Quiz Near the Bone Christina Henry

Near the Bone Quiz: 20 Questions on Plot, Character, and Theme

Test your knowledge of Christina Henry's Near the Bone with this 20-question quiz covering plot, character, theme, and synthesis. Questions are grouped by category, and the full answer key with explanations appears at the bottom. For deeper analysis, see the book overview, questions and answers, and ending explained.

Good luck!

(Answers are at the bottom—no peeking.)

Plot & Sequence (Questions 1–8)

1. What does Mattie discover near the creek at the start of the novel?

  • A) A wounded deer

  • B) A dead fox with an oversized track

  • C) A broken snare

  • D) A set of human footprints

2. In the clearing where the creature's tracks stop, what do Mattie and William find?

  • A) A pile of bones

  • B) A dead bear

  • C) A pool of blood with no remains

  • D) A set of claw marks on a tree

3. Inside the cave, what disturbs Mattie and William the most?

  • A) A bear's den with cubs

  • B) A hidden stash of food

  • C) Piles of sorted bones and a pile of rotting organs

  • D) A dead body

4. What triggers Mattie's memory of her real name, Samantha?

  • A) Hearing the creature's cry

  • B) Seeing animal corpses hanging from trees like Christmas ornaments

  • C) Finding a photograph

  • D) Tasting chocolate

5. After William abandons Mattie in the snow, what blocks her path to escape?

  • A) A cliff edge

  • B) A locked gate

  • C) The creature settles to sleep near the stream

  • D) A blizzard

6. What does William do when Mattie returns to the cabin after the creature follows her?

  • A) He shoots at the creature

  • B) He locks the door and refuses to let her in

  • C) He hides in the storehouse

  • D) He beats her immediately

7. What does Mattie find hidden in William's pants pocket?

  • A) A key to the trunk

  • B) A roll of money

  • C) A photograph of her mother

  • D) A note from the stranger

8. How does Mattie finally kill William?

  • A) She shoots him with his rifle

  • B) She stabs him with a knife

  • C) She pushes him off a cliff

  • D) She lets the creature attack him

Character Motivation (Questions 9–13)

9. What is William's primary reason for wanting to kill the creature?

  • A) He fears it will raid the storehouse

  • B) He wants to prove his hunting skill

  • C) He wants to protect Mattie

  • D) To prevent outsiders from coming to the mountain and discovering Mattie

10. Why does Mattie decide not to flee early in the novel, even when she has the chance?

  • A) She is too injured

  • B) She fears the creature

  • C) She believes the townspeople would return her to William

  • D) She has nowhere to go

11. Why does Mattie open the window to warn Griffin and C.P.?

  • A) She wants them to take her away

  • B) She wants to warn them about the creature and the danger they are in

  • C) She fears William's reaction

  • D) She wants them to leave before William returns

12. Why does C.P. want to go to William's cabin after Griffin is taken?

  • A) To find William

  • B) To hide from the creature

  • C) To gather weapons

  • D) To get food

13. Why does Mattie cut off her long hair?

  • A) To make herself less recognizable

  • B) To treat a wound

  • C) To reclaim her identity and defy William

  • D) To fit in with the group

Theme & Symbol (Questions 14–17)

14. What does the creature's systematic sorting of bones and organs suggest about it?

  • A) It is a normal bear

  • B) It is intelligent and not a normal animal

  • C) It is a demon sent by God

  • D) It is a product of William's imagination

15. What does the Box represent in the story?

  • A) A hiding place for treasure

  • B) A symbol of the creature's lair

  • C) William's punishment and control over Mattie

  • D) A means of escape

16. What does Mattie's memory of her name, Samantha, symbolize?

  • A) Her childhood innocence

  • B) Her desire to escape

  • C) Her connection to her mother

  • D) Her lost identity and the person she was before William

17. What do the creature's warning symbols in the snow represent?

  • A) A message from God

  • B) A sign of William's madness

  • C) The creature's territorial nature and intelligence

  • D) A trap for Mattie

Synthesis (Questions 18–20)

18. In what ways does the creature's behavior mirror or contrast with William's treatment of Mattie?

(Short answer)

19. What role does the isolated mountain setting play in the story?

(Short answer)

20. How does Mattie's transformation from 'Mattie' to 'Samantha' reflect the novel's theme of identity?

(Short answer)

Answer Key & Explanations

Plot & Sequence

1. B) A dead fox with an oversized track

Mattie finds a dead fox with a strange, oversized bear-like track in the snow near the creek (Chapter One).

