One Golden Summer Quiz: How Well Do You Know Alice and Charlie's Story?
This quiz covers the full arc of One Golden Summer, from the prologue to the epilogue. You'll find 8 plot/sequence questions, 5 character motivation questions, 4 theme/symbol questions, and 3 synthesis questions. Mix of multiple-choice and short-answer formats. After the quiz, a complete answer key explains each answer. Ready to test your memory?
Looking for more? Visit the main book page, browse questions and answers, or read the ending explained.
Plot and Sequence Questions (1–8)
1. What photograph transports the narrator to her seventeen-year-old self in the Prologue?
A) A polaroid of Nan dancing
B) A photo of three teenagers in a yellow speedboat
C) A black-and-white portrait of Charlie
D) A picture of a raccoon in the boathouse
2. Why does Alice decide to take Nan to Barry's Bay?
A) To reunite Nan with her estranged friend John
B) Because Nan's hip surgery requires a quieter environment
C) To lift Nan's spirits after she misses an Alaskan cruise
D) To escape Alice's ex-boyfriend Trevor
3. What accident happens when Alice first sees the yellow speedboat on the lake?
A) She drops her camera into the water
B) She crashes her skiff onto a rock
C) She falls off the unicorn floatie
D) She hits a submerged log and sinks
4. What does Alice do immediately after her date with Harrison at the Bent Anchor?
A) Texts Charlie to apologize
B) Goes home and finds Charlie and Nan high on edibles
C) Drives into town to buy pickling cucumbers
D) Calls her sister Heather to complain
5. What causes the argument between Charlie and Sam that Alice and Percy overhear in Chapter 20?
A) Charlie's refusal to help with the tree house
B) Sam telling Charlie he needs to be prepared
C) Charlie's jealousy over Sam's friendship with Harrison
D) Percy's pregnancy complications
6. What does Alice learn about Charlie when she visits him at the hospital after his heart surgery?
A) He has been hiding a congenital heart condition
B) He faked the surgery to test her loyalty
C) He had a minor arrhythmia from stress
D) He was misdiagnosed and doesn't need surgery
7. What event temporarily ends Alice and Charlie's summer fling?
A) Charlie's ex-girlfriend returns to town
B) Alice's sister Heather takes her back to Toronto
C) Charlie refuses to commit after a night of making pierogi
D) An argument about Alice's gallery show
8. What does Alice include in her solo exhibition Alice Everly: Seen that confronts her fear of being photographed?
A) A photo of Charlie sleeping
B) A nude self-portrait
C) A picture of Nan at the cottage
D) The original "One Golden Summer" photo
Character Motivation Questions (9–13)
9. (Short answer) Why does Alice agree to retouch cellulite in the swimsuit campaign, despite the "refreshingly real" brief?
10. Why does Charlie push Alice away after the pierogi night in Chapter 46?
A) He thinks she is still in love with Trevor
B) He believes he is not built for long-term commitment and would get bored
C) He wants to move to New York for a new job
D) He finds out she has been hiding her photography show
11. Why does Alice create a summer bucket list?
A) To impress Charlie with her adventurous side
B) To distract herself from her mother's health issues
C) To reclaim the courage and freedom of being seventeen
D) To prove to Nan that she can be spontaneous
12. Why has Nan not spoken to John Kalinski for more than a decade?
A) They argued over selling the cottage
B) John kissed Nan once, and the guilt caused a permanent rift
C) Nan blamed John for her husband's death
D) John refused to help with Nan's hip recovery
13. Why does Charlie insist on going slow physically with Alice, even after they agree to a fling?
A) He is secretly seeing someone else
B) He wants to preserve the playful mood and be careful because she is a friend
C) He is waiting until the summer is over
D) He is recovering from surgery and lacks energy
Theme and Symbol Questions (14–17)
14. (Short answer) What does the yellow boat photograph (titled One Golden Summer) symbolize for Alice?
15. How does the tree house function as a symbol in the novel?
A) It represents Charlie's desire to escape his family
B) It serves as a sanctuary for vulnerability and new beginnings
C) It symbolizes the childhood Alice never had
D) It stands for the wealth disparity between Charlie and Alice
16. What does the nickname "turtle" represent for Alice in her family?
A) Her slow speed when making decisions
B) Her tendency to hide and retreat from conflict
C) Her love of swimming at the lake
D) Her stubbornness when challenged
17. What does the green dress represent for Alice?
A) Her professional ambitions as a photographer
B) Her desire to be seen as bold and confident
C) The memory of her mother's favorite outfit
D) A gift from Charlie that she wears to impress him
Synthesis Questions (18–20)
18. (Short answer) Compare how Alice behaves in her relationship with Trevor versus in her relationship with Charlie. What changes?
