Long Island Quiz – Test Your Knowledge of Colm Tóibín’s Sequel

Welcome to our 20-question quiz on Long Island by Colm Tóibín, the long-awaited sequel to Brooklyn. Whether you’re preparing for a book club discussion or simply want to check your recall, this quiz spans the entire novel: plot events, character motivations, themes and symbols, and synthesis questions. Answers with brief explanations are provided at the end.

If you need a refresher, visit the main book page or browse our questions and answers and ending explained.

Questions

1. (Plot/Sequence / Multiple Choice)
What event disrupts Eilis Lacey’s life at the very start of the novel?
A. Her son runs away from home.
B. An Irishman claims his wife is pregnant with Tony’s child.
C. She loses her job at the Fiorello business.
D. Tony’s father suffers a heart attack.

2. (Plot/Sequence / Multiple Choice)
Where does Eilis find a new job after leaving the Fiorello family business?
A. A bakery in Lindenhurst.
B. A garage run by Mr Dakessian.
C. The local high school.
D. A hotel in Jones Beach.

3. (Plot/Sequence / Multiple Choice)
What does Eilis do during the Fiorello family Sunday lunches that provokes an argument with her father-in-law?
A. She refuses to eat the food.
B. She challenges his support of the Vietnam War.
C. She leaves halfway through the meal.
D. She brings a camera and takes photographs.

4. (Plot/Sequence / Multiple Choice)
Who decides to adopt Tony’s baby from the affair?
A. Eilis.
B. Tony’s mother, Francesca.
C. Tony’s brother Frank.
D. Eilis’s mother.

5. (Plot/Sequence / Short Answer)
After a bitter argument with her mother about America, where does Eilis decide to stay instead of returning to her mother’s house?

6. (Plot/Sequence / Multiple Choice)
What does Eilis purchase before she swims in the cold sea and later meets Jim Farrell on the strand?
A. A new car.
B. New furniture, bedclothes, and a bathing suit.
C. A plane ticket to return early to America.
D. A wedding dress for Nancy.

7. (Plot/Sequence / Multiple Choice)
Following his tense encounter with Eilis on the strand near Cush, what does Jim Farrell propose?
A. That they never see each other again.
B. That they meet at a hotel in Dublin.
C. That he will leave Ireland immediately for New York.
D. That he will marry Nancy to make Eilis jealous.

8. (Plot/Sequence / Multiple Choice)
How does Nancy Sheridan announce her engagement to Jim Farrell?
A. She publishes a notice in the local newspaper.
B. She tells Mrs Lacey’s family after seeing Jim and Eilis kissing at Cush.
C. Jim makes a public announcement at the bar.
D. She declares it during Miriam’s wedding reception.

9. (Character Motivation / Short Answer)
Why does Eilis accept Mr Dakessian’s job offer without consulting Tony?

10. (Character Motivation / Multiple Choice)
What motivates Tony to remain silent about the Irishman’s baby and allow his mother to plan its adoption?
A. He does not believe the Irishman’s story.
B. He wants his mother to raise the child so Eilis will not leave him.
C. He plans to leave Eilis for the other woman.
D. He is afraid the Irishman will harm him.

11. (Character Motivation / Multiple Choice)
Why does Francesca suggest that Eilis stop attending the Sunday family lunches?
A. She thinks Eilis is unhappy and wants to reduce tension.
B. She disapproves of Eilis’s political views.
C. She wants more time alone with Tony.
D. She accuses Eilis of being rude.

12. (Character Motivation / Multiple Choice)
Why does Jim Farrell refuse to wait for Eilis to send word from America?
A. He distrusts her intentions.
B. He worries he will never hear from her if he waits.
C. He prefers to stay in Ireland and marry Nancy.
D. He wants to test her commitment.

13. (Character Motivation / Multiple Choice)
What drives Nancy to falsely announce her engagement to Jim?
A. Pressure from her son Gerard.
B. She sees Jim and Eilis kissing at Cush.
C. Jim proposed to her earlier that day.
D. Eilis threatened to expose her secret.

14. (Theme/Symbol / Multiple Choice)
What does the unfenced lawn near Eilis’s house in Lindenhurst symbolise?
A. The openness of American life.
B. The lack of boundaries in Eilis’s marriage and family.
C. Eilis’s longing for her Irish garden.
D. The Fiorello family’s wealth.

