Quiz New from Here Kelly Yang

New from Here Quiz: 20 Questions on Plot, Characters, and Themes

New from Here Quiz: 20 Questions on Plot, Characters, and Themes {#new-from-here-quiz-20-questions-on-plot-characters-and-themes}

This quiz covers the full arc of Kelly Yang's New from Here, from the family's hurried departure from Hong Kong to their reunion in California. Questions are grouped by category, and the complete answer key with explanations appears at the end.

Plot and Sequence (Questions 1–8) {#plot-and-sequence-questions-1-8}

1. Why does Knox's family leave Hong Kong for California in late January?

  • A) To escape the emerging coronavirus pandemic

  • B) To attend a family wedding in San Francisco

  • C) Because Knox's father received a job transfer

  • D) To enroll the children in better American schools

2. What item does Knox accidentally sell at the garage sale that causes major family distress?

  • A) His brother's Bose headphones

  • B) His mother's ruby earrings

  • C) His grandmother's antique silverware

  • D) His father's SARS masks

3. What happens when Knox climbs the fence to retrieve his soccer ball at recess?

  • A) He gets stuck and needs the fire department

  • B) He lands in mud, and the principal calls his mother, causing her to miss her job interview

  • C) He finds the ball but loses his shoe

  • D) He gets a week of detention

4. What is the name of the plan the siblings create to bring their father to America?

  • A) Operation Family Reunion

  • B) Operation Dad Come Over

  • C) Operation Bring Dad Home

  • D) Operation Sky Bridge

5. What does Knox discover about himself during the story?

  • A) He has a reading disability

  • B) He has ADHD

  • C) He is allergic to peanuts

  • D) He needs glasses

6. What happens to Knox near the end of the book?

  • A) He is hospitalized with suspected COVID-19 but tests negative

  • B) He moves back to Hong Kong with his father

  • C) He wins a regional soccer championship

  • D) He gets expelled from school

7. What do the siblings do to earn money for their father's plane ticket?

  • A) They deliver takeout in inflatable dinosaur costumes

  • B) They mow lawns around the neighborhood

  • C) They run a lemonade stand

  • D) They tutor younger children

8. What happens at the end of the book regarding Knox's father?

  • A) He decides to stay in Hong Kong permanently

  • B) He returns to California to be with the family

  • C) He gets a job at a law firm in New York

  • D) He sends the family back to Hong Kong

Character Motivation (Questions 9–13) {#character-motivation-questions-9-13}

9. Why does Knox initially refuse to leave Hong Kong in Chapter 1?

  • A) He does not want to be separated from his father

  • B) He is afraid of flying

  • C) He wants to finish the school year

  • D) He does not want to leave his soccer team

10. Why does Bowen take on the role of the responsible older brother?

  • A) Because his father tells him he is now the man of the family

  • B) Because he wants to control his siblings

  • C) Because his mother asks him to manage the finances

  • D) Because he wants to impress his friends

11. Why does Knox take Bowen's headphones?

  • A) To pawn them and raise money to bring Dad over

  • B) To listen to music during the flight

  • C) To get back at Bowen for teasing him

  • D) To trade them for a soccer ball

12. Why does Mom tell the children to say they are new from here?

  • A) To avoid anti-Asian discrimination

  • B) To make it easier to enroll in school

  • C) Because she does not want them to miss Hong Kong

  • D) To help them make friends faster

13. Why does Bowen refuse to tell Mom about the racist incident at the dog park?

  • A) He does not want to worry her while she is job hunting

  • B) He is embarrassed about being called a slur

  • C) He wants to handle it himself

  • D) He does not think it is important

Theme and Symbol (Questions 14–17) {#theme-and-symbol-questions-14-17}

14. What does the purple Goldfish symbolize for Knox?

  • A) Being different from the pack and embracing individuality

  • B) His favorite snack from Hong Kong

  • C) The color of his soccer team

  • D) A memory of his grandmother

15. What do the ruby earrings symbolize in the story?

  • A) The parents' love and commitment to each other

  • B) The family's wealth and status

  • C) A reminder of their life in Hong Kong

  • D) A gift from Grandma Francine

16. What does the author suggest is the only vaccine for hate?

  • A) Love

  • B) Education

  • C) Community action

  • D) Time

17. What do the dinosaur costumes symbolize in the story?

  • A) The children's resourcefulness and determination to reunite their family

  • B) Halloween spirit during the pandemic

  • C) The family's sense of humor

  • D) A way to hide from the virus

Synthesis (Questions 18–20) {#synthesis-questions-18-20}

18. Short answer: How does Knox's understanding of his ADHD change from the beginning to the end of the book?

