Quiz Call Me Athena Colby Cedar Smith

Call Me Athena Quiz: Test Your Knowledge

Quiz: Call Me Athena (Colby Cedar Smith)

Answer all 20 questions based on the first two chapters and the Author's Note of the novel. The quiz covers the opening poem, the author’s family history, and key themes. The answer key follows the questions.

Plot and Sequence (8 questions)

1. What does Mary compare grief to in Chapter 1?

  • a) A winter storm
  • b) A brush fire
  • c) A rising tide
  • d) A falling leaf

2. According to the poem, grief begins as what?

  • a) A loud crack
  • b) A glowing cinder
  • c) A heavy rain
  • d) A dark shadow

3. What object does Mary say she holds as she watches the field burn?

  • a) A water hose
  • b) A useless bucket
  • c) A shovel
  • d) A pair of boots

4. In what year is Chapter 1 set?

  • a) 1918
  • b) 1920
  • c) 1934
  • d) 1950

5. What is the title of Chapter 3?

  • a) Grief
  • b) Listen Up!
  • c) Author’s Note
  • d) Detroit

6. Which ship carried Giorgos and Jeanne to the United States according to the Author’s Note?

  • a) RMS Titanic
  • b) RMS Olympic
  • c) RMS Lusitania
  • d) RMS Queen Mary

7. How old was the real Mary (the author’s grandmother) when she died?

  • a) 82
  • b) 92
  • c) 102
  • d) 72

8. What disease caused Mary to forget almost everything about her life?

  • a) Parkinson’s
  • b) Alzheimer’s
  • c) Dementia
  • d) Amnesia

Character Motivation (5 questions)

9. For whom did Colby Cedar Smith primarily write the book?

  • a) Her mother
  • b) Her grandmother Mary
  • c) Her great-grandmother Jeanne
  • d) Her daughter Phoebe

10. According to the Author’s Note, what career did the real Mary achieve in the 1950s?

  • a) Schoolteacher
  • b) Successful businesswoman
  • c) Ford factory worker
  • d) Newspaper reporter

11. What specific clothing item does the author mention Mary wore that defied the era’s expectations?

  • a) A pantsuit
  • b) A flapper dress
  • c) A nurse’s uniform
  • d) A wedding veil

12. Why did Mary (the real person) have to fight for her independence, according to the author?

  • a) She was an only child
  • b) Her family faced poverty and she worked at the Ford factory
  • c) She was not allowed to attend school
  • d) She wanted to move to Europe

13. What phrase describes Mary’s attitude when she was afraid, as noted by the author?

  • a) She gave up easily
  • b) She summoned the courage to do what she needed to do
  • c) She relied on others to solve problems
  • d) She pretended fear did not exist

Theme and Symbol (4 questions)

14. In the opening poem, what does the spread of the brush fire symbolize?

  • a) The speed of memory
  • b) The uncontrollable nature of grief
  • c) The power of nature
  • d) The loss of hope

15. What does the “useless bucket” represent in Mary’s hands?

  • a) Her inability to stop or control grief
  • b) Her desire to carry water
  • c) Her preparedness for disaster
  • d) Her connection to her Greek heritage

16. In the Author’s Note, why does the author include a photograph of the RMS Olympic manifest?

  • a) To show the ship’s grandeur
  • b) To illustrate the historical basis for Giorgos and Jeanne’s journey
  • c) To compare with the Titanic
  • d) To display her own name on the document

17. Which theme is most prominent in the Author’s Note?

  • a) Adventure and exploration
  • b) Legacy, memory, and courage
  • c) Wealth and success
  • d) Nature and the environment

Synthesis (3 questions)

18. How does Colby Cedar Smith describe the relationship between the novel and actual family events?

  • a) The novel is a completely factual biography
  • b) The novel uses family stories as a basis but changes events significantly
  • c) The novel follows the family history exactly as recorded
  • d) The novel is purely fictional with no real-life inspiration

19. What connection does the author feel to the RMS Olympic manifest that strengthened her call to write the story?

  • a) The ship carried her favorite possessions
  • b) Her first name, Colby, appears in the porter’s handwriting on the document
  • c) The ship was built in her hometown
  • d) Her grandmother was born on that ship

20. In what way does the brush fire metaphor relate to the author’s purpose for writing the book?

  • a) It shows how grief can be controlled if you act quickly
  • b) It reflects the author’s desire to keep her grandmother’s stories alive, even though memory fades
  • c) It describes the burning of Detroit factories
  • d) It represents the anger Mary felt toward her family

Answer Key

  1. b) A brush fire – The poem explicitly states, “Grief / consumes / like a brush fire.”
  2. b) A glowing cinder – The poem says, “It begins / with a glowing cinder.”
  3. b) A useless bucket – Mary says, “All you can do / is stand there. / With a useless / bucket in your hands.”
  4. c) 1934 – The chapter heading reads “Detroit, Michigan / 1934.”
  5. b) Listen Up! – The chapter title is “Listen Up!” (confirmed by the provided evidence).
  6. b) RMS Olympic – The Author’s Note includes a photo of the RMS Olympic manifest and states it is the sister ship of the Titanic.
  7. b) 92 – The author writes, “She died at the age of 92.”
  8. b) Alzheimer’s – The note says, “After years of struggling with Alzheimer’s, she forgot almost everything about her life.”
  9. b) Her grandmother Mary – The author states, “Mainly, I wrote this book for my grandmother Mary.”
  10. b) Successful businesswoman – “She became a successful businesswoman in the 1950s.”
  11. a) A pantsuit – The author says Mary “rocked the pantsuit at a time when women were expected to wear aprons and pearls.”
  12. b) Her family faced poverty and she worked at the Ford factory – The note mentions “the poverty her family faced, and how she had to fight for her independence.”
  13. b) She summoned the courage to do what she needed to do – “She always summoned the courage to do what she needed to do, even when she was afraid.”
  14. b) The uncontrollable nature of grief – The poem describes grief spreading with its own will and changing everything in its path.
  15. a) Her inability to stop or control grief – The bucket is useless because the fire (grief) is too powerful.
  16. b) To illustrate the historical basis for Giorgos and Jeanne’s journey – The author uses the manifest as a historical document that inspired the characters’ voyage.
  17. b) Legacy, memory, and courage – These are the core themes of the Author’s Note, highlighted through Mary’s story and the author’s dedication.
  18. b) The novel uses family stories as a basis but changes events significantly – The Author’s Note begins: “I changed the actual events quite a bit.”
  19. b) Her first name, Colby, appears in the porter’s handwriting on the document – The author writes, “my first name, Colby, also appears on the manifest twice … this was one of the many reasons I felt called to write this story.”
  20. b) It reflects the author’s desire to keep her grandmother’s stories alive, even though memory fades – The metaphor of grief consuming like a brush fire parallels the loss of memory to Alzheimer’s, yet the author preserves the stories in the book.

For more insights, explore the book overview, common questions and answers, and the ending explained.