House of Glass Quiz: 20 Questions on Plot, Characters, and Themes

Test your knowledge of Sarah Pekkanen's House of Glass with this 20-question quiz covering plot, characters, themes, and more. For deeper context, see the book overview, questions and answers, and ending explained. Answers are provided at the end with brief explanations grounded in the story. Good luck!

House of Glass Quiz

Plot & Sequence (Questions 1–8)

1. What is Stella Hudson's professional role in the Barclay case?

A. Family therapist
B. Best interest attorney
C. Police detective
D. Social worker

2. What does Stella witness Rose do outside the psychiatrist's office?

A. Pick up a shard of glass and pocket it
B. Cry and refuse to enter
C. Argue with her mother
D. Drop a book

3. What unusual feature does Stella notice about the Barclay house?

(Short answer)

4. What book does Rose hide inside the Anne of Green Gables jacket?

A. A true crime book about Ted Bundy
B. A fantasy novel
C. A poetry collection
D. A textbook

5. Why was Rose expelled from Rollingwood Primary School?

A. She brought a knife to school
B. She attacked a teacher
C. She refused to speak
D. She stole from classmates

6. Who is ultimately revealed to be responsible for Tina's death?

A. Beth Barclay
B. Ian Barclay
C. Harriet Barclay
D. Pete

7. How does Tina die?

A. She falls through a window after being struck by Harriet's cane
B. She is pushed down the stairs
C. She is poisoned
D. She jumps intentionally

8. What does Stella do with her deliberately false custody report?

A. She submits it to the judge
B. She leaves it visible in the Barclay kitchen to provoke a reaction
C. She destroys it
D. She gives it to Detective Garcia

Character Motivation (Questions 9–13)

9. Why does Charles ask Stella to take the Barclay case?

A. He believes her own experience with traumatic mutism will help her connect with Rose
B. He wants to keep her busy after her divorce
C. He is friends with the Barclays
D. He wants her to investigate her mother's death

10. What is the real reason Beth and Ian remove all glass from their home?

A. Beth has a genuine phobia of glass
B. They want to prevent Rose from accessing sharp objects
C. They are renovating the house
D. They want to sell the house

11. Why does Harriet fake her limp and use a cane?

A. To gain sympathy and remain in the family's comfortable life
B. She has a genuine knee injury
C. To appear harmless while hiding her true nature
D. To manipulate Stella into underestimating her

12. Why does Rose push Olivia at the aquarium?

A. She is jealous of Olivia's necklace
B. She is acting out due to her trauma and anger
C. She wants to get attention
D. She is protecting Stella

13. Why does Stella write a false report recommending Ian for custody?

A. She genuinely believes Ian is the better parent
B. She wants to provoke the Barclays into revealing the truth
C. She is bribed by Ian
D. She wants to punish Beth

Theme & Symbol (Questions 14–17)

14. What does the shard of glass that Rose picks up symbolize?

(Short answer)

15. What does the eagle statue in the mediator's office represent?

A. Hope for the future
B. Grief at endings
C. Justice
D. Freedom

16. What does the absence of glass in the Barclay house represent?

A. The family's attempt to control and hide the truth
B. Their fear of accidents
C. Their wealth
D. Their desire for modern living

17. What does Rose's doll represent in the story?

A. Her innocence
B. A double for Rose, used to re-enact trauma
C. A toy she loves
D. A symbol of her loneliness

Synthesis (Questions 18–20)

18. How does Stella's personal history parallel Rose's experience?

(Short answer)

19. What is the significance of the title House of Glass?

(Short answer)

20. How does the theme of deception manifest throughout the novel?

A. Multiple characters lie to protect themselves or others
B. Only the killer lies
C. The police deceive Stella
D. Stella deceives the judge

Answer Key

Question	Answer	Explanation
1	B	Stella is a best interest attorney who represents children in custody cases.
2	A	Stella sees Rose pick up a shard of glass and slip it into her pocket.
3	All glass has been replaced with plexiglass.	Stella notices the house contains no glass—no mirrors, chandeliers, or glass windows—and workmen are installing shatter-proof acrylic.
4	A	Rose hides The Stranger Beside Me, a true crime book about Ted Bundy, inside the Anne of Green Gables jacket.
5	A	Rose was expelled for bringing a knife to school.
6	C	Harriet Barclay is revealed as the killer; she accidentally caused Tina's death by striking her with a cane.
7	A	Tina falls through a window after Harriet hits her with a cane.
8	B	Stella leaves the fake report visible in the kitchen to provoke the family into revealing the truth.
9	A	Charles believes Stella's own traumatic mutism as a child uniquely qualifies her to understand Rose.
10	B	Both parents lied about the reason; the real motive was to keep sharp objects away from Rose.
11	A	Harriet faked her injury to stay in the comfortable life with Beth's family.
12	B	Rose's aggression stems from her unresolved trauma and anger, not jealousy or attention-seeking.
13	B	Stella writes a deliberately false report to pressure the household and provoke a reaction.
14	Rose's hidden anger and potential for violence.	The shard is the first clue to Rose's secret collection of sharp objects and her troubled state.
15	A	The eagle statue symbolizes hope, as noted in the mediator's office.
16	A	The absence of glass represents the family's effort to control and conceal the truth.
17	B	The doll serves as Rose's double; she pushes it out the window to re-enact Tina's fall.
18	Both lost a parent and became mute.	Stella became mute after discovering her mother's body; Rose became mute after witnessing Tina's death.
19	It symbolizes the fragility and transparency of the family's secrets.	The title reflects how the Barclays' carefully constructed facade is as fragile as glass.
20	A	Multiple characters lie—Beth and Ian about the glass, Harriet about her limp, Charles about his past—to protect themselves or others.