Quiz How Y'all Doing? Leslie Jordan

How Y’all Doing? Quiz: Test Your Knowledge of Leslie Jordan’s Memoir

How Y’all Doing? Quiz

Challenge yourself with 20 questions spanning the entire memoir. Questions mix multiple-choice and short-answer formats. After the quiz, see the answer key for explanations and traceable evidence.

Plot and Sequence (8 questions)

  1. What phrase did Leslie Jordan use to launch his Instagram fame, as described in Chapter 1?

    • A) “Hey, y’all!”
    • B) “Well, shit. How y’all doing?”
    • C) “What’s up, Instagram?”
    • D) “Let’s get this party started.”

  2. Why did Debbie Reynolds call Leslie’s mother, Peggy, in Chapter 2?

    • A) To invite Peggy to a Hollywood party
    • B) Because Leslie felt guilty about a National Enquirer photo of him in a Cher costume
    • C) To sell her a Bob Mackie dress
    • D) Because Leslie had won an award

  3. In Chapter 3, what pattern does Leslie identify in his romantic relationships? (Short answer)

  4. What lesson did Leslie learn from watching Marta Becket perform in Death Valley Junction (Chapter 4)?

    • A) Always charge admission
    • B) External applause is the only measure of success
    • C) Performance brings internal fulfillment regardless of audience size
    • D) Never tour without air conditioning

  5. What did Leslie throw at the homophobic boy in the West Hollywood Starbucks (Chapter 6)? (Short answer)

  6. What was Leslie’s lifelong dream, revealed in Chapter 8?

    • A) Owning a pony farm
    • B) Acting in a Broadway musical
    • C) Running a Hollywood restaurant
    • D) Writing a novel

  7. In Chapter 9, what animal did Leslie help rescue along with Allison Janney and Bryce Dallas Howard during the filming of The Help? (Short answer)

  8. At what event did Leslie throw a ceremonial first pitch in Chapter 11?

    • A) A Los Angeles Dodgers game
    • B) A Washington Nationals game after the Pulse nightclub shooting
    • C) A Chattanooga Lookouts game
    • D) A Little League championship

Character Motivation (5 questions)

  1. Why did Leslie leave the church when he was 17?

    • A) He moved to another state
    • B) He could not reconcile his homosexuality with church teachings
    • C) He disliked hymn singing
    • D) His father stopped attending

  2. Why did Leslie’s father buy him a bride doll for Christmas in 1958? (Short answer)

  3. Why did Leslie avoid the West Hollywood Starbucks for a while after the incident in Chapter 6?

    • A) He was banned by the manager
    • B) He feared running into the rough trade boy
    • C) He preferred coffee from a different café
    • D) He was on a diet

  4. Why did Leslie decide not to monetize his Instagram fame?

    • A) He was too lazy to set up ads
    • B) He felt a sense of platform responsibility and wanted to keep it authentic
    • C) Instagram didn’t offer monetization in 2020
    • D) His manager advised against it

  5. Why did Leslie struggle with his role as Truman Capote in the play Warhol Capote (Chapter 5)? (Short answer)

Theme and Symbol (4 questions)

  1. What does the “pony farm” symbolize in Leslie’s life?

    • A) His love of Western riding
    • B) A lifelong dream and source of sustained hope
    • C) A failed business venture
    • D) A childhood trauma

  2. What does hymn singing represent for Leslie in Chapter 7?

    • A) A rejection of his Southern upbringing
    • B) Family tradition and identity that remain central despite leaving organized religion
    • C) A career in gospel music
    • D) A competition with Dolly Parton

  3. What does the “bride doll” symbolize in Chapter 10?

    • A) Leslie’s desire to get married
    • B) His father’s love and acceptance despite social norms
    • C) A childhood shame about dolls
    • D) His sister’s broken toy

  4. In Chapter 12, what does the “vanishing highway” symbolize?

    • A) The boredom of long car trips
    • B) The ache of goodbyes and the passage of time
    • C) A literal road that disappears
    • D) Leslie’s fear of driving

Synthesis (3 questions)

  1. How does Leslie’s volunteer work with Project Angel Food and Project Nightlight (Chapter 6) connect to his confrontation at the Starbucks? (Short answer)

