene that yields a violent death; Chapter 1 shows a normal café conversation that conceals a missing-person crisis. |
| 19 | Savannah's sudden arrival likely disrupts the Delaney family's fragile routine, testing Joy and Stan's marriage and forcing the family to confront repressed issues. The outline notes Stan is wary while Joy insists on helping, suggesting a rift. | Chapter 3's outline describes Savannah as a "mysterious intrusion" and notes Stan's reservations versus Joy's insistence. |
| 20 | Joy's regret theme suggests the story explores how past choices and missed connections echo through family life, shaping character motivations and relationships. Her regret about Brooke's headaches shows how even small dismissals can become sources of deep remorse. | Joy reflects, "'Regret' can be my memoir's theme," and recalls her dismissive response to Brooke's childhood headaches with near-sick regret. |
Tip: Review the book overview for a full summary, or check the questions and answers page for deeper discussion of the novel's clues and red herrings. For a closer look at the final chapters, visit the ending explained page.