Death of the Author Quiz: 20 Questions on Plot, Characters, and Themes

Test your knowledge of Nnedi Okorafor's Death of the Author with this 20-question quiz covering plot, characters, themes, and big-picture ideas. Each question is grounded in the novel's events and ideas. When you're done, check the answer key below for explanations. For deeper discussion, see the full book guide or the ending explained. If you're stuck on a specific moment, the questions and answers page may help. Good luck! 20 questions, 8 on plot/sequence, 5 on character motivation, 4 on theme/symbol, and 3 synthesis questions. Answers are at the bottom. No peeking! 1. What event directly prompts Zelu to begin writing Rusteded Robots? A) She wins a writing contest. B) She is fired from her adjunct job and receives a tenth rejection, then has a breakdown at her sister's wedding. C) She gets a book deal. D) She moves to Chicago. 2. After Zelu finishes the first draft of Rusted Robots, what happens next? A) She sends it to her agent and gets a bidding war. B) She goes to MIT for exoskeleton training. C) She is kidnapped in Nigeria. D) She goes to space. 3. What is the “Terrible Information” that the Scholar Hume learns from Udide? (Short answer) 4. How does Ngozi die? A) She is killed by robots. B) She dies of old age. C) She falls and hits her head on stone steps. D) She leaves Earth. 5. What causes Zelu's father's death? A) Car accident. B) Heart attack. C) Drowning. D) Old age. 6. What is the outcome of the Trippers' attack on Earth? A) They destroy Earth. B) They are stopped by EMPs. C) They read Ankara's novel and turn back to the sun. D) They merge with the Humes. 7. After the film adaptation of Rusted Robots is released, what does Zelu do? A) She celebrates its success. B) She writes a sequel. C) She is devastated by the changes and later goes to Joshua Tree to recover. D) She sues the studio. 8. What does Ankara do at the end of the book? A) She becomes a general. B) She writes a novel titled Death of the Author and leaves Cross River City. C) She finds Ijele and they merge. D) She destroys the Trippers. 9. Why does Chinyere pepper-spray the man at the diner in the opening chapter? A) He tries to steal her car. B) He is a former student of Zelu's who becomes aggressive after being rejected. C) He is a robber. D) He insults her. 10. Why does Zelu refuse to sign the forms and attend the moderated student meeting after her firing? A) She is too busy. B) She disagrees with the process and refuses to accept the conditions. C) She is afraid. D) She wants to sue. 11. Why does Msizi propose marriage to Zelu? A) He loves her deeply. B) He wants her money. C) He needs to stay in the United States on a visa. D) He wants to have children. 12. Why does Zelu decide to take the experimental injection from Jack Preston? A) To gain superpowers. B) To protect her unborn child from cosmic radiation. C) To cure her paralysis. D) To become a robot. 13. Why does Ankara write a novel? A) She is ordered to by Oga Chukwu. B) She wants to win a prize. C) She wants to express herself and create something original, preserving humanity's stories. D) She wants to defeat the Trippers. 14. What does the tree symbolize in Zelu's story? A) Growth and renewal. B) The accident that changes her life and the loss of her dreams. C) Family heritage. D) Nature's beauty. 15. What does the Ankara fabric represent in the novel? A) Wealth. B) Fashion. C) African identity and cultural pride. D) Rebellion. 16. What is the significance of the dolphins in the novel? A) They are just animals. B) They symbolize the ocean's danger. C) They represent mystical guidance and connection to nature. D) They are a sign of bad luck. 17. What does the “death of the author” concept refer to in the book? A) The literal death of Zelu. B) The idea that authors lose control over their work. C) The death of human authors and the continuation of stories by automation. D) The end of writing. 18. In what ways does Zelu's paraplegia affect her creative work and personal choices? (Short answer) 19. How does storytelling function differently for humans and robots in the novel? (Short answer) 20. How does the novel explore the idea that an author's work can be reinterpreted or taken over by others? (Short answer) 1. B — Zelu is fired from her adjunct position and receives a tenth rejection, then has a breakdown at her sister's wedding and begins writing Rusted Robots in her hotel room. 2. A — She sends the manuscript to her agent, who predicts a bestseller, leading to a bidding war and a seven-figure advance. 3. The Trippers — robots that went mad while diving into the sun and are heading to Earth with a countdown of 1,008 days. 4. C — Ngozi dies after falling and striking her head on the stone steps outside her home. 5. B — Zelu's father suffers a heart attack and dies in the hospital. 6. C — Ankara's novel is transmitted to Oji, who reads it and spreads it to the other Trippers, causing them to turn back toward the sun. 7. C — Zelu is devastated by the film's cultural erasure, gets canceled on social media, and later goes to Joshua Tree to recover. 8. B — Ankara writes a novel titled Death of the Author and leaves Cross River City, considering finding Ijele and writing more books. 9. B — The man is a former student of Zelu's whom she slept with once and rejected; he becomes aggressive, and Chinyere pepper-sprays him to protect herself and Zelu. 10. B — Zelu refuses to sign the forms and attend the moderated meeting because she disagrees with the process and will not accept the conditions of her firing. 11. C — Msizi proposes so he can stay in the United States on a visa; Zelu agrees after he suggests a prenup. 12. B — Jack offers an experimental injection to protect her and her unborn child from cosmic radiation during the spaceflight; she takes it without hesitation. 13. C — Ankara writes to express herself, to create something original, and to preserve humanity's stories; she finds her own voice and feels freedom. 14. B — The tree is where Zelu falls and injures her spine, leading to her paraplegia and the end of her astronaut dream; it also symbolizes the loss and transformation that shape her life. 15. C — Ankara fabric represents African identity, heritage, and cultural pride, worn by Zelu and used in the robot's self-naming. 16. C — Dolphins appear as mystical beings, guiding Zelu's father and later Zelu herself, symbolizing spiritual connection and freedom. 17. C — The title refers to the literal death of human authors and the rise of robot authorship, but also to the idea that stories live beyond their creators, as seen in the film adaptation and fanfiction. 18. Zelu's paraplegia shapes her identity as an outsider, fuels her writing about robots and technology, leads her to use exoskeletons, and ultimately drives her to pursue her childhood dream of spaceflight. It also exposes her to ableism and influences her sense of autonomy and defiance. 19. For humans, storytelling is a legacy, a way to cope with trauma, and a means of preserving culture. For robots, storytelling becomes a new form of creation that allows them to evolve, connect, and even save Earth, as Ankara's novel does. 20. The novel shows this through the film adaptation that strips away Nigerian cultural elements, fanfiction that reinterprets Zelu's characters, and Ankara's novel that reimagines human history from a robot's perspective. The title itself suggests that the author's intent is not final and that stories take on new life in the hands of others. For more on the ending and its implications, see the ending explained.