19. Short answer: How does the theme of family separation shape the actions of the three siblings throughout the story?

20. Short answer: What does the author mean when she says love is the only vaccine for hate in the context of the book?

Answer Key {#answer-key}

Plot and Sequence

  1. A — In Chapter 1, Knox's father explains that the family must leave Hong Kong because of the coronavirus, which he compares to SARS. The other options are not supported by the text.

  2. B — In Chapter 46, Knox sells a velvet box containing his mother's ruby earrings for a quarter, believing it was empty. The headphones, silverware, and SARS masks are not the items sold at the garage sale.

  3. B — In Chapters 38–39, Knox climbs the fence to retrieve his soccer ball, lands in mud, and the principal calls his mother, who misses her job interview. The other outcomes do not match the events.

  4. B — In Chapter 26, the siblings agree to start Operation Dad Come Over to bring their father to California. The other names do not appear in the book.

  5. B — In Chapter 21, Knox learns he has ADHD when his mother mentions it during the school visit. The other options are not part of the story.

  6. A — In Chapters 94–97, Knox is hospitalized with a fever and suspected COVID-19, but the test comes back negative; he only has the flu. The other outcomes do not occur.

  7. A — In Chapters 90–91, the siblings deliver takeout in inflatable dinosaur costumes to earn tips for their father's ticket. The other methods are not used.

  8. B — In Chapter 102, Knox's father returns to California, having realized that fear was the only obstacle keeping him away. The other options contradict the ending.

Character Motivation

  1. A — In Chapter 1, Knox vows not to leave his father behind, saying his father is one of his only true friends. The other motivations are not supported by the text.

  2. A — In Chapter 7, Knox's father tells Bowen he is now the man of the family as they say goodbye. The other options do not match Bowen's stated motivation.

  3. A — In Chapter 40, Knox hides Bowen's headphones in his backpack and plans to pawn them to fund bringing Dad over. The other options are not supported by the text.

  4. A — In Chapter 24, Mom suggests the children say they are new from here to avoid anti-Asian discrimination. The other options are not supported by the text.

  5. A — In Chapters 49–50, Bowen asks the narrator not to tell their mother about the racist incident, and he later explains he does not want to burden her. The other options are not supported by the text.

Theme and Symbol

  1. A — In Chapter 23, Lea holds up a purple Goldfish and says she likes it because it is different from the pack, which Knox internalizes as a symbol of embracing individuality. The other options are not supported by the text.

  2. A — In Chapter 64, Mom explains that Dad gave her the earrings when they decided to move to Hong Kong, and the family's recovery of them becomes a symbol of their love and unity. The other options are not supported by the text.

  3. A — In Chapter 64, Mom calls love the vaccine for racism, and the author repeats this idea in the Author's Note. The other options are not supported by the text.

  4. A — In Chapters 90–91, the siblings wear dinosaur costumes to deliver takeout and earn money for their father's ticket, symbolizing their resourcefulness and determination. The other options are not supported by the text.

Synthesis

  1. Sample answer: At the start, Knox sees his ADHD as a blurting-things-out problem that gets him into trouble. After his father reframes it as a superpower that includes hyper-focusing, and after Christopher shares his own experience, Knox begins to accept it. By the end, he uses his hyper-focus productively, earns an A– on a math test, and advocates for himself.

  2. Sample answer: The separation from their father drives nearly every major decision the siblings make. They create Operation Dad Come Over, hold a garage sale, deliver takeout in dinosaur costumes, and even impersonate their father in job interviews. The separation also deepens their bond: Bowen takes on responsibility, Lea offers emotional support, and Knox risks punishment to raise money for the reunion.

  3. Sample answer: The author means that hatred, especially anti-Asian racism during the pandemic, cannot be cured by fear or isolation, but only by love, kindness, and community solidarity. Throughout the book, characters respond to racism with courage and connection—Mom confronts a discriminatory shopper, the family posts anti-racism posters, and the community supports small businesses—showing that love is the force that holds families and communities together.

Want to dig deeper? Explore the book overview, browse reader questions and answers, or read the ending explained.

Published by What Happened?

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