Hemlock and Hedge Quiz: How Well Do You Know Hazel Salem's Story?
Think you know every twist and turn of Ruby Loren's Hemlock and Hedge? This 20-question quiz covers the entire prequel—from the envelope hidden in the split oak tree to the final arrangement of silence between Hazel and the Ghoul family. You will be tested on plot sequence, character motivations, symbolic elements, and your ability to synthesize the novel's interconnected secrets. The quiz mixes multiple-choice and short-answer formats, and every answer is explained in the key that follows.
If you need a refresher before diving in, visit the full book overview.
Plot and Sequence Questions
1. What does Hazel find hidden inside the hollow oak tree in Wormwood Forest?
a) A handwritten spell book bound in leather b) A silver key to a hidden apothecary vault c) A yellowed envelope marked with an "X" d) A faded photograph of her mother at the coven
2. What three conditions did Hazel's mother attach to inheriting Salem Apothecary?
a) Pay off the shop's debts, hire a coven liaison, and never practice magic b) Keep the shop open, study witchcraft, and join the Wormwood Coven c) Rename the shop, sell only organic herbs, and attend town meetings d) Close the shop, destroy all magical items, and leave Wormwood
3. Short answer: What significant event happened on 16 May 1990 that Hazel uncovers during her investigation?
4. When Aziraphale scatters Olivia Ghoul's tarot deck at her home, what does Hazel discover?
a) Every card in the deck is blank except The Tower b) The deck contains a hidden lock of hair tied with ribbon c) The Lovers card is missing from the deck d) Olivia does not own any tarot cards at all
5. What happens to Hazel at the Wormwood coven meeting?
a) She is welcomed with a formal initiation ritual and given a grimoire b) She successfully conjures her first visible spell by accident c) She is mocked, silenced, and magically held in place by thirteen chanting witches d) She is invited to lead the coven after demonstrating her mother's legacy
6. Short answer: What publication does Hazel launch after the coven incident, and what is its name?
7. What does Olivia Ghoul's order of wormwood and lemon balm from Salem Apothecary signify?
a) She is gathering ingredients for a revenge spell against Hazel b) She wishes to poison another unsuspecting victim in town c) She is publicly challenging the coven's authority over apothecary supplies d) She is acknowledging that their secret arrangement of silence remains in place
8. Short answer: What truth does Hemlock reveal to Hazel immediately after the coven meeting, and how did he orchestrate their first encounter?
Character Motivation Questions
9. Short answer: Why does Hazel visit the library after examining the contents of the envelope from the oak tree?
10. Why does Hemlock push a cardboard box to Hazel's door?
a) He was separated from his feral colony during a storm and needed shelter b) He sensed Hedge was ill and sought human help for his companion c) So Hazel would take him in, allowing their magical witch-familiar bond to activate d) He was fleeing the coven witches who had threatened his colony in the forest
11. Why does Olivia Ghoul send Natalia specifically to Salem Apothecary for wormwood and lemon balm?
a) She wants the coven to see Natalia interacting with Hazel as a show of dominance b) She is publicly declaring that the Ghoul family has ended their feud with the Salems c) It is the only shop in Wormwood that stocks dried wormwood d) She is acknowledging Hazel's coded message through the lemon cake recipe and signaling the arrangement will continue
12. Short answer: Why does Hazel publish the lemon cake recipe in Tales from Wormwood while deliberately omitting the "special ingredient"?
13. What finally motivates Hazel to stop resenting her return to Wormwood and start Tales from Wormwood?
a) Hemlock threatens to destroy more of her potted plants unless she occupies herself b) She realizes she has been wasting time and failing to pursue her writing dreams, and decides to stop blaming the town for her own stagnation c) The coven demands she contribute something of value to the magical community d) Tristan from the bakery offers to fund the first issue entirely if she will publish it
Theme and Symbol Questions
14. What does The Lovers tarot card most directly symbolize in the novel?
a) The romantic tension Hazel feels toward Elliot Hex during her investigation b) The destined magical bond between a witch and her familiar c) The hidden affair between Olivia Ghoul and Richard Starbright, and Natalia's true parentage d) The dual nature of wormwood as both medicine and poison
15. What dual meaning does wormwood carry in the story?
a) It is both a traditional tea ingredient and a component in modern anti-anxiety medicine b) It functions as an aphrodisiac in love spells and was the key ingredient in the fatal cake that poisoned the mayor c) It symbolizes the division between the Salem and Ghoul family lineages d) It represents both the bitterness of death and the sweetness of the titular lemon cake
