It Was an Ugly Couch Anyway: Full-Book Quiz
Welcome to the complete quiz for Elizabeth Passarella’s memoir It Was an Ugly Couch Anyway. This quiz spans the entire book—from the prologue to the epilogue—with questions on plot, character motivation, themes, and synthesis. After you finish, check the answer key for explanations.
If you need a refresher, visit the book overview or browse questions and answers.
Plot and Sequence Questions (8)
1. What does Elizabeth do with her father’s nine‑foot plaid velour couch after deciding to sell her apartment?
- A) Reupholster it for $5,000
- B) Donate it to a thrift store
- C) Skin the fabric and discard the frame
- D) Move it to her in‑laws’ garage
2. In Chapter 3, what tip from building manager Jeff leads Elizabeth to discover Lois’s apartment?
- A) That Lois is moving out
- B) That a hidden first‑floor unit is available
- C) That the roof deck is being completed
- D) That a new apartment is for sale in the building
3. Which health crisis does Michael Passarella experience after donating a kidney?
- A) A heart attack
- B) Rhabdomyolysis in 2014
- C) A stroke
- D) Diabetes
4. During the attempt to buy Lois’s apartment, what document does Lois lack that delays the title transfer?
- A) Her marriage certificate
- B) Her birth certificate
- C) A photo ID
- D) A deed of ownership
5. Where does Elizabeth lose her son James on Christmas Eve?
- A) Central Park
- B) Times Square
- C) Grand Central Terminal
- D) A Walgreens on Fifth Avenue
6. In Chapter 10, why does Elizabeth decide she is no longer a dog person?
- A) She develops allergies
- B) Her childhood dog Bandit bites her, requiring plastic surgery
- C) Michael refuses to get a dog
- D) The family moves to a no‑pets building
7. How does Elizabeth’s father die?
- A) In a car accident
- B) From cancer
- C) In 2019, around the time the couch springs begin popping
- D) Of a heart attack while running
8. What does Elizabeth do after Lois’s lawyer Paul returns the contract with a $500,000 price increase?
- A) She accepts the new price
- B) She calls Lois, who denies knowledge and later fixes the deal
- C) She hires a new lawyer
- D) She walks away permanently
Character Motivation Questions (5)
9. Why does Elizabeth’s sister Holland advise her not to reupholster the couch?
- A) It would be too expensive
- B) Elizabeth would still have a low‑to‑the‑ground modern couch that isn’t her perfect style
- C) The fabric can’t be matched
- D) Michael doesn’t like the couch
10. Why does Elizabeth write a letter to Lois after their initial phone call?
- A) To threaten legal action
- B) To persuade Lois to sell the apartment to her family
- C) To complain about the building’s maintenance
- D) To offer a lower price
11. What motivates Elizabeth to start running during the pandemic?
- A) To train for a marathon
- B) To escape her family and release anger
- C) To lose weight
- D) To meet new people
12. Why does Elizabeth decide to quit her job at Vogue?
- A) She is fired
- B) She feels pressured to suppress her Southern identity and wants to find her own voice
- C) She moves to another city
- D) She gets a better offer from The New Yorker
13. Why does Elizabeth initially resist attending therapy, as she admits in Chapter 12?
- A) She cannot afford it
- B) She believes writing and community serve her better
- C) Michael doesn’t want her to go
- D) She thinks therapy is ineffective
Theme and Symbol Questions (4)
14. The nine‑foot plaid couch primarily symbolizes which theme in the memoir?
- A) Financial struggle
- B) Grief and material attachment to a lost parent
- C) The importance of interior design
- D) Urban living challenges
15. In the epilogue, what item does Lois insist on keeping from her apartment?
- A) A collection of old passports
- B) A ceramic camel
- C) A set of religious charms
- D) A vintage lamp
16. The “burrowing owl” metaphor in Chapter 17 represents Elizabeth’s:
- A) Fear of leaving New York
- B) Stubborn, extroverted persona and reluctance to accept help
- C) Need for solitude
- D) Love of nature
17. The tattoo Elizabeth considers getting (the shape of her Central Park running route) symbolizes:
- A) Her love of exercise
- B) Home, displacement, and the desire to carry a place with her
- C) A tribute to her father
- D) Her independence from Michael
Synthesis Questions (3)
18. How do the “moving” chapters (3, 7, 11, 15) collectively illustrate Elizabeth’s approach to challenges?
- A) She gives up easily when faced with obstacles
- B) She persists through prayer, community support, and stubborn optimism, even when the deal nearly falls apart
- C) She relies solely on financial resources to solve problems
- D) She avoids conflict by letting Michael handle everything
19. Compare Elizabeth’s reaction to her father’s couch with her reaction to the lice outbreak in Chapter 14. What do both episodes reveal about her character?
