Notes on an Execution Quiz: 20 Questions on Plot, Character, and Theme

This quiz covers the full arc of Danya Kukafka's Notes on an Execution, from Ansel Packer's final hours to the lives of the women who survive him. Questions are grouped by focus area, and the answer key at the bottom explains each response. If you need a refresher, check the book overview, the questions and answers, or the ending explained.

Plot & Sequence (Questions 1–8)

1. At which prison unit does Ansel Packer await his execution at the start of the novel?

A) Walls Unit
B) Polunsky Unit
C) Huntsville Unit
D) Ellis Unit

2. In what year does Lavender give birth to Ansel in a barn?

A) 1973
B) 1984
C) 1990
D) 2002

3. What does Ansel hide inside his shoe during the countdown?

A) A photograph of the Blue House
B) A note from Shawna
C) A piece of the elephant stain
D) A letter from Blue Harrison

4. After discovering Ansel's arrangement of dead animals by the creek, what does Saffy later find in her bed?

A) A squirrel's tail
B) A fox's remains
C) A beaded barrette
D) A pearl bracelet

5. What is the name of the restaurant in Tupper Lake that Ansel visits and later swallows a photograph of?

A) The Blue House
B) The Gentle Valley
C) The Dairy Queen
D) The Sequoia

6. When Ansel reaches for the pistol in the transfer van, what does he actually find?

A) A map of the woods
B) Broken jumper cables
C) A note from Shawna
D) A pair of handcuffs

7. Which detective ultimately extracts Ansel's confession by playing Nina Simone's song and presenting the victims' trinkets?

A) Detective Andrea Rollins
B) Sergeant Moretti
C) Saffron Singh
D) Lieutenant Kensington

8. What does Hazel dig up from under the maple tree years after Jenny's death?

A) A purple ring
B) A jewelry box with a beaded barrette and pearl bracelet
C) A locket
D) A photograph of Ansel

Character Motivation (Questions 9–13)

9. Why does Shawna initially agree to help Ansel with his escape plan?

A) She is bribed with money
B) She is manipulated by his compliments and feigned vulnerability
C) She wants to become famous
D) She is forced by the warden

10. What motivates Lavender to call 911 from the gas station?

A) She wants to be arrested
B) She wants to escape Johnny and protect her children
C) She wants to find her lost locket
D) She wants to reunite with her mother

11. Why does Saffy become a police investigator?

A) She wants revenge on Ansel
B) She is inspired by the disappearances of the girls and is steered by Sergeant Moretti
C) She wants to prove her father wrong
D) She needs a steady income

12. After killing the third girl, why does Ansel drive to a hospital emergency room?

A) He wants to confess to the police
B) He asks for help, saying he doesn't want to be like this, but then backs out
C) He needs treatment for an injury
D) He wants to see Jenny

13. Why does Blue Harrison agree to witness Ansel's execution?

A) She wants to see him die
B) She promised Lavender she would ensure Ansel is not alone
C) She is forced by the court
D) She wants to inherit his notebooks

Theme & Symbol (Questions 14–17)

14. What does the locket, passed from Lavender to Blue, symbolize in the novel?

A) Wealth and status
B) Maternal legacy and generational connection
C) Ansel's guilt
D) The justice system

15. What does the Blue House represent to Ansel?

A) A place of danger and betrayal
B) A time of simple comfort and freedom
C) A symbol of his crimes
D) A reminder of his mother

16. What is Ansel's “Theory” as described in his notebooks?

A) That evil is innate and unchangeable
B) That alternate versions of himself exist who made different choices
C) That women are inherently manipulative
D) That the justice system is always fair

17. According to the author's note, what is the novel's main critique of true crime culture?

A) It glorifies killers while erasing victims and the women connected to them
B) It focuses too much on police procedure
C) It exaggerates the intelligence of criminals
D) It ignores the role of forensic science

Synthesis (Questions 18–20)

18. How does the novel's structure emphasize the women's perspectives over Ansel's?

A) It tells the story entirely from Ansel's point of view
B) It alternates Ansel's countdown chapters with dedicated chapters for Lavender, Saffy, and Hazel
C) It uses only third-person omniscient narration
D) It includes a series of interviews with the victims

19. What is the significance of the alternate universe concept in relation to Ansel's guilt?

A) It proves he is innocent
B) It allows him to imagine versions of himself who didn't kill, but Saffy insists only this world exists
C) It suggests the murders were committed by someone else
D) It shows that his victims might still be alive

20. How does the novel challenge the myth of the serial killer as a genius or mastermind?

A) By showing Ansel as a banal, manipulative man whose crimes are rooted in ordinary cruelty
B) By making Ansel a brilliant philosopher
C) By focusing on his escape plan
D) By portraying him as a victim of society

Answer Key

1. B) Polunsky Unit — The opening chapters place Ansel at Polunsky Unit before his transfer to the Walls Unit.

2. A) 1973 — Lavender gives birth to Ansel in a barn in 1973, as detailed in the chapter “Lavender: 1973.”

3. B) A note from Shawna — In “10 Hours,” Ansel hides Shawna's note in his shoe, calling it a “bomb” of hope.

4. B) A fox's remains — Saffy finds the fox's remains in her bed after discovering Ansel's animal arrangements.

5. A) The Blue House — Ansel visits the Blue House restaurant in Tupper Lake, and later swallows its photograph.

6. B) Broken jumper cables — In “6 Hours,” Ansel finds only broken jumper cables instead of the planted pistol.

7. C) Saffron Singh — Saffy plays Nina Simone's song and presents the trinkets to force Ansel's confession.

8. B) A jewelry box with a beaded barrette and pearl bracelet — Hazel digs up these items, which link Ansel to the murders.

9. B) She is manipulated by his compliments and feigned vulnerability — Ansel recognizes he can manipulate Shawna with compliments, and she initially helps him.

10. B) She wants to escape Johnny and protect her children — Lavender's 911 call is a desperate act to flee abuse and save her sons.

11. B) She is inspired by the disappearances and is steered by Sergeant Moretti — Saffy's investigation of the missing girls leads her to police work.

12. B) He asks for help, saying he doesn't want to be like this, but then backs out — After the third murder, Ansel briefly seeks help but believes he is beyond redemption.

13. B) She promised Lavender she would ensure Ansel is not alone — Blue agrees to witness the execution after Lavender gives her the locket and asks her to be there.

14. B) Maternal legacy and generational connection — The locket passes from Lavender to Blue, symbolizing the bond between women across generations.

15. B) A time of simple comfort and freedom — Ansel recalls the Blue House as a period of peace, conversations, and homemade pie.

16. B) That alternate versions of himself exist who made different choices — Ansel's Theory posits a multiverse where he could have taken different paths.

17. A) It glorifies killers while erasing victims and the women connected to them — Kukafka's author's note explicitly critiques this cultural obsession.

18. B) It alternates Ansel's countdown chapters with dedicated chapters for Lavender, Saffy, and Hazel — The structure gives voice to the women affected by his crimes.

19. B) It allows him to imagine versions of himself who didn't kill, but Saffy insists only this world exists — Ansel asks about alternate universes, but Saffy responds that only this world exists.

20. A) By showing Ansel as a banal, manipulative man whose crimes are rooted in ordinary cruelty — The novel strips away the mystique of the serial killer, presenting him as unremarkable and deeply flawed.