I'll Show Myself Out Quiz
This quiz covers the entire arc of Jessi Klein’s memoir I'll Show Myself Out. Use it to check your understanding of key plot points, character motivations, themes, and how the book fits together. For deeper study, visit the book overview, the questions and answers page, or the ending explained.
Quiz Questions
1. (Plot/Sequence) In Chapter 1, what specific item does Jessi Klein drive to the supermarket to buy?
- A. Organic milk
- B. Nom-Noms
- C. Baby carrots
- D. A birthday cake
2. (Plot/Sequence) In which chapter does Klein purchase a butterfly kit for her son?
- A. Chapter 1
- B. Chapter 2
- C. Chapter 4
- D. Chapter 10
3. (Plot/Sequence) What happens in the Starbucks bathroom in Chapter 3?
- A. Klein hides from a tantrum
- B. Klein tries to potty train Asher
- C. Klein meets a friend for coffee
- D. Klein pumps breast milk
4. (Plot/Sequence) In Chapter 5, what object causes Klein intense anxiety?
- A. The stroller
- B. The car seat
- C. The breast pump
- D. The baby monitor
5. (Plot/Sequence) To whom does Klein write an “open love letter” in Chapter 6?
- A. Elizabeth Gilbert
- B. Oprah Winfrey
- C. Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent
- D. Beyoncé
6. (Plot/Sequence) In Chapter 12, what does Klein ultimately engrave on her ID bracelet?
- A. Her son’s name
- B. Her own name
- C. A family motto
- D. “Fearlessness”
7. (Plot/Sequence) In Chapter 19, what does Klein compare her feet to?
- A. The portrait in The Picture of Dorian Gray
- B. Two old sneakers
- C. The hooves of a horse
- D. A cracked vase
8. (Plot/Sequence) In Chapter 22, what does Klein identify as the “ultimate boon” of motherhood?
- A. A peaceful home
- B. A good night’s sleep
- C. Her son and her own transformation
- D. A perfect Halloween
9. (Character Motivation – short answer) Why does Klein buy the butterfly kit in Chapter 2?
10. (Character Motivation) Why does Klein initially resist hiring a night nurse in Chapter 14?
- A. She thinks it’s too expensive
- B. She feels guilty about her privilege
- C. She doesn’t trust strangers
- D. Her husband objects
11. (Character Motivation) In Chapter 8, what triggers Klein’s fantasy about a future lesbian wife?
- A. A fight with her husband
- B. A movie she watches alone
- C. A conversation with a friend
- D. Both A and B
12. (Character Motivation – short answer) Why does Klein feel betrayed when Nate and Jeremiah announce they are moving back to New York?
13. (Character Motivation) In Chapter 15, what best explains Klein’s eventual acceptance of her hair loss?
- A. She finds a miracle cure
- B. Motherhood liberates her from vanity
- C. Her husband says he doesn’t mind
- D. She gets a hair transplant
14. (Theme/Symbol) What does the “underwear sandwich” in Chapter 7 symbolize?
- A. The messiness of newborn care
- B. The hidden, unglamorous realities of postpartum life
- C. A coping mechanism for fatigue
- D. The bond between mother and nurse
15. (Theme/Symbol) In Chapter 16, what does the Teddy Ruxpin toy represent?
- A. The joy of reading to a child
- B. The way mothers go on autopilot while parenting
- C. Klein’s childhood memories
- D. The desire for new technology
16. (Theme/Symbol) What does the linen jumpsuit in Chapter 4 come to symbolize for Klein?
- A. Fashion failure
- B. Self-acceptance and refusal to perform sexiness
- C. The LA lifestyle
- D. Postpartum weight gain
17. (Theme/Symbol – short answer) In Chapter 14, what does the phrase “change of hands” mean for Klein?
18. (Synthesis – short answer) According to the book, how does Klein redefine the hero’s journey for mothers?
19. (Synthesis) How does Klein’s attitude toward her son’s independence change from Chapter 3 to Chapter 22?
- A. She becomes more controlling
- B. She moves from fear of separation to embracing his growing autonomy
- C. She remains indifferent
- D. She regrets having a child
20. (Synthesis) Which of the following best describes the arc of Klein’s body image from Chapter 4 to Chapter 19?
- A. She never stops hating her body
- B. She moves from frustration with her postpartum body to accepting her aging feet as a sign of strength
- C. She loses all the weight and feels great
- D. She gives up on self-care entirely
Answer Key
1. B – Nom-Noms (the toddler cookies) are the reason for the trip described in Chapter 1.
2. B – In Chapter 2, Klein buys a butterfly kit to teach Asher about nature and to prove her maternal competence.
3. B – Chapter 3 recounts the failed potty-training attempt in a Starbucks restroom, where Asher cries, “Mama, I’m scared.”
4. B – The car seat triggers Klein’s anxiety about control and safety, leading to a screaming episode.
5. C – Klein addresses the chapter to interior designers Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent, expressing her parasocial attachment.
6. B – After considering her son’s name, Klein chooses to engrave her own name on the bracelet, reclaiming her identity.
7. A – Klein compares her cracked, calloused feet to the hidden portrait in The Picture of Dorian Gray, as evidence of aging kept out of sight.
8. C – In Chapter 22, Klein states that the ultimate boon is both her son and the metamorphosis she underwent as a mother.
9. Klein buys the butterfly kit hoping to teach Asher about nature and to prove her own maternal competence. (Chapter 2 outline)
10. B – Klein feels guilty about her privilege and the idea of hiring help, but her obstetrician convinces her that modern parents need support.
11. D – After a huge fight with her fiancé Mike, Klein watches Blue Is the Warmest Color alone, which intensifies her fantasy of leaving straightness.
12. Klein realizes her anger stems from jealousy: Jeremiah was homesick, and Nate answered his call—mirroring her own longing for “coim” (peace and belonging).
13. B – By Chapter 15, Klein accepts that motherhood has pushed her beyond caring about conventional female beauty, entering what she calls “The Land of No Fucks.”
14. B – The “underwear sandwich” is a postpartum hygiene tool that Klein uses to explore the secrecy and lack of education around women’s bodily realities.
15. B – Teddy Ruxpin, a talking bear that reads stories on autopilot, symbolizes Klein’s feeling of being physically present but mentally absent while parenting.
16. B – The jumpsuit becomes Klein’s uniform, representing her refusal to perform conventional sexiness and her embrace of comfort and self-acceptance.
17. The phrase “change of hands” teaches Klein that sometimes stepping away from what you love is the best way to love it, and that accepting help is a form of strength.
18. Klein redefines the hero’s journey as an inward quest: the mother does not leave home but stays, swallowing the sword of exhaustion and rage, and the ultimate victory is in staying and transforming.
19. B – In Chapter 3, Klein struggles with the separation of potty training; by Chapter 22, she envisions a future lunch with her adult son, embracing his independence.
20. B – In Chapter 4, Klein is frustrated by her postpartum body; in Chapter 19, she accepts her tough, cracked feet as “hooves” needed to carry midlife responsibilities, illustrating surrender and adaptation.