  2. Compare Leslie’s feelings about the unanswered letter to the blond-haired boy in Chapter 12 with his feelings about finishing the memoir. What does this reveal about his view of endings? (Short answer)

  3. What common thread runs through Leslie’s stories about meeting Phyllis Diller, Lily Tomlin, and Dolly Parton across different chapters? (Short answer)

Answer Key

1. B – “Well, shit. How y’all doing?” is the phrase that launched his Instagram fame, as he explains in the first chapter. (Evidence: Chapter 1 summary)

2. B – Carrie Fisher enlisted her mother Debbie Reynolds to call Peggy after Leslie felt guilty about the National Enquirer photo from the Bob Mackie AIDS benefit. (Evidence: Chapter 2 summary, retrieved evidence chapter)

3. Short answer: Falling for straight, unavailable men — a forty-year pattern he links to his father’s death and codependency. (Evidence: Chapter 3 retrieved evidence)

4. C – Marta Becket’s dedication to performing alone, regardless of audience, taught Leslie that the purpose of performance is internal fulfillment. (Evidence: Chapter 4 outline and retrieved evidence)

5. Short answer: Sweet iced tea. (Evidence: Chapter 6 retrieved evidence – “slung my iced tea right in his face”)

6. A – Owning a pony farm, which began with scrapbooks as a child and later included saddle seat equitation lessons. (Evidence: Chapter 8 outline and retrieved evidence)

7. Short answer: A puppy (abandoned during filming). (Evidence: Chapter 9 summary – “rescuing an abandoned puppy with cast members”)

8. B – He threw the first pitch at a Washington Nationals game after the Pulse nightclub shooting, in memory of the 49 victims and his father. (Evidence: Chapter 11 outline)

9. B – He left because he could not reconcile his homosexuality with church teachings, as described in Chapter 7. (Evidence: Chapter 7 outline)

10. Short answer: Because Leslie asked Santa for a bride doll, and his father searched Chattanooga to buy one, demonstrating his love and Leslie’s shame-free life. (Evidence: Chapter 10 outline and retrieved evidence)

11. B – He feared running into the rough trade boy who had threatened him. (Evidence: Chapter 6 – “Sadly, I stayed away from the West Hollywood Starbucks for a while.”)

12. B – He felt platform responsibility, handing his account to activist Deesha Dyer during protests and deciding not to monetize. (Evidence: Chapter 1 outline)

13. Short answer: He could not master the lines and the voice; after failed attempts including an earpiece, he told the production he could not do it. (Evidence: Chapter 5 outline)

14. B – The pony farm symbolizes a lifelong dream and sustained hope, as Leslie says: “Dreams are what sustain us in hard times.” (Evidence: Chapter 8 retrieved evidence)

15. B – Hymn singing represents family tradition and identity that remain central despite his changed relationship with organized religion. (Evidence: Chapter 7 retrieved evidence – “I am a Jordan, and I am a hymn singer.”)

16. B – The bride doll symbolizes his father’s love and acceptance, honoring him for buying the doll despite social norms. (Evidence: Chapter 10 outline)

17. B – The vanishing highway symbolizes the ache of goodbyes, nostalgia, and the passage of time, especially linked to his first crush. (Evidence: Chapter 12 retrieved evidence)

18. Short answer: Both episodes show Leslie’s commitment to protecting safe spaces for the gay community. His volunteer work taught him that “true happiness can only come from being ‘of loving service to others,’” which fuels his fierce response when homophobia invades a place like Starbucks. (Evidence: Chapter 6 retrieved evidence)

19. Short answer: The unanswered letter left him with unrequited love and lingering loss; finishing the memoir felt similar — he didn’t want the connection to end. However, he reassures readers that his Instagram community keeps the bond alive, turning a goodbye into “goodbye for now.” (Evidence: Chapter 12 retrieved evidence)

20. Short answer: Each meeting underscores Leslie’s admiration for strong female comedians and artists who inspired him as a child and later became friends or collaborators, reinforcing his journey from impersonation to authentic connection. (Evidence: Chapters 1 and 7 retrieved evidence)

Want to explore more? Check out the book summary, common questions, and the ending explained.