16. Short answer: How does the lemon cake function as both a practical plot device and a broader symbol in the novel?
17. What does the split oak tree in Wormwood Forest represent?
a) A physical portal between the mundane world and the magical realm of the coven b) The original meeting place where the thirteen founding witches swore their oaths c) A hidden connection to Hazel's deceased mother and the buried secrets she deliberately left for her daughter d) The site where Freya Salem first encountered Hemlock's feral cat colony
Synthesis Questions
18. Short answer: How does Hazel's handling of Natalia's paternity secret parallel what Freya Salem likely did with the same information years earlier?
19. Short answer: How do the kittens' given names—Crowley and Aziraphale—contrast with their true identities, and how does this connect to the novel's theme of appearances versus reality?
20. Short answer: In what ways does Tales from Wormwood magazine function as both a practical tool and a symbolic milestone in Hazel's personal transformation?
Answer Key
Plot and Sequence Answers
1. Answer: c) A yellowed envelope marked with an "X." Brief explanation: Hazel follows the hand-drawn map to a lightning-scarred oak and finds the envelope pinned inside the hollow trunk. The envelope is also marked "X," matching the map, and contains the evidence that launches the central mystery.
2. Answer: b) Keep the shop open, study witchcraft, and join the Wormwood Coven. Brief explanation: The chapter outline states these three conditions explicitly. Hazel must fulfill them to inherit the apothecary, and the obligation to join the coven leads directly to the climactic coven meeting.
3. Short answer: Mayor Richard Starbright was poisoned at a cake competition where Freya Salem was an entrant. Brief explanation: The recipe in the envelope is dated 16 May 1990. Hazel's library research connects that date to the mayor's poisoning. The cake contained wormwood, and Elliot Hex had canceled as judge at the last moment, making him the likely intended victim.
4. Answer: c) The Lovers card is missing from the deck. Brief explanation: Aziraphale scatters Olivia's dusty tarot deck, revealing that The Lovers card—the very card Hazel found in the envelope—has been removed. This confirms Olivia's deck matches the evidence and links her to the cake's creation.
5. Answer: c) She is mocked, silenced, and magically held in place by thirteen chanting witches. Brief explanation: The coven meeting turns hostile. Thirteen witches chant and hold Hazel in place magically until Aziraphale dashes in, claws them, and breaks the spell, allowing Hazel to flee.
6. Short answer: She launches a free local magazine called Tales from Wormwood. Brief explanation: After the coven incident, Hazel repurposes the cover story she used during her investigation. She secures Tristan the baker as her first advertiser, writes and distributes the magazine herself, and it becomes a genuine success.
7. Answer: d) She is acknowledging that their secret arrangement of silence remains in place. Brief explanation: After Hazel publishes the lemon cake recipe, Olivia sends Natalia to buy wormwood and lemon balm publicly. This signals that Olivia recognizes Hazel's coded message—she knows the truth but will stay silent—and the arrangement of mutual discretion will continue, with the Ghouls' patronage serving as public proof of peace.
8. Short answer: Hemlock reveals he is Hazel's witch familiar, bound magically to her. He orchestrated their first meeting by pushing a cardboard box to her door and climbing inside, forcing her to take him in so their bond would activate when he saved her. Brief explanation: The evidence from Chapter 7 confirms Hemlock pushed the box to her door himself, was not abandoned, and needed to save Hazel for the bond to "snap into place." He also reveals he was born in Wormwood Forest's feral cat colony.
Character Motivation Answers
9. Short answer: She wants to research what happened on the date written on the recipe—16 May 1990—which leads her to newspaper archives and the discovery of the mayor's cake-poisoning. Brief explanation: Hazel is driven by curiosity and the suspicion that her mother left the envelope deliberately. The date on the recipe is her only concrete lead, so she visits the library to investigate.
10. Answer: c) So Hazel would take him in, allowing their magical witch-familiar bond to activate. Brief explanation: Hemlock explicitly states in Chapter 7 that he needed Hazel to take him in and that he had to come to her aid for the magical bond to "snap into place." This was a calculated act, not a coincidence.
