Quiz Beasts and Beauty Soman Chainani

Beasts and Beauty Quiz

How Well Do You Know Beasts and Beauty?

Soman Chainani’s Beasts and Beauty reimagines classic fairy tales with dark twists, subverted expectations, and layered themes. This 20-question quiz covers the whole book, from Red Riding Hood’s knife to Wendy’s heartbreaking letter. Answers and explanations are at the end. Ready to howl with the pack?

Section 1: Plot and Sequence (8 questions)

  1. In “Red Riding Hood,” what does the peasant girl hide in her basket when she goes to Grandmother’s house?

    • A. A silver comb
    • B. A loaf of poisoned bread
    • C. A knife
    • D. A magic mirror

  2. In “Snow White,” how does Snow White kill her stepmother?

    • A. She bakes a poisoned comb into bread
    • B. She stabs her with a glass shard
    • C. She pushes her into a well
    • D. She feeds her a deadly apple

  3. In “Sleeping Beauty,” what does the prince lose each night to an invisible thief?

    • A. His memories
    • B. His breath
    • C. His blood
    • D. His voice

  4. In “Rapunzel,” what does the man (the father/witch) do after the prince cuts Rapunzel’s hair?

    • A. He blinds the prince and then heals him
    • B. He locks Rapunzel in a deeper tower
    • C. He marries the prince to Rapunzel
    • D. He turns the prince into a beast

  5. In “Jack and the Beanstalk,” what does Jack trade for the magic beans?

    • A. His mother’s jewelry
    • B. The family cow, Milky White
    • C. A golden harp
    • D. A bag of gold

  6. In “Hansel and Gretel,” who is locked inside the oven?

    • A. Shakuntala
    • B. Atur
    • C. Divya Simla
    • D. Rishi

  7. In “Bluebeard,” what does Pietro discover in the basement chamber?

    • A. A treasure hoard
    • B. Six dead boys with slashed throats
    • C. A mirror that shows the future
    • D. Bluebeard’s first wife, still alive

  8. In “Cinderella,” what happens to Magdalena after she is cursed into a mouse?

    • A. She dies at midnight
    • B. She marries Prince Dante
    • C. She hides with Lourdes (Cinderella) and later takes a killing curse
    • D. She becomes Inez’s servant

Section 2: Character Motivation (5 questions)

  1. Why does the peasant girl in “Red Riding Hood” arm herself instead of accepting death?

    • (Short answer) She refuses to be a passive sacrifice and chooses to fight back, using her wits to survive against the predatory wolves.

  2. Why does Snow White reject the prince’s fairy-tale ending?

    • (Short answer) She wants more than marriage; she returns to claim her throne and assert her own power, rejecting the traditional submissive role.

  3. What motivates Mei to agree to take her father’s place in “Beauty and the Beast”?

    • A. She wants to save her father from death
    • B. She intends to kill the Beast and claim his castle for herself
    • C. She hopes to fall in love with the Beast
    • D. She is forced by her sisters

  4. Why does Pietro return to the basement chamber after seeing the dead boys, instead of fleeing?

    • (Short answer) He chooses to honor the victims by moving their bodies, painting their names on their chests, and confronting Bluebeard rather than running away.

  5. In “The Little Mermaid,” why does the sea witch refuse to grant the mermaid’s request at first?

    • A. Because the mermaid cannot pay the price
    • B. Because the witch believes the mermaid confuses passion for love and does not know the prince
    • C. Because the witch is jealous of the mermaid’s beauty
    • D. Because the prince is already married

Section 3: Theme and Symbol (4 questions)

  1. In “Red Riding Hood,” what does Grandmother’s pack of survivors represent?

    • A. The importance of family loyalty
    • B. A sisterhood of survivors who resist patriarchal predation
    • C. The danger of trusting strangers
    • D. The cycle of revenge

  2. What does the recurring color of rose-red hair in “Sleeping Beauty” symbolize?

    • A. Royal blood
    • B. The thief’s identity and the bond of shared wounds
    • C. Magic and enchantment
    • D. The curse of beauty

  3. In “Rumpelstiltskin,” what does the power of naming (guessing the Devil’s name) represent?

    • A. The importance of memory
    • B. The mother’s love and her ability to reclaim power through knowledge
    • C. The Devil’s weakness for games
    • D. The greed of the king

  4. In “Peter Pan,” what does the thimble symbolize when Wendy gives it to Peter?

    • (Short answer) It represents a pretend kiss, but later becomes a token of Wendy’s growing love and the painful distance between childhood and adulthood.