19. (Short answer) How does the theme of "being seen" develop across the novel, and what final act demonstrates Alice's embrace of this theme?
20. How does Alice's relationship with photography change from the beginning to the end of the novel?
A) She abandons photography altogether for a new career
B) She moves from commercial, perfectionist work to personal, instinctive artistry
C) She focuses only on landscape photography and stops taking portraits
D) She becomes a photography teacher rather than a working artist
Answer Key
1. B. The Prologue describes the narrator studying a photograph of three teenagers (the older boy, younger brother, and girl) in a yellow speedboat. The memory of taking this picture launches the story.
2. C. Alice decides to take Nan to Barry's Bay after Nan grows deeply gloomy following her missed Alaskan cruise. The photo album from a past summer inspires Alice to return to the lake.
3. B. In chapter 8, Alice is startled by the burst of yellow, turns the throttle without looking, and crashes her skiff onto a rock. Charlie then appears on his speedboat.
4. B. After the date with Harrison, Alice enters the cottage to find Charlie and Nan high on cannabis edibles surrounded by junk food. This leads to a tense conversation about their attraction.
5. B. In chapter 20, Alice and Percy overhear Sam telling Charlie he needs to be prepared, then the argument stops when the women appear. The argument is about Charlie’s readiness for something (later revealed as his heart surgery).
6. A. At the hospital, Sam explains that Charlie has congenital aortic valve stenosis and aortic coarctation, inherited from their father. Charlie kept the surgery secret because he thought he was broken.
7. C. After they make pierogi, have sex, and fall asleep together, Alice expresses her desire to continue the relationship. Charlie rejects her, claiming he isn't built for long-term commitment and would get bored.
8. B. In the Epilogue, Alice includes a nude self-portrait in her show, confronting her fear of being photographed. Charlie calls it beautiful, and the plaque explains her intention.
**9. Alice acquiesces because she is exhausted and trying to avoid conflict, having already collapsed from burnout. Willa's demand betrays the authentic brief, but Alice gives in to keep the job.
10. B. In Chapter 46, after a domestic evening, Alice asks to continue the relationship. Charlie says he is not built for long-term commitment and would get bored, revealing his deep-seated fear.
11. C. After failing to jump off a cliff as a teen, Alice decides to spend the summer like a seventeen-year-old. She writes a bucket list of teenage experiences to reclaim youth and courage.
12. B. In chapter 32, Nan confesses that she and John shared a single kiss years ago, leading to guilt and a permanent rift. Charlie had also urged Nan to reconnect.
13. B. In chapter 29, after initiating intimacy, Charlie insists on going slow because Alice is a friend and he wants to preserve the playful mood. He helps her orgasm but refuses his own gratification.
**14. The photo represents a pivotal summer of youth, beauty, and observation that launched Alice's photography career. It also becomes a symbol of destiny when she learns the three people in the boat are Charlie, Sam, and Percy.
15. B. Charlie builds the tree house for his brother's future child, but it also becomes a secret space where Alice and Charlie share vulnerable moments, including their first declaration of the summer fling.
16. B. Alice's family calls her the turtle because she is the quiet one who hides. In chapter 19, Charlie remarks that she isn't shy around him, challenging this label.
17. B. The green dress is given to Alice by her sister Heather before she leaves for the lake. Alice wears it on her date with Harrison and later associates it with boldness and confidence.
**18. With Trevor, Alice curated a "perfect couple" image and gave too much of herself, avoiding conflict. With Charlie, she learns to express her true feelings, set boundaries, and eventually claim her desires, even risking heartbreak.
**19. Alice initially hides behind her camera, observing others. The theme culminates in her nude self-portrait for the exhibition, her decision to show honest photos, and her willingness to be vulnerable with Charlie. The epilogue's show is titled Alice Everly: Seen.
20. B. Alice begins the novel retouching photos to meet commercial demands and feels disconnected from her art. By the end, she photographs for joy, pulls out of a show that no longer fits, and exhibits personal work that captures true vulnerability.
Want to dive deeper? Explore the full book summary, ask your own questions, or see how the ending resolves.