Ophelia After All Quiz: 20 Questions on Plot, Characters, and Themes

Plot & Sequence (Questions 1–8) 1. What event first makes Ophelia feel unsettled around Talia?

• A) Talia kissed a girl at a party

• B) Talia lowered her finger during a game of Never Have I Ever

• C) Talia asked Ophelia to prom

• D) Talia wore a suit to prom 2. What does Agatha bet Ophelia five dollars on?

• A) Lindsay will ask Wesley to prom

• B) Wesley will ask Lindsay to prom

• C) Lindsay will choose Wesley as her prom date before graduation

• D) Sammie will ask Lindsay to prom 3. What happens right after Ophelia’s graduation photos?

• A) Talia helps her with a stuck zipper

• B) Ophelia spills chemicals in chemistry class

• C) They argue about Talia’s boyfriend

• D) Ophelia runs into Lucas 4. What does Ophelia do immediately after Talia reveals she has a boyfriend?

• A) She apologizes and goes home

• B) She runs a bath and screams

• C) She tells her parents

• D) She asks Lucas to prom 5. After her fight with Sammie in the middle of the night, what does Ophelia do?

• A) She goes to prom with Talia

• B) She stays awake all night

• C) She apologizes to Sammie

• D) She calls Talia 6. How does Ophelia end up going to prom?

• A) She goes alone

• B) She accepts a group promposal from Sammie and Agatha

• C) She asks Talia to be her date

• D) She stays home 7. What does Ophelia learn about her grandfather in Chapter 22?

• A) He was a gardener

• B) He had a secret family

• C) He loved a man

• D) He was a poet 8. What does Ophelia do with her old copy of Hamlet on prom morning?

• A) She throws it away

• B) She gives it to Talia

• C) She reads it and reflects on her identity

• D) She uses it for a school project

Character Motivation (Questions 9–13) 9. Why does Ophelia impulsively ask Talia to be her prom date? (Short answer) 10. Why does Sammie call Ophelia a coward in Chapter 21? (Short answer) 11. Why does Ophelia throw punch on Jeremiah at her mother’s party? (Short answer) 12. Why does Talia pull away when Ophelia kisses her? (Short answer) 13. Why does Ophelia decide to suppress her emotions in Chapter 16? (Short answer)

Theme & Symbol (Questions 14–17) 14. What do roses symbolize for Ophelia throughout the novel?

• A) Her love for Talia

• B) Her connection to her mother

• C) Her identity and care for her friends

• D) Her fear of change 15. What does the quote “Lord we know what we are, but know not what we may be” represent for Ophelia? (Short answer) 16. What does the act of making corsages symbolize in the story?

• A) Ophelia’s desire to control her life

• B) Her love for gardening

• C) Her preparation for prom and her relationships

• D) Her rebellion against her parents 17. What does the rainbow mural at the youth center represent? (Short answer)

Synthesis (Questions 18–20) 18. How does Ophelia’s relationship with her mother evolve over the course of the novel? (Short answer) 19. Compare Ophelia’s feelings for Lucas with her feelings for Talia. (Short answer) 20. What does the novel suggest about the importance of labels in understanding identity? (Short answer)

Answer Key

Plot & Sequence 1. B – In Chapter 1, a flashback shows Talia lowering her finger during Never Have I Ever after Jackie admits to kissing a girl, which unsettles Ophelia. 2. C – Agatha bets that Lindsay will choose Wesley as a prom date before graduation, as stated in Chapter 1. 3. A – After the photo session, Talia helps Ophelia with a stuck zipper on her dress, leading to their lunch at Ollas Amarillas (Chapter 3). 4. B – After Talia reveals she has a boyfriend (Zaq), Ophelia runs a bath and screams (Chapter 15). 5. B – After the fight with Sammie, Ophelia discovers her call with Agatha never ended, and she stays awake all night (Chapter 21). 6. B – Sammie and Agatha stage a promposal with fake petals and a poster, and Ophelia accepts (Chapter 25). 7. C – Her father reveals that Ophelia’s grandfather had loved a man, based on letters and a poem found after his death (Chapter 22). 8. C – She reads her old annotations and notices a new favorite line about self-knowledge, reflecting on her identity (Chapter 25).

Character Motivation 9. Model answer: Ophelia asks Talia to be her prom date because she wants to spend time with her and is beginning to acknowledge her feelings, even though she clarifies it’s not a real date (Chapter 13). 10. Model answer: Sammie calls Ophelia a coward because she never takes risks and avoids being honest about her feelings, unlike him (Chapter 21). 11. Model answer: Ophelia throws punch on Jeremiah because he makes homophobic comments about a lesbian Hamlet adaptation, which she takes personally (Chapter 9). 12. Model answer: Talia pulls away because she has a boyfriend, Zaq, and is not available to reciprocate Ophelia’s kiss (Chapter 15). 13. Model answer: Ophelia decides to suppress her emotions because she feels emotionally numb after Talia’s rejection and wants to protect herself from further pain (Chapter 16).

Theme & Symbol 14. C – Roses symbolize Ophelia’s identity and her care for her friends; she names roses after them and tends her garden as a ritual (Chapter 5). 15. Model answer: The quote represents Ophelia’s realization that she doesn’t fully know herself and that there are parts of her identity she has yet to discover (Chapter 25). 16. C – Making corsages symbolizes Ophelia’s preparation for prom and her relationships, as she creates them for friends and herself (Chapters 10, 24). 17. Model answer: The rainbow mural represents a safe space for LGBTQ+ youth and Ophelia’s acceptance of her own queer identity (Epilogue).

Synthesis 18. Model answer: Ophelia’s relationship with her mother evolves from one of pressure and misunderstanding to acceptance and support. Initially, her mother expects her to follow heteronormative paths, but after Ophelia comes out, her mother expresses unconditional love and even shares her own reasoning for naming her Ophelia (Chapter 23). 19. Model answer: Ophelia’s feelings for Talia are deeper and more significant than her past crushes on boys like Lucas. In Chapter 16, she reflects that her feelings for Talia surpass any she had for boys or for Sammie, indicating a profound emotional connection. 20. Model answer: The novel suggests that labels can be helpful but are not necessary for identity. Ophelia is comfortable not having a label, while characters like Wesley (asexual, biromantic) and Agatha (aromantic) use specific terms. The story emphasizes self-acceptance over fitting into a category (Chapters 24, Epilogue).