11. Answer: d) She is acknowledging Hazel's coded message through the lemon cake recipe and signaling the arrangement will continue. Brief explanation: Hazel herself interprets the order this way in Chapter 8. By publishing the recipe without the spell ingredient, Hazel reminded Olivia of her leverage. Olivia's response—sending Natalia publicly to buy the exact ingredients—acknowledges the message and confirms the unspoken pact.
12. Short answer: She publishes it partly as a spiteful reminder to Olivia that she knows the secret, and partly to establish a coded communication that confirms their arrangement—omitting the spell ingredient signals she will not reveal the full truth. Brief explanation: The Chapter 8 evidence states Hazel "hadn't published it without spite." The recipe is a nod to the poisoning story without exposing the magical component, leaving Olivia to interpret it as proof the secret is safe but not forgotten.
13. Answer: b) She realizes she has been wasting time and failing to pursue her writing dreams, and decides to stop blaming the town for her own stagnation. Brief explanation: In Chapter 8, Hazel reflects that she "hadn't written a single word" since returning, and she had "let that dictate everything." The magazine idea, initially a cover story, becomes her genuine path forward when she stops resenting Wormwood and starts acting.
Theme and Symbol Answers
14. Answer: c) The hidden affair between Olivia Ghoul and Richard Starbright, and Natalia's true parentage. Brief explanation: The Lovers card belongs to the cake-baker's deck and is the key evidence linking Olivia to the cake intended for Elliot Hex. The cake was a love spell, and Richard's consumption of it resulted in Natalia's birth. The card symbolizes the secret romantic entanglement at the heart of the mystery.
15. Answer: b) It functions as an aphrodisiac in love spells and was the key ingredient in the fatal cake that poisoned the mayor. Brief explanation: Hazel learns wormwood is an aphrodisiac, which explains its presence in the lemon cake as part of a love spell aimed at Elliot Hex. But it also caused the mayor's poisoning, giving the herb a dangerous duality—used for attraction yet capable of harm.
16. Short answer: As a plot device, the lemon cake is the method of the mayor's poisoning and the clue that links Freya Salem to Olivia Ghoul. As a symbol, it represents the dangerous intersection of love, revenge, and inherited secrets—a bitter-sweet legacy passed from mother to daughter. Brief explanation: The cake recipe is the central piece of evidence in the envelope. Hazel republishes it, minus the spell ingredient, turning it into a symbolic communication. The cake embodies the novel's blend of domestic life, hidden magic, and the consequences of buried truths.
17. Answer: c) A hidden connection to Hazel's deceased mother and the buried secrets she deliberately left for her daughter. Brief explanation: The tree is marked on a hand-drawn map Freya left behind. Hazel finds the envelope hidden inside, suggesting Freya wanted her daughter—perhaps specifically—to discover the evidence. The tree is a bridge between Freya's past actions and Hazel's present investigation.
Synthesis Answers
18. Short answer: Both Freya and Hazel discovered that Olivia's cake was meant for Elliot Hex but was eaten by Richard Starbright, who fathered Natalia. Both women appear to have used this knowledge as leverage—Freya likely blackmailed Olivia years ago, and Hazel now continues a similar unspoken arrangement, trading silence for the Ghouls' public patronage and protection. Brief explanation: The parallel is implied but clear. Hazel deduces her mother had the same secret and likely used it the same way. Hazel inherits not only the apothecary but also the leverage, repeating the cycle with the same family.
19. Short answer: Hazel names the kittens Crowley and Aziraphale as literary references, but one kitten conceals his true name (Hemlock) and magical identity as her familiar, while the other (Hedge) remains silent and mysterious. This mirrors the novel's central theme that nothing in Wormwood is what it first appears—from the cake to the coven to Hazel's own latent witch nature. Brief explanation: The contrast between playful, borrowed names and hidden, significant true identities parallels how the town presents a quaint exterior while concealing magical conflicts, secret parentage, and old poisonings.
20. Short answer: Practically, the magazine revives traffic to the apothecary, attracts advertisers, and gives Hazel paid writing work. Symbolically, it represents her shift from passive resentment to active self-reinvention—she stops waiting for life to happen and uses words, not magic, to carve out a place in Wormwood that is truly her own. Brief explanation: The magazine is Hazel's declaration of independence. She transforms a cover story into a real enterprise, proving she can thrive in Wormwood on her own terms, without the coven's approval and without abandoning her literary ambitions.
Ready to dive deeper into the world of Wormwood? Explore our full book overview, browse common questions and answers, or read our guide to the ending explained.