Quiz Instructions for Dancing Nicola Yoon

Instructions for Dancing: 20-Question Book Quiz

Quiz Instructions

Answer each question based on Instructions for Dancing by Nicola Yoon. The quiz covers plot sequence, character motivation, themes/symbols, and synthesis. Most questions are multiple choice; a few are short answer. Check your responses with the answer key after the quiz.

Section 1: Plot and Sequence (8 questions)

  1. Where does Evie first encounter the book Instructions for Dancing?

    • A) At her school library
    • B) In a Little Free Library in Hancock Park
    • C) At La Brea Dance studio
    • D) In her sister Danica’s room

  2. What triggers Evie’s visions of couples’ futures?

    • A) Touching the Instructions for Dancing book
    • B) Witnessing a first kiss between people genuinely in love
    • C) Hearing a specific song
    • D) Entering a dance studio

  3. After Evie’s first vision, what does she see happening to her sister Danica?

    • A) Danica gets a perfect score on a test
    • B) Danica catches her boyfriend Ben kissing his ex-girlfriend at a bonfire
    • C) Danica wins a dance competition
    • D) Danica decides to move away

  4. What is the name of the dance studio where Evie takes lessons, and who owns it?

    • A) Moonlight Dance; owned by Fifi and X
    • B) La Brea Dance; owned by Archibald and Maggie Johnson
    • C) Sunset Ballroom; owned by Fifi alone
    • D) Beverly Dance; owned by Cassidy’s parents

  5. Which couple’s entire relationship does Evie see in a vision that spans from their first meeting to their death together?

    • A) Sophie and Cassidy
    • B) Shelley and Sheldon
    • C) Archibald and Maggie
    • D) Danica and Ben

  6. At the Danceball competition, what happens right after Evie and X’s final dance?

    • A) They win first place
    • B) Evie tells X she loves him and they kiss
    • C) X proposes to Evie
    • D) Fire alarm goes off

  7. What does Evie see in her vision when she kisses X after the Danceball finals?

    • A) Their wedding day
    • B) The entire arc of their relationship, ending with X’s funeral ten months later
    • C) X leaving her for another girl
    • D) A successful music tour for X Machine

  8. At the end of the novel, during her father’s wedding reception, what decision does Evie make while dancing the Argentine tango with X?

    • A) She decides to break up with X to avoid future pain
    • B) She chooses to hold on to love, knowing X will die in eight months
    • C) She asks X to move to New York immediately
    • D) She tells X she never wants to dance again

Section 2: Character Motivation (5 questions)

  1. Why does Evie initially refuse to attend her father’s wedding to Shirley?

    • A) She disapproves of Shirley’s fashion
    • B) She is still hurt by her father’s affair that caused the divorce
    • C) She has a prior commitment at the dance studio
    • D) Her mother forbids her from going

  2. What motivates X to adopt his “just say yes” philosophy?

    • A) His desire to become a famous rock star
    • B) The death of his best friend Clay, which made him seize the day
    • C) His grandfather Archibald’s advice
    • D) He simply likes to be agreeable

  3. Why does Evie keep her distance from Sophie and Cassidy after learning they are a couple?

    • A) She is jealous of their relationship
    • B) She has a vision that their relationship will end badly and fears losing both friends
    • C) She is busy with dance practice
    • D) She doesn’t approve of same‑sex relationships

  4. After seeing Archibald and Maggie’s lifelong vision, what realization does Evie come to about love?

    • A) Love is always a lie
    • B) Not every couple ends the same way; love can be lifelong and still matter despite loss
    • C) She should never fall in love
    • D) Dance is more important than relationships

  5. Why does Evie lie to her sister Danica about their father’s affair with Shirley?

    • A) To protect Danica from the painful truth
    • B) She hopes Danica will dislike Shirley
    • C) She doesn’t remember the details
    • D) To avoid an argument

Section 3: Theme and Symbol (4 questions)

  1. What does the Instructions for Dancing book symbolize for Evie at the beginning of the story?

    • A) Her desire to become a professional dancer
    • B) A mysterious guide that forces her to confront love and heartbreak
    • C) A simple hobby she picks up
    • D) A school assignment

  2. In the novel, what does the Argentine tango come to represent for Evie?

    • A) A dance of pure technique with no emotion
    • B) The struggle between control and surrender, and the risk of letting go in love
    • C) A competition she must win
    • D) A punishment from Fifi

  3. The old woman at the Little Free Library tells Evie that her power was never about seeing heartbreak. What does she claim the power actually is?