- A) She is overly sentimental and refuses help
- B) She learns to let go of control and accept interdependence, though reluctantly
- C) She prioritizes material objects over relationships
- D) She consistently relies on her mother for guidance
20. In the epilogue, Elizabeth reflects on letting go of overwhelming possessions and keeping only what you can carry. How does this connect to the book’s opening image of the tattoo?
- A) Both involve permanent ink
- B) Both explore what we choose to hold onto—memories and symbols rather than physical items—as we move through change
- C) Both are about running away from problems
- D) Both focus on New York City landmarks
Answer Key
1. C – Skin the fabric and discard the frame. Evidence: Elizabeth unzips cushion covers, tears off upholstery, and has the frame removed by building staff. (Chapter 1)
2. B – That a hidden first‑floor unit is available. Evidence: Jeff tips them off about a dilapidated apartment owned by Lois. (Chapter 3)
3. B – Rhabdomyolysis in 2014. Evidence: The chapter “What Doesn’t Kill You” details Michael’s mysterious rhabdomyolysis followed by vasovagal syncope. (Chapter 2)
4. C – A photo ID. Evidence: Lois lost her driver’s license and passport years ago, so she cannot sign the title transfer. (Chapter 11)
5. B – Times Square. Evidence: James fails to follow the family into a Walgreens in Times Square on Christmas Eve. (Chapter 9)
6. B – Her childhood dog Bandit bites her, requiring plastic surgery. Evidence: Bandit bites her on her sixteenth birthday, leading to a lifelong flinch near dogs’ faces. (Chapter 10)
7. C – In 2019, around the time the couch springs begin popping. Evidence: “He died in 2019, around the time that the original metal springs began popping through the seat.” (Chapter 1)
8. B – She calls Lois, who denies knowledge and later fixes the deal. Evidence: Lois claims Paul is lying and threatens a bar complaint; the original contract is emailed the next morning. (Chapter 15)
9. B – Elizabeth would still have a low‑to‑the‑ground modern couch that isn’t her perfect style. Evidence: Holland says, “You will still have a modern couch that’s so low to the ground…it still won’t be your perfect couch.” (Chapter 1)
10. B – To persuade Lois to sell the apartment to her family. Evidence: Elizabeth writes a persuasive letter; Lois later calls to say she will sell. (Chapter 3)
11. B – To escape her family and release anger. Evidence: She begins running during the pandemic to get away and finds spiritual renewal. (Chapter 6)
12. B – She feels pressured to suppress her Southern identity and wants to find her own voice. Evidence: A colleague’s dismissive “polished” remark triggers an epiphany; she quits to freelance. (Chapter 4)
13. B – She believes writing and community serve her better. Evidence: In Chapter 12, she argues that writing and community are sufficient for her, resisting therapy pressure. (Chapter 12)
14. B – Grief and material attachment to a lost parent. Evidence: The couch is a tangible link to her father; she skins it to preserve the fabric as a memory. (Chapter 1 and throughout)
15. B – A ceramic camel. Evidence: Lois declines to take anything except a small ceramic camel that belonged to her husband. (Epilogue)
16. B – Stubborn, extroverted persona and reluctance to accept help. Evidence: She introduces the metaphor from Hoot to explain her difficulty accepting help during the pandemic. (Chapter 17)
17. B – Home, displacement, and the desire to carry a place with her. Evidence: She considers the tattoo a talisman for the apartment deal; the route begins and ends at her home. (Prologue)
18. B – She persists through prayer, community support, and stubborn optimism, even when the deal nearly falls apart. Evidence: Across the moving chapters, she navigates obstacles like Lois’s hesitation, missing ID, and price hikes through persistence and faith. (Chapters 3, 7, 11, 15)
19. B – She learns to let go of control and accept interdependence, though reluctantly. Evidence: With the couch, she eventually parts with it while keeping the fabric; with the lice, she relies on a friend’s help and a community of mothers, realizing she cannot do everything alone. (Chapters 1 and 14)
20. B – Both explore what we choose to hold onto—memories and symbols rather than physical items—as we move through change. Evidence: The tattoo represents a permanent memory of her home; the epilogue shows her letting go of clutter and keeping only what matters. (Prologue and Epilogue)
Want to dive deeper? Read the ending explained or revisit the full book summary.