Quiz Five Broken Blades Mai Corland

Five Broken Blades Quiz

Welcome to the Five Broken Blades quiz! This 20-question test spans the entire book, including plot details, character motivations, themes, and synthesis questions. Each question is multiple-choice or short-answer. After you try your hand, check the answer key below for explanations. For more help, see our full book summary, questions and answers, or ending explained.

Quiz Questions

  1. In which city does Royo first meet Aeri?
    A) Gain
    B) Umbria
    C) Tamneki
    D) Oosant

  2. What is the name of the poison Sora uses to kill Maricelus Silla?
    (Short answer)

  3. Who kills Count Dal?
    A) Mikail
    B) King Joon
    C) Zahara
    D) Euyn

  4. What item does Aeri use to freeze time?
    A) The Crown of Yusan
    B) The Flaming Sword
    C) The Amulet of the Dragon Lord
    D) The Ring of Khitan

  5. Why does the hidden attacker fail to kill Mikail in the Oosant warehouse?
    A) Aeri throws a knife in time
    B) The attacker trips
    C) Royo axes him from behind
    D) Euyn shoots a crossbow bolt

  6. What is the name of the gang that kidnaps Sora in Oosant?
    (Short answer)

  7. Who reveals that Aeri is actually Princess Naerium?
    A) Bay Chin
    B) Mikail
    C) King Joon
    D) Tiyung

  8. After the failed assassination, what condition does King Joon give the group?
    (Short answer)

  9. Why does Royo agree to work with Aeri?
    A) He wants the crown for himself
    B) He needs money to free his brother-in-law Hwan
    C) He is in love with Aeri
    D) He wants revenge on King Joon

  10. Why does Sora want to steal the crown instead of destroying it?
    (Short answer)

  11. What drives Mikail’s desire to kill King Joon?
    A) Personal ambition to rule
    B) Revenge for the murder of his family during the Festival of Blood
    C) Euyn’s promise of a reward
    D) A bet with the Queen of Khitan

  12. Why did Tiyung whip Daysum years ago?
    (Short answer)

  13. What motivates Euyn to join the assassination plot?
    A) She wants to reclaim her throne and end her exile
    B) She is in love with Mikail
    C) She wants the crown’s immortality
    D) She is forced by the Count of Rahway

  14. What does the Crown of Yusan primarily symbolize in the story?
    A) Wealth and opulence
    B) Immortality and the illusion of divine kingship
    C) The unity of the four counts
    D) The authority of the Council of Lords

  15. What does the drug laoli symbolize in the context of Yusan’s colonization of Gaya?
    (Short answer)

  16. When Sora says “You are made of steel,” what does steel represent for her?
    A) Cold-heartedness
    B) Resilience and inner strength forged through suffering
    C) The inability to feel pain
    D) A literal weapon

  17. What physical cost does Aeri pay each time she freezes time?
    (Short answer)

  18. How does the author’s Korean heritage influence the world of Five Broken Blades?
    A) The story is based on actual Korean history
    B) The setting is inspired by Korean myth, legend, and culture, but is not historical fiction
    C) All characters are based on real Korean figures
    D) Korea is directly mentioned as a location

  19. How does Aeri’s betrayal of her father differ from Bay Chin’s betrayal of the group?
    (Short answer)

  20. In Chapter 49, Euyn reflects that the group shares “a kind of bloodship stronger than kin or clan.” What does this mean?
    A) They are all related by blood
    B) Their shared violence and willingness to die for each other creates a bond deeper than family
    C) They drink each other’s blood in a ritual
    D) They are all from the same clan

Answer Key

  1. B) Umbria – Royo lives and works in Umbria when Aeri seeks him out at the Black Shoe Inn (Chapter 1, Chapter 7).
  2. Ungu – Sora uses ungu poison applied to her lipstick to kill Maricelus Silla (Chapter 5).
  3. C) Zahara – Mikail’s deputy Zahara admits she killed Count Dal (Chapter 72).
  4. C) The Amulet of the Dragon Lord – Aeri uses the amulet to freeze time during the heist in the King’s Arena (Chapter 78).
  5. B) The attacker trips – The hidden gang member inexplicably falls, allowing Mikail to kill him first (Chapter 48).
  6. Bulgae – The Bulgae gang kidnaps Sora and takes her to their hideout, The Mine (Chapter 43).
  7. C) King Joon – After the failed assassination, Joon reveals Aeri is his long-lost daughter Naerium (Chapter 82–83).
  8. Steal the Ring of Khitan within five weeks – Joon demands the group steal the ring from his sister Queen Quilimar (Chapter 84).
  9. B) He needs money to free his brother-in-law Hwan – Royo plans to use the diamond payment to bribe a guard and free Hwan (Chapter 7, Chapter 15).
  10. She wants to give the crown’s immortality to her dying sister Daysum – Sora confides to Tiyung that Daysum is ill and the crown can save her (Chapter 63).
  11. B) Revenge for the murder of his family during the Festival of Blood – Mikail lost his entire Gayan family in the genocide ordered by Joon (Chapter 68).
  12. To protect Sora from his father Count Seok – Tiyung admits he whipped Daysum as a cruel act to keep his father from harming Sora (Chapter 55).
  13. A) She wants to reclaim her throne and end her exile – Euyn was banished by Joon and sees the assassination as her path back to power (Chapter 6, Chapter 20).
  14. B) Immortality and the illusion of divine kingship – The crown makes the wearer immortal and reinforces Joon’s god‑king status (Chapter 7, Chapter 30).
  15. Colonization and exploitation of Gaya – Laoli is made from the charm plant of Gaya, and its trade represents Yusan’s subjugation of that region (Chapter 11, Chapter 18).
  16. B) Resilience and inner strength forged through suffering – Sora uses “steel” to describe her will to survive despite trauma (Chapter 86).
  17. Aging – Each second of frozen time causes Aeri to age; she looks older than her actual years (Chapter 78).
  18. B) The setting is inspired by Korean myth, legend, and culture, but is not historical fiction – The Author’s Note clarifies this (Chapter 87).
  19. Aeri ultimately chooses to betray her father King Joon to protect the crew, while Bay Chin sells out the group for political gain (lifted sanctions) – Aeri’s betrayal is born from loyalty, Bay Chin’s from self‑interest (Chapters 78, 81, 82).
  20. B) Their shared violence and willingness to die for each other creates a bond deeper than family – Euyn observes this after the warehouse battle, noting they have killed and hidden crimes together (Chapter 49).

Check out our book summary, more questions and answers, and the ending explained for deeper analysis.