    • A) The ability to see the future of everyone in Los Angeles
    • B) The ability to see love itself, not just endings
    • C) A curse that will never fade
    • D) A gift to make people fall in love

  4. How does the novel use the motif of “the time we get” (as stated by X)?

    • A) To argue that time is unlimited for young people
    • B) To encourage living in the present despite inevitable loss
    • C) To justify procrastination
    • D) To suggest that love is a waste of time

Section 4: Synthesis (3 questions)

  1. In what way does Evie’s character arc challenge the romance trope of the “happily ever after”?

    • A) She rejects all romantic relationships entirely
    • B) She learns that love can be meaningful even when it ends, embracing the risk
    • C) She finds a perfect relationship without any conflict
    • D) She decides that friendship is better than romance

  2. How does the novel connect grief with the act of dancing? Provide one specific example from the text.

  3. Based on the entire story, what lesson does Evie ultimately learn about the relationship between love and heartbreak? Answer in 2–3 sentences.

Answer Key

1. B – Evie finds Instructions for Dancing in a Little Free Library in Hancock Park, offered by a mysterious old woman. (See Chapters 3 and 58)

2. B – Evie’s visions are triggered only by the first kiss of couples who are genuinely in love. (See Chapter 11: The Formula for Heartbreak)

3. B – Her first vision shows Danica catching Ben kissing his ex at a beach bonfire—a premonition that comes true. (See Chapter 5: The Bonfire)

4. B – La Brea Dance is owned by Archibald and Maggie Johnson, the older Black couple who perform the stunning waltz. (See Chapter 9)

5. C – Evie has a vision of Archibald and Maggie’s entire life together, from meeting in an audition line to dying peacefully. (See Chapter 44: Archibald and Maggie)

6. B – After their final dance, Evie tells X she loves him and they kiss, which triggers her vision of his death. (See Chapter 47: Becomes a Sea)

7. B – The vision shows a joyful montage of their relationship, then cuts to Evie sobbing at a funeral program for Xavier Woods, dated ten months away. (See Chapter 48: X and Me)

8. B – Evie consciously chooses to hold on to X’s hand and embrace the love they have, even though she knows he will die from a congenital heart defect in eight months. (See Chapter 60: The Future)

9. B – Evie refuses the wedding because she is still deeply hurt by her father’s betrayal (the affair that broke up their family). (See Chapter 28: The Fall; Chapter 52: Forgiveness)

10. B – X’s best friend Clay died a year ago, which inspired X to adopt a carpe diem attitude. (See Chapter 19: Not a Date, Part 1 of 3)

11. B – Evie has seen a vision of Sophie and Cassidy breaking up; she fears that their eventual split will ruin the friendship group. (See Chapter 29: The Ones You Don’t See Coming, Part 3)

12. B – After seeing the Johnsons’ lifelong love, Evie realizes that not every couple ends badly and that love can be beautiful even when it ends. (See Chapter 45: The Invention of Language)

13. A – Evie lies to protect Danica from the pain of knowing their father had an ongoing affair with Shirley. (See Chapter 57: Two Dresses)

14. B – The book is a mysterious object that leads Evie to La Brea Dance and forces her to confront love and heartbreak through her visions. (See Chapter 3 and Chapter 58)

15. B – Tango represents the struggle between control and surrender; Evie initially cannot let go, but eventually learns to trust and be vulnerable. (See Chapter 39: Argentine Tango Friday)

16. B – The old woman says the power was the ability to see love, not just heartbreak—Evie had focused only on the endings. (See Chapter 58: Answers)

17. B – X’s phrase “the time we get is the time we get” urges Evie (and the reader) to live in the present and not waste time fearing an inevitable end. (See Chapter 33: The Time We Get)

18. B – Evie learns that love is worth the risk even if it ends; she chooses to love X despite knowing he will die. (See Chapter 60: The Future)

19. (Short answer) The novel links grief and dancing most clearly when Evie and X dance the Argentine tango after learning of X’s impending death. Despite her grief, she continues to dance, and the act becomes a symbol of holding on to joy even in the face of loss. (See Chapter 60: The Future)

20. (Short answer) Evie learns that heartbreak does not invalidate love; love can be complete and meaningful even if it ends. She chooses to embrace the time she has with X rather than protect herself from future pain. (See Chapters 58–60)

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