Section 4: Synthesis (3 questions)

  1. Compare the systems of sacrifice in “Red Riding Hood” and “Hansel and Gretel.” How do the protagonists resist being victims?

    • (Short answer) In “Red Riding Hood,” the girl uses trickery and a knife, while Grandmother kills the wolves; in “Hansel and Gretel,” Rishi and Laxmi rely on crows and their blind mother’s cunning to trap Divya Simla. Both stories show the protagonists resisting imposed roles through wit and collective action, subverting the original tales’ warnings.

  2. How does “Bluebeard” invert the traditional predator-prey dynamic?

    • (Short answer) Instead of the usual bride who fails to resist, Pietro—a boy with androgynous features—turns the tables by killing Bluebeard, freeing the other boys, and disguising himself as Bluebeard to rescue more orphans. The story shifts from ownership to brotherhood and collective liberation.

  3. In “Cinderella,” Magdalena and Lourdes reject a traditional romantic ending. What does their choice say about the book’s overall message regarding fairy-tale love?

    • (Short answer) By choosing friendship over romance and refusing Prince Dante’s offer, they reject the idea that a prince’s love completes a woman. This aligns with Beasts and Beauty’s recurring theme that true fulfillment comes from self-determination, not conformity to fairy-tale norms.

Answer Key

Section 1: Plot and Sequence

  1. C. A knife – The peasant girl arms herself to fight back against the wolves, rejecting the role of sacrificial victim.
  2. A. She bakes a poisoned comb into bread – Snow White turns the stepmother’s weapon against her, baking the comb into bread that kills her.
  3. C. His blood – The invisible thief (the Ravenna boy) drains the prince’s blood each night, creating a bond through shared wounds.
  4. A. He blinds the prince and then heals him – The father blinds the prince after the attack, then heals him, driving him away.
  5. B. The family cow, Milky White – Jack trades the cow for five magic beans after she stops giving milk.
  6. C. Divya Simla – Shakuntala lures the cruel stepmother into the oven and locks her inside.
  7. B. Six dead boys with slashed throats – Pietro finds the corpses of Bluebeard’s previous victims.
  8. C. She hides with Lourdes (Cinderella) and later takes a killing curse – Magdalena survives the curse meant for her, and both women leave together.

Section 2: Character Motivation

  1. She refuses to be a passive sacrifice and chooses to fight back, using her wits to survive against the predatory wolves. – The girl hides a knife and tricks the wolf leader, embodying active resistance.
  2. She wants more than marriage; she returns to claim her throne and assert her own power, rejecting the traditional submissive role. – Snow White’s agency is central to her character growth.
  3. B. She intends to kill the Beast and claim his castle for herself – Mei plans murder, not rescue, showing her independence and lack of interest in marriage.
  4. He chooses to honor the victims by moving their bodies, painting their names on their chests, and confronting Bluebeard rather than running away. – Pietro’s action transforms curiosity into memorial and rebellion.
  5. B. Because the witch believes the mermaid confuses passion for love and does not know the prince – The witch questions whether the mermaid understands true love, criticizing fairy-tale ideals.

Section 3: Theme and Symbol

  1. B. A sisterhood of survivors who resist patriarchal predation – The howling women represent collective liberation from the sacrificial system.
  2. B. The thief’s identity and the bond of shared wounds – Rose-red hair connects the thief to the prince through the severed hand and nightly visits.
  3. B. The mother’s love and her ability to reclaim power through knowledge – Mathilde learns the Devil’s name from her baby, breaking his hold.
  4. It represents a pretend kiss, but later becomes a token of Wendy’s growing love and the painful distance between childhood and adulthood. – The thimble appears in Wendy’s letter as a symbol of lost innocence.

Section 4: Synthesis

  1. In “Red Riding Hood,” the girl uses trickery and a knife, while Grandmother kills the wolves; in “Hansel and Gretel,” Rishi and Laxmi rely on crows and their blind mother’s cunning to trap Divya Simla. Both stories show the protagonists resisting imposed roles through wit and collective action, subverting the original tales’ warnings.
  2. Instead of the usual bride who fails to resist, Pietro—a boy with androgynous features—turns the tables by killing Bluebeard, freeing the other boys, and disguising himself as Bluebeard to rescue more orphans. The story shifts from ownership to brotherhood and collective liberation.
  3. By choosing friendship over romance and refusing Prince Dante’s offer, they reject the idea that a prince’s love completes a woman. This aligns with Beasts and Beauty’s recurring theme that true fulfillment comes from self-determination, not conformity to fairy-tale norms.

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