Circle of Days Quiz: Test Your Knowledge of Ken Follett’s Novel
Welcome to the Circle of Days quiz. This 20-question challenge spans the entire novel, testing your memory of plot events, character motivations, themes, and broader synthesis. Each question is either multiple-choice or short-answer. After you have finished, check the answer key for brief explanations.
If you need a refresher, visit the book overview page, browse questions and answers, or read the ending explained.
Plot and Sequence Questions (1–8)
1. When Seft repairs the collapsed lintel of his family’s house, what type of joint does he invent?
- A. Dovetail joint
- B. Peg‑and‑hole joint
- C. Mortise‑and‑tenon joint
- D. Lap joint
2. At the Monument gathering, a potter tries to sell a leaky pot. How does the elder Ani resolve the dispute?
- A. She orders the potter to give back the three arrows he received
- B. She makes the potter offer a replacement pot
- C. She fines the potter one arrow
- D. She lets both men walk away without punishment
3. Which character kills the priestess Inka during a drought‑driven argument over a heifer?
- A. Robbo
- B. Troon
- C. Bez
- D. Scagga
4. What innovation does Seft create to move the giant stones for the new Monument?
- A. A wheeled cart
- B. A log‑and‑rope roller system
- C. A polished wooden sled runner with a curved front
- D. A water‑lubricated stone slide
5. To escape Farmplace and warn the herders of Troon’s plot, Pia creates a false trail by taking a community boat where?
- A. To the Monument
- B. Downstream, then abandoning it
- C. To the Northwest Hills
- D. Across the river to the woodlanders
6. After Bez’s second successful raid on Farmplace, what catastrophe occurs in the remnant of West Wood?
- A. A wildfire kills several woodlanders
- B. Herders ambush and kill three woodlanders, and all stolen goods are lost
- C. Troon captures Bez and executes him
- D. The woodlanders voluntarily leave the area
7. How does Stam, the farmer who murdered Han and Fell, eventually die?
- A. Pia stabs him in his sleep
- B. Bez executes him upside down by fire in a balance ceremony
- C. He is trampled by cattle
- D. Joia kills him during a battle
8. At the novel’s end, what does Joia accomplish with the stone Monument?
- A. She moves a single standing stone
- B. She completes a circle of thirty uprights and thirty crossbars
- C. She rebuilds the Monument exactly as it was before
- D. She abandons the project after the drought
Character Motivation Questions (9–13)
9. Why does Seft flee his family and head north?
- A. He wants to start his own flint mine
- B. He can no longer endure the cruelty and beatings from his father Cog
- C. He is jealous of his brother Olf
- D. He hopes to join the priestesses
10. What initially draws Joia to become a priestess?
- A. Her love for Dee
- B. Her fascination with the sun, moon, stars, and counting
- C. Her desire to lead the herder community
- D. Her mother Ani’s insistence
11. Why does High Priestess Ello argue against rebuilding the Monument in stone?
- A. She believes the gods oppose stone circles
- B. She calculates it would take over ten years, making the project impractical
- C. She wants to keep the calendar secret from the community
- D. She fears the stones cannot be moved safely
12. Why does Troon force the young widow Yana to marry his thirteen‑year‑old son Stam?
- A. He wants to expand his land holdings
- B. He believes a man must run every farm and disdains female leadership
- C. He seeks a political alliance with the herders
- D. He hopes to produce many grandchildren quickly
13. After the West Wood burns, why does Bez decide to steal cattle from the herders and farmers?
- A. He wants revenge for the death of his brother
- B. His tribe faces starvation and has no other food source
- C. The herders stole wood from the woodlanders first
- D. He plans to trade the cattle for flint tools
Theme and Symbol Questions (14–17)
14. What does the Monument primarily symbolize for the herder community?
- A. The power of the High Priestess
- B. A sacred calendar that marks the days and seasons, and unity of the people
- C. A fortified structure against farmer attacks
- D. A marketplace for livestock trading
15. What does the strip of grassland called “the Break” represent in the story?
- A. The boundary between herder and farmer territories and the source of conflict
- B. A peaceful meeting place for trade
- C. A place where the sun rises on Midsummer Day
- D. A path used for stone‑moving expeditions
16. When Scagga’s crew burns debris to clear a new cattle path, the fire spreads uncontrollably and destroys West Wood. What does this event symbolize?
