Chain of Iron: Full-Book Quiz – 20 Questions
Quiz Introduction
Test your knowledge of Cassandra Clare’s Chain of Iron, the second book in The Last Hours series. This 20-question quiz spans the entire novel, mixing multiple-choice and short-answer formats. Questions cover plot sequence, character motivations, themes and symbols, and synthesis of larger ideas. After you finish, check the answer key below. For further reading, visit the main book page, browse questions and answers, or read the ending explained.
Quiz Questions
Q1. [Multiple choice] What is the name of the first murder victim whose death James dreams about in detail before it occurs?
- A. Basil Pounceby
- B. Elias Carstairs
- C. Filomena di Angelo
- D. Lilian Highsmith
Q2. [Multiple choice] Why does Cortana temporarily lose its bond with Cordelia and feel “silent” to her?
- A. Because she swore a paladin oath to a false god
- B. Because the sword came into contact with Belial’s blood
- C. Because Cordelia broke her wedding vows
- D. Because Cortana was destroyed by an Ourobas demon
Q3. [Short answer] Whose resurrection does Lucie Herondale attempt in the ruined shed in Chapter 1? Your answer: ________
Q4. [Multiple choice] What object breaks apart in Chapter 22, symbolically freeing James from Grace Blackthorn’s enchantment?
- A. The gold globe pendant
- B. The silver bracelet
- C. The Iron Key
- D. The aletheia crystal
Q5. [Multiple choice] At the end of the novel, whom does Cordelia leave London with for Paris?
- A. Matthew Fairchild
- B. Alastair Carstairs
- C. Lucie Herondale
- D. James Herondale
Q6. [Short answer] What is the name of the demon realm that James and Magnus Bane attempt to reach using dream-magic? Your answer: ________
Q7. [Multiple choice] Which ghost does Lucie discover has become the “anchor” for the stolen runes connected to the murders?
- A. Jesse Blackthorn
- B. Grace Blackthorn
- C. Malcolm Fade
- D. Emmanuel Gast
Q8. [Short answer] In the epilogue, what does Tatiana Blackthorn steal from the Adamant Citadel before meeting Belial? Your answer: ________
Q9. [Multiple choice] What is Grace Blackthorn’s primary motivation for pressuring Lucie into performing necromancy?
- A. To serve Belial’s plan for world domination
- B. To gain magical power over James Herondale
- C. To bring her brother Jesse back to life
- D. To destroy the Herondale family
Q10. [Multiple choice] Why does James agree to marry Cordelia despite his apparent love for Grace?
- A. He is under a magical enchantment from Grace’s bracelet
- B. He wants to protect Cordelia from a forced marriage
- C. He wishes to defy his parents’ expectations
- D. He needs Cordelia’s help to fight Belial
Q11. [Short answer] Why does Matthew Fairchild confess to Cordelia that he poisoned his mother? Your answer: ________
Q12. [Multiple choice] What drives Lucie to repeatedly risk using dark magic?
- A. Her ambition to become the most powerful necromancer
- B. Her love for Jesse and desire to save him from death
- C. Pressure from Grace Blackthorn
- D. Her desire to prove herself to her parents
Q13. [Multiple choice] Why does Cordelia swear an oath of fealty to Wayland the Smith at the Uffington White Horse?
- A. To heal Cortana and restore its power
- B. To gain revenge on Belial for attacking her friends
- C. To protect James from his demon grandfather
- D. To escape her unhappy marriage
Q14. [Multiple choice] What does Cortana most clearly symbolize for Cordelia throughout the novel?
- A. Her strength and worth as a Shadowhunter
- B. Her unrequited love for James
- C. Her family’s Persian heritage
- D. Her connection to Lilith
Q15. [Multiple choice] The silver bracelet that James wears represents which major theme?
