Quiz Daisy Darker Alice Feeney

Daisy Darker Quiz – 20 Questions to Test Your Dark Family Knowledge

How well do you remember the secrets, betrayals, and shocking reveals in Alice Feeney's Daisy Darker? This 20-question quiz spans the entire novel, from the eerie preface to the devastating final twist. Whether you're a first-time reader or a seasoned fan, these questions will challenge your recall of plot details, character motives, symbols, and the bigger picture.

If you need a refresher before diving in, visit the book overview or the ending explained. For deeper discussion, check out the questions and answers page.

Plot & Sequence Questions (1–8)

These questions test your memory of key events and their order. Choose the best answer or write the correct word/phrase.

  1. In the preface, how does the agent receive the manuscript?
    A. By courier in a padded envelope
    B. Hand-delivered in brown paper tied with string
    C. Mailed with a cover letter
    D. Left on the doorstep in a box

  2. What causes Daisy's mother to name her after a flower?
    A. She loved gardening
    B. She wanted a son but got a daughter
    C. Nana chose the name
    D. Daisy’s father insisted

  3. At what time does Nana gather the family to watch the wedding video on October 30?
    A. 4 p.m.
    B. 6 p.m.
    C. 8 p.m.
    D. 10 p.m.

  4. What does Nana reveal during dinner that upsets Lily the most?
    A. She stopped paying the phone bill
    B. She is leaving Seaglass to Trixie
    C. All the chickens have died
    D. She has written a new book about the family

  5. Who arrives by rowboat through the storm at 10 p.m. on October 30?
    A. The agent
    B. Conor Kennedy
    C. Bradley Kennedy
    D. The police

  6. What is the first line of the chalk poem that appears after Nana’s death?
    A. “Daisy Darker’s family were as dark as dark can be.”
    B. “Trick or treat, smell my feet.”
    C. “When one of them died, all of them lied.”
    D. “The clocks tick and the tide will turn.”

  7. Which family member is found dead in the piano room with a snapped baton?
    A. Nana
    B. Frank
    C. Nancy
    D. Conor

  8. What object is tied to Nana's hand when her body is found in the cupboard?
    A. A paintbrush and a pen
    B. A yo-yo and a newspaper
    C. A mirror and perfume
    D. A baton and a red ribbon

Character Motivation Questions (9–13)

These questions explore why characters act the way they do. Write your answer in one or two sentences.

  1. Why does Daisy fake a fainting spell at the Royal Albert Hall in 1983?

  2. Why does Lily drug Trixie with a sleeping pill on Halloween night?

  3. What motivates Rose to hide the veterinary gun at Seaglass?

  4. Why does Conor call the family “murderers” when he sees the 1988 bonfire home movie?

  5. What is Nancy's real motive for refusing to sign the consent form for Daisy’s life-saving operation?

Theme & Symbol Questions (14–17)

These questions ask about recurring themes and symbols. Choose the best answer.

  1. The eighty clocks in the hallway most directly symbolize:
    A. Nana’s love of antiques
    B. The passage of time and Nana’s belief she will die at eighty
    C. The family’s punctuality
    D. Each family member’s age

  2. What does the tidal island of Seaglass represent in the story?
    A. A paradise retreat
    B. Isolation and inescapable family secrets
    C. Nana’s wealth
    D. Childhood nostalgia

  3. Daisy’s heart scar is described as “the only external evidence that I was born a little bit broken.” This symbol most directly links to:
    A. The idea that broken things can still function
    B. Physical weakness
    C. Her mother’s neglect
    D. The family’s superficial appearance

  4. The Scrabble tiles used to leave messages (e.g., “WATCH ME,” “HEAR ME”) reinforce which theme?
    A. The importance of board games
    B. The Darker family’s love of wordplay
    C. How the family communicates through coded clues and secrets
    D. Nana’s career as a writer

Synthesis Questions (18–20)

These questions require you to connect multiple elements from the novel. Write a short paragraph for each.

  1. How does the novel use the motif of home videos to both reveal and conceal the truth about the Darker family?

  2. In what way does the chalk poem function as both a prophecy and a confession? Support your answer with at least two examples from the story.

  3. At the end, Daisy is revealed to be a ghost who died in 1988. How does this twist reframe her narration throughout the book? Give one specific moment where her unreliability becomes clear.

Answer Key

Plot & Sequence

  1. B – The agent receives the manuscript hand-delivered in brown paper tied with string (Chapter 1).
  2. B – Daisy's mother, wanting a son, named her after a flower out of disappointment (Chapter 1).
  3. B – At 6 p.m. they watch the wedding video (Chapter 4).
  4. B – Nana leaves Seaglass to Trixie, making Lily angry and jealous (Chapter 7).
  5. B – Conor Kennedy rows a boat through the storm (Chapter 8).
  6. A – The first line is “Daisy Darker’s family were as dark as dark can be” (Chapter 9).
  7. B – Frank is found dead under the piano with a snapped baton (Chapter 14).
  8. A – A paintbrush and a pen are tied to Nana’s hand (Chapter 21).

Character Motivation

  1. To stop her father from marrying Rebecca. Daisy faints to make everyone think her heart stopped, hoping the crisis will dissolve the engagement. She admits the truth later: “my heart didn’t really stop that day” (Chapter 22).
  2. To keep Trixie asleep and out of the way while the family deals with Nana’s death. Lily also wants to avoid Trixie asking questions (Chapter 14).
  3. Supposedly for veterinary use, but Rose brings the gun because she knows the family gathering could turn dangerous. She later uses it to barricade the group (Chapter 17).
  4. Because the tape shows evidence that Lily, Rose, and Conor covered up Daisy’s death – they threw her off the cliff after she was hit by Conor’s car. Conor destroyed the tape to hide the crime (Chapter 39).
  5. She wanted Daisy to die so she could be free of the burden of caring for a sick child. This is revealed when Daisy recalls her mother lying about life expectancy and refusing to sign (Chapter 42).

Theme & Symbol

  1. B – The clocks represent time running out for Nana, who believes a palm reading that she will die at eighty (Chapter 2).
  2. B – Seaglass, cut off by the tide, traps the family together and exposes their hidden truths (recurring motif).
  3. A – The scar symbolises Daisy’s physical brokenness, yet she continues to live; it ties to the theme of imperfection and resilience (Chapter 1).
  4. C – The Scrabble messages are a coded language the family uses to torment one another and reveal secrets piece by piece (Chapters 12, 14, 35).

Synthesis

  1. The home videos show staged happiness while hiding trauma. For example, the 1988 bonfire video omits the accident, and later tapes reveal that the family “overwrote” memories. The videos both trigger accurate flashbacks (like Daisy’s fainting) and serve as red herrings.
  2. The chalk poem predicts each death (e.g., Frank’s “danced him to his doom”) and afterwards confesses the family’s guilt (“they spent their final hours learning lessons”). It also crosses out names as the killer eliminates people, functioning as a killer’s signature.
  3. Daisy’s narration seems present-tense and first-person, but she is a ghost reliving the past. When she recalls the 1988 bonfire, she cannot fully remember what happened – that gap is because she died. Her unreliability is clear when she believes she is alive until Trixie tells her otherwise (Chapter 46).