- A. The herders’ superior engineering skills
- B. The unintended and devastating consequences of tribalism and war preparation
- C. The gods’ punishment of the woodlanders
- D. The end of the drought
17. What lesson does the creation myth of Resk and the Sun God teach the listeners?
- A. The Sun God is stronger than the Moon Goddess
- B. The sun and moon must balance each other, and human needs must be carefully negotiated with the gods
- C. Brave Resk should not have traveled to the edge of the world
- D. The Moon Goddess is always angry
Synthesis Questions (18–20)
18. Compare the leadership styles of Seft and Joia. Which statement best describes the difference?
- A. Seft leads through physical strength; Joia leads through fear
- B. Seft relies on practical engineering and quiet determination; Joia inspires through vision, public speaking, and emotional connection
- C. Both lead by giving orders from a distance
- D. Seft is impulsive; Joia is cautious to the point of inaction
19. How does the prolonged drought drive the major events of the novel?
- A. It causes the herders to abandon the Monument project
- B. It forces farmers and herders into desperate competition for water, grazing, and food, leading to theft, murder, and war
- C. It has no effect on the plot
- D. It makes the flint seams easier to mine
20. What is the significance of the novel’s final scene – the completed Monument at the Midsummer Rite, with the priestesses falling silent as the sun rises?
- A. It shows that the herders have defeated the farmers forever
- B. It represents the restoration of community harmony, the triumph of knowledge and cooperation over violence, and the fulfillment of a generations‑long dream
- C. It indicates that the drought is finally over
- D. It reveals that the Monument will now be abandoned
Answer Key
1. B – Peg‑and‑hole joint. Seft invents this joint to secure the collapsed lintel, demonstrating his innovative thinking.
2. A – She orders the potter to give back the three arrows. Ani and the elders rule that the potter deceived the arrow maker and must return the payment.
3. A – Robbo. During a dispute over a heifer, Robbo slits Inka’s throat; he and his family later flee Riverbend in shame.
4. C – A polished wooden sled runner with a curved front. Seft tests log and branch paths but ultimately develops the sled to move stones efficiently.
5. B – Downstream, then abandoning it. Pia takes the community boat and makes it look as if she escaped by water, while she hides elsewhere.
6. B – Herders ambush and kill three woodlanders, and all stolen goods are lost. A rainstorm allows the herders to spring the trap.
7. B – Bez executes him upside down by fire in a balance ceremony. After kidnapping Stam, Bez carries out the ritual killing to restore the gods’ balance.
8. B – She completes a circle of thirty uprights and thirty crossbars. The final crossbar is raised the year before the epilogue; the completed Monument is celebrated at the sixty‑ninth midsummer of Ani.
9. B – He can no longer endure the cruelty and beatings from his father Cog. After finding only a bone for supper, Seft resolves to escape and joins Wun’s team.
10. B – Her fascination with the sun, moon, stars, and counting. Joia was always drawn to numbers and the sky, and Soo’s invitation to learn the calendar solidifies her desire.
11. B – She calculates it would take over ten years, making the project impractical. Ello’s arithmetic persuades the priestesses to choose her over Joia’s proposal.
12. B – He believes a man must run every farm and disdains female leadership. Troon gives Yana seven days to find a man, then forces Stam on her when she cannot.
13. B – His tribe faces starvation and has no other food source. With the West Wood destroyed, Bez resorts to theft to keep his people alive.
14. B – A sacred calendar that marks the days and seasons, and unity of the people. The Monument is the centre of the Rites and the community’s identity.
15. A – The boundary between herder and farmer territories and the source of conflict. Ploughing the Break sparks the first serious clash between the two groups.
16. B – The unintended and devastating consequences of tribalism and war preparation. The fire destroys the woodlanders’ home and deepens the cycle of violence.
17. B – The sun and moon must balance each other, and human needs must be carefully negotiated with the gods. The myth explains the cycle of day and night and the moon’s phases.
18. B – Seft relies on practical engineering and quiet determination; Joia inspires through vision, public speaking, and emotional connection. This contrast is evident throughout the stone‑moving project.
19. B – It forces farmers and herders into desperate competition for water, grazing, and food, leading to theft, murder, and war. Nearly every conflict stems from resource scarcity.
20. B – It represents the restoration of community harmony, the triumph of knowledge and cooperation over violence, and the fulfillment of a generations‑long dream. The final words – “The sun was up, and all was well” – underline this peaceful resolution.
For more discussion, see the chapter‑by‑chapter questions and the ending breakdown.