2. C) A pool of blood with no remains

In the clearing, they find a fresh pool of blood but no animal remains, along with claw marks high on a tree (Chapter One).

3. C) Piles of sorted bones and a pile of rotting organs

In the cave, they discover bones sorted by type from many animals and a pile of decaying organs (Chapter Two).

4. B) Seeing animal corpses hanging from trees like Christmas ornaments

The sight of animal corpses hanging from trees triggers a memory of a Christmas stocking with the name Samantha (Chapter Three).

5. C) The creature settles to sleep near the stream

When Mattie considers escaping down the mountain, the creature emerges and settles to sleep, blocking her path (Chapter Four).

6. B) He locks the door and refuses to let her in

William locks the cabin door, forcing Mattie to hide in the outhouse as the creature approaches (Chapter Five).

7. B) A roll of money

Mattie finds a roll of money in William's pants pocket and hides it beneath the couch (Chapter Eight).

8. C) She pushes him off a cliff

Mattie dodges William's grab and pushes him over a cliff, killing him (Chapter Eighteen).

Character Motivation

9. D) To prevent outsiders from coming to the mountain and discovering Mattie

William wants to kill the creature before trophy hunters or others come looking, which would lead them to find Mattie (Chapter Two).

10. C) She believes the townspeople would return her to William

Mattie considers fleeing but believes the townspeople would return her to William, so she stays (Chapter One).

11. B) She wants to warn them about the creature and the danger they are in

Mattie opens the window to warn Griffin and C.P. about the creature and the cave of bones, hoping they will leave before William returns (Chapter Six).

12. C) To gather weapons

After Griffin is taken, C.P. suggests going to William's cabin to gather weapons (Chapter Eleven).

13. C) To reclaim her identity and defy William

Mattie cuts off her long hair, which William had insisted she keep, as an act of liberation and self-reclamation (Chapter Seventeen).

Theme & Symbol

14. B) It is intelligent and not a normal animal

The creature's sorting of bones and organs by type is unnatural and indicates a level of intelligence beyond that of a typical bear (Chapter Two).

15. C) William's punishment and control over Mattie

The Box is a coffin-like trapdoor space where William imprisoned Mattie as punishment, symbolizing his total control over her (Chapter Sixteen).

16. D) Her lost identity and the person she was before William

Samantha is Mattie's real name, and remembering it marks the beginning of her reclaiming her identity from William (Chapter Three).

17. C) The creature's territorial nature and intelligence

The symbols scratched in the snow are a warning from the creature to stay away from its lair, showing its intelligence and territoriality (Chapter Five).

Synthesis

18. The creature is a predator that acts on instinct, while William is a predator who uses manipulation, religion, and violence to control Mattie. The creature is honest in its threat, whereas William hides behind claims of divine right and ownership. Both see Mattie as prey, but the creature's actions are driven by survival, while William's are driven by a need for power.

19. The isolated mountain setting reinforces Mattie's captivity and the lack of outside help. It also becomes a character itself, with its dangers—the creature, the cold, the traps—shaping the plot. The setting emphasizes the theme of isolation and the difficulty of escape.

20. Mattie's transformation from 'Mattie' to 'Samantha' reflects the novel's theme of identity by showing her reclaiming her true self. Throughout the story, she gradually recovers memories of her past and her real name, which allows her to reject William's definition of her as his property. By the end, she asserts her identity as Samantha, symbolizing her freedom and self-possession.

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