Mad Mabel Quiz: 20 Questions on Plot, Characters, Themes & More
How well do you know Mabel Waller? Take our comprehensive quiz on Sally Hepworth's Mad Mabel to test your recall of the novel's twists, motivations, and deeper meanings. Whether you're preparing for a book club or just want to revisit the story, these 20 questions cover everything from the initial mystery to the final revelations. After you finish, check the answer key for explanations. For more on the book, visit our book overview and discussion questions.
Quiz Questions
1. [Plot/Sequence] What event first hints at Elsie's hidden past?
- A) Her neighbor Ishaan is found dead.
- B) A photocopy of an old news article is slipped under her door.
- C) A YouTube journalist arrives at her home.
- D) Persephone asks her to be interviewed for homework.
2. [Plot/Sequence] What does Elsie find on her right shoe after discovering Ishaan's body? (Short answer: __________)
3. [Plot/Sequence] Which neighbor publicly reveals that she knows Elsie's true identity?
- A) Peter
- B) Joan
- C) Roxanne
- D) Mrs. Nguyen
4. [Plot/Sequence] What news triggers Mabel's mother to jump from the hospital balcony? (Short answer: __________)
5. [Plot/Sequence] After the Bonfire Day incident, what happens to Billy Harris?
- A) He leaves town.
- B) He falls into a coma.
- C) He apologizes to Mabel.
- D) He is arrested.
6. [Plot/Sequence] Who actually kills Mr. Loukas? (Short answer: __________)
7. [Plot/Sequence] What object does Mabel use to kill her father?
- A) A fireplace poker
- B) An umbrella
- C) A kitchen knife
- D) A compass needle
8. [Plot/Sequence] In the final interview, what is revealed about Daphne? (Short answer: __________)
9. [Character Motivation] Why does Elsie agree to be interviewed by Libby and Adeem?
- A) She wants fame.
- B) She hopes to be exonerated.
- C) She wants to control her own story.
- D) She needs money.
10. [Character Motivation] Why does Roxanne leave Persephone home alone at night? (Short answer: __________)
11. [Character Motivation] Why does Mr. Loukas pursue a relationship with fourteen-year-old Mabel?
- A) He truly loves her.
- B) He is a serial groomer who preys on vulnerable students.
- C) He wants to help her write better.
- D) He feels sorry for her.
12. [Character Motivation] Why does Aunt Cess take Mabel in after the mother's death? (Short answer: __________)
13. [Character Motivation] Why does Elsie finally admit that Daphne was an imaginary friend?
- A) The documentary team forces her.
- B) She no longer needs the pretense because she has real friends.
- C) She has forgotten the past.
- D) She wants to be diagnosed as insane.
14. [Theme / Symbol] What does the book Anne of Green Gables symbolize for Mabel?
- A) Her love of reading
- B) The ideal of a "bosom friend" and a life of belonging
- C) Her mother's memory
- D) Her hatred of school
15. [Theme / Symbol] The word "MAD" painted on Elsie's house in blood-red letters represents:
- A) Elsie's anger at her neighbors
- B) Public judgment and the damage of labels
- C) A prank by local children
- D) Elsie's own confession
16. [Theme / Symbol] What does Rosehill estate represent to Mabel's father?
- A) A loving family home
- B) An obsession with status and possession
- C) A burden he wants to sell
- D) A reminder of his wife
17. [Theme / Symbol] What does Mabel's diary represent throughout the novel? (Short answer: __________)
18. [Synthesis] How does the novel challenge the stereotype of elderly women being harmless? (Short answer: __________)
19. [Synthesis] What does Mabel's relationship with Persephone reveal about her character?
- A) She is incapable of change.
- B) She is still dangerous.
- C) She is capable of love and protection despite her trauma.
- D) She only uses people.
20. [Synthesis] What is the ultimate message about justice in Mad Mabel? (Short answer: __________)
Answer Key
1. B – In Chapter 1, Elsie finds a photocopy of an old news article under her door, which shocks her and reveals that someone knows her past.
2. Blood – In Chapter 7, after Ishaan's death, Persephone notices blood on Elsie's shoe. The police later request the shoe as evidence.
3. B – In Chapter 6, Joan publicly accuses Elsa (Elsie) of murder and hints that she knows Elsa's true identity.
4. Mabel's father traveling to London with Susan McGinty – In Chapter 15, Mabel's mother learns of the affair and that Mabel saw them together, causing her to slap Mabel and then jump.
5. B – In Chapter 34, Billy is found injured at the bottom of beach steps and put into an induced coma. He later wakes with memory loss.
6. Tessa, his fiancée – In Chapter 66, Tessa confesses to murdering Mr. Loukas with a fireplace poker after staging a flat tire.
7. B – In Chapter 69, Mabel attacks her father with an umbrella, stabbing and beating him to death after he kills Cess.
8. She is an imaginary friend – In Chapter 72, Elsie admits that Daphne never actually returned; she was a fictional friend she created to cope with trauma.
9. C – In Chapter 19, Mabel says she is speaking because legal action can't stop the media frenzy; she hopes feeding the beast will bring her peace and she chooses them because they seem easier to manipulate.
10. She cleans offices at night to support herself and Persephone – In Chapter 38, Roxanne confesses she leaves her daughter alone to work.
11. B – Mr. Loukas is a serial groomer; in Chapter 53 his fiancée Tessa reveals he had relationships with other students, and Mabel is not the first.
12. She is Mabel's only blood relative and feels a duty to protect her from her father – In Chapter 44, Cess says Mabel is the next generation and promises never to leave her with her father.
13. B – In Chapter 72, Elsie explains that after receiving real friendship from Libby, Adeem, and the neighbors, she no longer needs the pretense of Daphne.
14. B – Anne of Green Gables is a recurring motif; Mabel longs for a "bosom friend" like Anne and Diana, and the story represents hope and belonging.
15. B – The vandalism in Chapter 55 is a public labeling that reinforces the judgment Mabel has faced her whole life, symbolizing the power of a single word to define a person.
16. B – In Chapter 4, Mabel notes that her father loved Rosehill more than her mother; the house is his obsession and a symbol of status.
17. Her attempt to make sense of her life and record the truth – Mabel starts a diary at Ness's suggestion (Chapter 9) and uses it to observe and later challenge the official narrative.
18. Elsie, an 81‑year‑old woman, is revealed to be a convicted murderer, subverting the assumption that elderly women are incapable of violence – The prologue explicitly notes that elderly women are almost never suspected of murder.
19. C – Mabel's protective actions toward Persephone, including risking her life to save her from Shane (Chapter 77), show her capacity for love and sacrifice.
20. Justice is complex and often imperfect – Mabel's father indirectly caused multiple deaths but was never punished; Mabel is later exonerated for Ishaan's death and her story is reframed, but true justice remains elusive—her sacrifice is honored, yet the system failed her earlier.
For an in-depth explanation of the ending, see our ending explained guide.