Quiz Good Material Dolly Alderton

Good Material by Dolly Alderton: Book Quiz

Questions

Plot/Sequence (8 questions)

  1. Short answer: What date does Andy make his first phone call to Jen after their breakup?
  2. Multiple choice: After leaving his mother’s house in mid‑July, where does Andy move?
    • A) A narrowboat
    • B) A storage unit
    • C) Avi’s attic
    • D) Morris’s spare room
  3. Multiple choice: Which object does Andy buy multiple bottles of and throw into a canal to try to erase Jen’s memory?
    • A) Her favourite moisturiser
    • B) Armani She perfume
    • C) A bottle of wine
    • D) A photograph album
  4. Short answer: What pseudonym does Andy use when he books a fake therapy session?
  5. Multiple choice: In late August, what award does Andy’s friend Emery win?
    • A) Best Newcomer
    • B) Best Comedy Show
    • C) Funniest Joke
    • D) Edinburgh People’s Choice
  6. Short answer: Which song does Andy sing at karaoke with Sophie?
  7. Multiple choice: After Jackson’s fourth birthday party, where do Andy and Jen go together?
    • A) A museum
    • B) A tapas bar
    • C) The cinema
    • D) A comedy club
  8. Short answer: What is the name of the new boyfriend Jen introduces to Andy?

Character Motivation (5 questions)

  1. Multiple choice: According to Jen’s account in chapter 46, what finally makes her decide to end the relationship with Andy during their Paris trip?
    • A) He refused to talk about children
    • B) He Googled himself in front of the Venus de Milo
    • C) He was rude to a waiter
    • D) He forgot their anniversary
  2. Short answer: Why does Andy write the list “Reasons Why It’s Good I’m Not With Jen” at the start of the novel?
  3. Multiple choice: Why does Andy buy four bottles of Jen’s perfume and dump them in a canal?
    • A) To make a grand, romantic gesture
    • B) To destroy sensory reminders of her
    • C) To give them as birthday gifts to friends
    • D) To sell them on eBay
  4. Short answer: Why does Morris stockpile potatoes and put up a Christmas tree in October?
  5. Multiple choice: What is Andy’s stated reason for finally blocking Jen on Instagram?
    • A) Sophie demanded it
    • B) He realised he checked her profile compulsively
    • C) Avi threatened to end their friendship
    • D) Jane told him it was necessary

Theme/Symbol (4 questions)

  1. Multiple choice: The epigraph poem “A Scattering” compares the process of grieving a loss to the behaviour of which animal?
    • A) Elephants
    • B) Dogs
    • C) Birds
    • D) Whales
  2. Short answer: What does Andy’s growing bald spot symbolise in the novel?
  3. Multiple choice: In chapter 20, when Andy tells Jen “you’ve ruined the sea for me,” the sea most clearly represents:
    • A) Freedom and adventure
    • B) Grief and finality
    • C) Romantic love
    • D) Childhood memories
  4. Short answer: What does the Anderson shelter in Morris’s house symbolise?

Synthesis (3 questions)

  1. Multiple choice: How do the various lists (Andy’s, Jen’s) and the epigraph poem contribute to the novel’s overall theme?
    • A) They prove the characters are organised and practical
    • B) They show the characters trying to impose order onto emotional chaos
    • C) They are purely comic relief
    • D) They demonstrate the author’s love of non‑fiction
  2. Short answer: Compare Andy’s “Jen tokens” system (chapter 21) with Jen’s list of reasons she is glad the relationship ended (chapter 45). What does each strategy reveal about how the characters process the breakup?
  3. Multiple choice: After Andy’s final comedy show, he and Jen share a tender goodbye. What does this interaction suggest about closure?
    • A) They will definitely get back together
    • B) Closure is possible even without reconciliation
    • C) Jen has no feelings left
    • D) Andy has fully moved on

Answer Key

Plot/Sequence

  1. Friday 5th July 2019. (Chapter 4)
  2. C) Avi’s attic. (Chapter 8)
  3. B) Armani She perfume. (Chapter 6)
  4. Clifford Beverley. (Chapter 28)
  5. B) Best Comedy Show. (Chapter 23)
  6. “Brimful of Asha”. (Chapter 33)
  7. B) A tapas bar. (Chapter 39)
  8. Seb. (Chapter 25)

Character Motivation

  1. B) He Googled himself in front of the Venus de Milo. (Chapter 46 - Jen’s perspective)
  2. To convince himself the breakup was beneficial. (Chapter 3)
  3. B) To destroy sensory reminders of her. (Chapter 6)
  4. He believes in preparing for unspecified future difficulties. (Chapters 18 and 31)
  5. B) He realised he checked her profile compulsively. (Chapter 31)

Theme/Symbol

  1. A) Elephants. (Chapter 2 - epigraph)
  2. Anxiety about aging and loss of control. (Chapter 9)
  3. B) Grief and finality. (Chapter 20)
  4. A refuge from emotional uncertainty and hidden past. (Chapter 16)

Synthesis

  1. B) They show the characters trying to impose order onto emotional chaos. (The lists and epigraph function as coping mechanisms, structuring raw emotion.)
  2. Both strategies reveal a need to control grief: Andy’s tokens limit his obsession with talking about Jen, while Jen’s list rationalises her decision to leave. Each is a form of self‑protection. (Chapters 21 and 45)
  3. B) Closure is possible even without reconciliation. (Chapter 46 - they acknowledge their shared history and wish each other well, then part.)

Further Reading