Happiness Falls Quiz: 20 Questions on Plot, Character, and Theme
Test your knowledge of Angie Kim's Happiness Falls with this 20-question quiz covering plot, character motivation, theme, and synthesis. Questions span the entire novel, from the opening epigraph to the hundredth-day ceremony. After the quiz, you'll find a complete answer key with brief explanations. For deeper analysis, see the book overview, questions and answers, and ending explained. Good luck!
Plot and Sequence Questions
1. On what date did Adam Parson and his son Eugene leave for River Falls Park?
A) June 20, 2020
B) June 23, 2020
C) June 25, 2020
D) July 1, 2020
2. When Mia heard footsteps on the driveway after Eugene ran home, what did she initially assume?
A) A delivery person had arrived
B) Her father was returning with Eugene
C) The police had come to question her
D) Her boyfriend Vic had driven from Ohio
3. What did Mia notice under Eugene's fingernails that led her to wash his clothes and make him shower before police arrived?
(Short answer)
4. What did Detective Janus report about the father's backpack?
A) It was found in the parking lot
B) It was recovered from the river, snagged on a rock
C) It was discovered in a neighbor's yard
D) It was never found
5. What did the family discover about Eugene's secret therapy sessions?
A) He had been seeing a speech therapist named Anjeli three times weekly since October
B) He had been attending a special school for autistic children
C) He had been meeting with a detective to discuss his father
D) He had been practicing piano with a private tutor
6. During his session with Anjeli, what did Eugene spell out about the day his father disappeared?
(Short answer)
7. What happened when Mia attempted to unlock her father's phone using the passcode she deduced?
A) The phone opened and revealed a photo of Eugene's first written words
B) She pressed the wrong final digit, triggering a security feature that disabled the phone and deleted all data
C) The phone was already dead and could not be powered on
D) She found the phone had been wiped by the police
8. What did Mia do with the written account of her family's story on the hundredth day?
A) She mailed it to her father's lawyer
B) She burned it and scattered the ashes over the waterfall
C) She buried it in the family's backyard
D) She gave it to Eugene to read aloud
Character Motivation Questions
9. Why did Mia initially resist calling the police to search for her father?
A) She believed he had simply gone on a trip
B) She wanted to protect Eugene from potential misunderstanding due to his condition
C) She was afraid the police would arrest her for hiding evidence
D) She thought her mother would handle it better
10. Why did John blame Mia for not noticing their father's absence?
(Short answer)
11. Why had Adam kept Eugene's ability to communicate a secret from the family?
A) He was ashamed of Eugene's disability
B) He wanted to wait for proof from an eye-tracking study before telling anyone
C) He planned to write a book about it first
D) He feared his wife would divorce him
12. Why did Mia cling to the theory that Anjeli was her father's secret lover?
A) She wanted to believe her father had a romantic adventure
B) It kept alive the possibility that her father was still alive
C) She was jealous of Anjeli's relationship with Eugene
D) She wanted to hurt her mother
13. Why did Eugene destroy the birthday cakes on the twins' thirteenth birthday?
A) He was angry at his siblings for ignoring him
B) He wanted to protect them from the sugar that caused him pain
C) He was having a tantrum due to sensory overload
D) He was trying to get attention from his parents
Theme and Symbol Questions
14. What does the waterfall symbolize in the novel?
(Short answer)
15. What does the letterboard represent in the story?
A) A barrier to communication
B) A tool for nonspeakers to express themselves and gain agency
C) A symbol of the family's wealth
D) A reminder of the father's obsession with happiness
**16. What is the central idea behind the