Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating: 20-Question Full Book Quiz

Test your knowledge of Adiba Jaigirdar's novel with this quiz covering plot, character motivation, themes, and big-picture ideas. Answers are at the bottom.

Plot & Sequence (Questions 1–8)

1. What surprising announcement does Ishu's sister Nik make during a family dinner?

A) She is moving to London permanently
B) She is taking a year off from university to get married
C) She has been offered a job at a hospital
D) She wants to become a doctor

2. Why does Hani first tell her friends that she is dating Ishu?

(Short answer)

3. What is the title of the Google Doc that Hani creates to keep their fake relationship story consistent?

(Short answer)

4. Where do Hani and Ishu go for their first public fake date?

A) A McDonald's in Dublin
B) A halal Middle Eastern restaurant called Seven Wonders
C) A Bengali dawat at Ishu's house
D) A cinema in town

5. Who accidentally gains access to the fake dating guide and sees its contents?

A) Hani's mother
B) Ishu's sister Nik
C) Aisling
D) Dee

6. What accusation does Aisling make against Ishu at school?

(Short answer)

7. How does Ishu's sister Nik prove that Ishu is innocent of the accusation?

A) She shows the principal a video of the test
B) She questions Aisling about specific biology terms that Aisling cannot answer
C) She bribes the principal with evidence from the fake dating guide
D) She gets Hani to confess that Aisling cheated

8. What happens during the Head Girl presentations that changes the course of the election?

(Short answer)

Character Motivation (Questions 9–13)

9. Why does Ishu initially refuse Hani's request to fake date?

A) She is already dating someone else
B) She is not out to her parents and fears the impact on her family and community
C) She thinks Hani is not popular enough to help her
D) She does not want to be Head Girl

10. What is Ishu's main motivation for eventually agreeing to the fake relationship?

(Short answer)

11. What does Hani hope to gain from the fake relationship?

A) A chance to become Head Girl
B) To prove to her friends that she is bisexual and get them to accept her
C) To make her father proud
D) To avoid attending Bengali dawats

12. Why does Aisling falsely accuse Ishu of cheating?

(Short answer)

13. Why does Ishu decide to withdraw from the Head Girl election during her presentation?

A) She is too nervous to speak
B) She realizes she never actually wanted to be Head Girl
C) She wants to let Hani win
D) She is afraid of the cheating rumors

Theme & Symbol (Questions 14–17)

14. In the novel, what does the recurring rain often symbolize?

(Short answer)

15. What does the fake dating guide (the Google Doc) come to represent as the story progresses?

A) A simple list of rules with no emotional weight
B) The constructed nature of their relationship and the real feelings that grow within it
C) A tool for blackmail used by Nik
D) A school assignment that Hani and Ishu complete together

16. What does Ishu's choice to research and select a halal restaurant for their first date signify?

(Short answer)

17. What does the holud ceremony that Ishu and Hani plan for Nik at the end of the novel represent?

A) A traditional wedding that Ishu's parents attend
B) A celebration of chosen family and cultural heritage
C) A farewell party before Nik leaves for London
D) A religious ritual that Hani performs alone

Synthesis (Questions 18–20)

18. How does the novel critique the idea of performative queerness?

(Short answer)

19. Compare Ishu's and Hani's motivations for entering the fake relationship. How do they differ?

(Short answer)

20. What does the ending suggest about the importance of authenticity and finding a supportive community?

(Short answer)

Answer Key

1. B – Nik announces she is taking a year off from university to get married, which shocks and angers her parents.

2. Hani claims she is dating Ishu because her friends dismissed her bisexuality, saying she had never kissed a girl and might be confused. She invents the relationship to prove them wrong.

3. The document is titled Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating.

4. B – They go to a small halal Middle Eastern restaurant called Seven Wonders, which Ishu researched to accommodate Hani's dietary needs.

5. B – Ishu's sister Nik sees the guide after it is shared with her, causing a major conflict.

6. Aisling accuses Ishu of cheating on a biology test, claiming Ishu copied from her.

7. B – Nik questions Aisling about specific biology terms (like scramble competition and saprophyte) that Aisling cannot answer, while Ishu provides correct definitions, proving Aisling was the cheater.

8. Ishu withdraws from the race after being heckled, and Hani publicly defends her, accusing Aisling of cheating and questioning the principal's silence.

9. B – Ishu refuses because she is not out to her parents and fears the pretense would affect her family and community.

10. Ishu agrees because she wants to become Head Girl to step out of her sister's shadow and prove herself to her parents.

11. B – Hani wants to prove to her friends that she is bisexual and get them to accept her for who she is.

12. Aisling and Dee planned the false accusation because they feared losing Hani to Ishu, viewing Ishu as a bad influence.

13. B – Ishu realizes during her presentation that she never actually wanted to be Head Girl; she only ran to differentiate herself from her sister.

14. Rain often symbolizes cleansing, new beginnings, and emotional release—such as the final kiss in the rain and the fresh start it represents.

15. B – The guide starts as a set of rules but becomes a record of their evolving relationship, highlighting the tension between pretense and genuine feeling.

16. It signifies Ishu's care for Hani's religious identity and cultural sensitivity, showing that she is willing to make an effort to respect Hani's needs.

17. B – The holud ceremony represents chosen family and cultural celebration, as Ishu and Hani organize it for Nik despite their parents' absence.

18. The novel critiques performative queerness through Hani's fake relationship, which she uses to prove her bisexuality to friends who invalidate her. This highlights how queer identities are often demanded to be proven rather than accepted.

19. Ishu's motivation is primarily academic and social ambition—she wants to become Head Girl to gain parental approval and escape her sister's shadow. Hani's motivation is social acceptance—she wants her friends to accept her bisexuality and stop dismissing her identity.

20. The ending suggests that authenticity and finding a supportive community are more important than conforming to others' expectations. Ishu and Hani both find acceptance in each other and in their families (Hani's father reconciles, Ishu's mother eventually supports her), and they are able to be their true selves.

For more help, see the book overview, questions and answers, or the ending explained.