15. (Theme/Symbol / Short Answer)
What does the sea and the strand represent in Eilis and Jim’s encounters?

16. (Theme/Symbol / Multiple Choice)
What does Eilis’s camera and her habit of taking photographs represent in the novel?
A. Her professional ambitions.
B. Her desire to document and control memories.
C. A simple hobby to pass the time.
D. A way to spy on Tony’s activities.

17. (Theme/Symbol / Multiple Choice)
What thematic function does the arrival of the Irishman at Eilis’s door serve?
A. It provides comic relief.
B. It shatters Eilis’s illusion of a stable, secure life.
C. It reveals Tony’s criminal past.
D. It forces Eilis to return to Ireland permanently.

18. (Synthesis / Short Answer)
How does Eilis’s character change from the beginning of Long Island to the end, compared to her younger self in Brooklyn?

19. (Synthesis / Short Answer)
How does the theme of secrecy connect the various plotlines involving Eilis, Tony, Jim, and Nancy?

20. (Synthesis / Short Answer)
What does the ambiguous ending suggest about Eilis’s future and her relationship with Jim?

Answer Key

1. B. An Irishman arrives and tells Eilis that his wife is pregnant with Tony’s child; he will leave the baby with her.
2. B. Mr Dakessian, an Armenian mechanic, offers Eilis an accounting job at his garage; she accepts without consulting Tony.
3. B. Eilis argues with her father-in-law about his support of the Vietnam War; Tony and Frank do not back her.
4. B. Francesca, Tony’s mother, decides to take and adopt the baby; Frank handles the legal details.
5. Eilis goes to her brother Martin’s house in Cush, a coastal village, after buying new furniture and bedclothes. (Accept “Cush” or “Martin’s house in Cush.”)
6. B. She buys a bed, mattress, towels, and a bathing suit from Lowneys in Wexford before heading to Cush.
7. B. Jim proposes they meet at the Montrose Hotel in Dublin; Eilis says she will consider it.
8. B. Nancy sees Jim and Eilis kiss in Cush, returns home, puts on her old engagement ring, and announces her engagement to Jim at Mrs Lacey’s house.
9. Eilis wants independence from the Fiorello family and the chance to make her own decisions. (Accept any answer that reflects her desire for autonomy.)
10. B. Tony allows his mother to adopt the baby so that the child stays within the family and Eilis will not have to raise it – and he hopes to avoid losing her.
11. A. Francesca recognises the tension and offers Eilis an excuse to skip the lunches; Eilis accepts on the condition that it seems Francesca’s idea.
12. B. Jim tells Eilis that he cannot wait because he would worry constantly that she would never contact him. (Evidence: Chapter 21.)
13. B. After driving to Cush and watching Jim and Eilis kiss, Nancy forces on her old engagement ring and announces the engagement as a way to trap Jim.
14. B. The open, unfenced lawn mirrors the lack of privacy and boundaries in Eilis’s life, especially after the affair is revealed.
15. The sea and strand represent a liminal space where characters can escape, reflect, and make life-changing decisions. (Accept any answer referencing escape, reflection, or turning points.)
16. B. Eilis uses photography to document moments and control her memories, especially as she feels isolated from her family and past.
17. B. The man’s visit exposes Tony’s infidelity and destroys the stability Eilis thought she had, forcing her to confront her marriage.
18. By the end, Eilis becomes more assertive and independent: she leaves Tony, secures a job outside the family, buys her own house, and actively plans a future separate from the Fiorellos. (Accept well-reasoned answers showing her growth.)
19. Secrecy drives nearly every major conflict: Tony’s hidden affair, Eilis’s secret romance with Jim in the past, Jim’s hidden engagement to Nancy, and Eilis’s covert meetings with Jim in Dublin all create betrayals and misunderstandings. (Accept answers that connect at least two plotlines.)
20. The ending is open: Eilis returns to America to settle her children and buy a house, while Jim committed to moving to New York, but his false engagement to Nancy complicates everything. Eilis’s future with Jim remains uncertain, hinging on whether she will send word. (Accept any interpretation supported by the ending.)

Ready for more? Explore the ending explained or read the full book summary.