- A. Enchantment and the loss of free will
- B. Eternal loyalty to Grace
- C. Protection from Belial’s influence
- D. The bond between parabatai
Q16. [Short answer] The recurring idea of “the mask” in the novel highlights what social pressure? Your answer: ________
Q17. [Multiple choice] What theme does the ghost Jesse Blackthorn primarily symbolize?
- A. The liminal state between life and death
- B. The power of memory to heal
- C. The danger of all necromancy
- D. The importance of family honor
Q18. [Short answer] How does the concept of “the anchor” connect the murders to Jesse’s body? Your answer: ________
Q19. [Short answer] How do Lucie’s and Grace’s motivations for bringing Jesse back to life differ? Your answer: ________
Q20. [Multiple choice] What is the significance of Lilith having disguised herself as Wayland the Smith?
- A. It reveals that Cordelia’s paladin oath was actually sworn to Lilith
- B. It shows Belial’s manipulation of everyone around him
- C. It demonstrates the danger of trusting any faerie bargain
- D. It foreshadows Cordelia’s eventual betrayal of the Herondales
Answer Key
1. A – Basil Pounceby. James dreams of Pounceby’s murder in Chapter 8, and the body is discovered soon after.
2. B – Because the sword came into contact with Belial’s blood. Cortana is healed by Wayland the Smith in Chapter 14, and later Cordelia learns the sword was tainted by Belial.
3. Jesse Blackthorn. Lucie meets Grace in the shed to attempt a resurrection spell for Grace’s brother Jesse, but the ritual fails.
4. B – The silver bracelet. In Chapter 22, while kissing Cordelia, James’s bracelet breaks, severing Belial’s enchantment that made him love Grace.
5. A – Matthew Fairchild. In Chapter 29, heartbroken after seeing James embrace Grace, Cordelia flees to Matthew’s flat and agrees to go to Paris with him.
6. Edom. James and Magnus attempt to reach Edom through the shadow realm in Chapter 22, but Belial blocks the entrance.
7. A – Jesse Blackthorn. In Chapter 23, Lucie opens Jesse’s coffin and finds five stolen runes on his body, confirming he is the anchor.
8. A piece of adamas. In the epilogue, Tatiana steals a chunk of adamas from the Adamant Citadel and later gives Belial the key to the Iron Tombs.
9. C – To bring her brother Jesse back to life. Grace loves Jesse and believes necromancy is the only way, as seen in Chapters 1 and 3.
10. A – He is under a magical enchantment from Grace’s bracelet. Chapter 28 reveals Belial created the bracelet to make James love Grace and forget Cordelia.
11. He is burdened by guilt and trusts Cordelia. In Chapter 13, Matthew confesses to poisoning his mother, causing a miscarriage, because he wants to be honest with someone.
12. B – Her love for Jesse and desire to save him. Lucie is determined to bring Jesse back, even collaborating with Grace and Malcolm Fade.
13. A – To heal Cortana and restore its power. Wayland offers to heal Cortana in exchange for Cordelia becoming his paladin (Chapter 14).
14. A – Her strength and worth as a Shadowhunter. Cortana’s rejection makes Cordelia feel unworthy; its restoration reaffirms her identity.
15. A – Enchantment and the loss of free will. The bracelet binds James to Grace through magic, symbolizing his lack of choice.
16. The pressure to hide true feelings in society. Characters like James, Cordelia, and Anna often wear a “mask” to conceal their emotions.
17. A – The liminal state between life and death. Jesse exists as a ghost, unable to fully live or die, representing the boundary between worlds.
18. The five runes stolen from murder victims were placed on Jesse’s body as an anchor, allowing Belial to use him as a vessel and complete the Leviathan sigil (Chapter 23).
19. Lucie wants to save Jesse out of genuine love and empathy; Grace wants to revive him partly out of sisterly love but also to serve Belial’s plan (she keeps him bound to her through Tatiana’s bargains).
20. A – It reveals that Cordelia’s paladin oath was actually sworn to Lilith. In Chapter 25, Lilith admits she posed as Wayland to make Cordelia her paladin.