People Like Us by Jason Mott: Full-Book Quiz (20 Questions)

Quiz: People Like Us by Jason Mott (20 Questions)

This quiz covers the full arc of the novel, from Soot's arrival in Minnesota to the final scene on the bridge in Paris. Questions are grouped by type: plot/sequence, character motivation, theme/symbol, and synthesis. Answer all questions, then check your work against the key below.

Plot & Sequence (Questions 1–8)

Short answer: In Chapter 1, what is the name of the forty-four-year-old Black author who arrives at the Minneapolis airport?
Multiple choice: In Chapter 2, what does John J. Remus do to the narrator in the alley near Koreatown?

A. Robs him and steals his wallet

B. Tackles him, examines his teeth, and threatens to kill him

C. Asks for an autograph and then walks away

D. Offers him a movie deal

Multiple choice: In Chapter 4, what literary award does the narrator win?

A. The Pulitzer Prize

B. The Booker Prize

C. The National Book Award

D. The PEN/Faulkner Award

Multiple choice: In Chapter 6, what does the narrator buy from Earl at Bobby's Pawn & Gun City?

A. A 9mm SIG Sauer pistol

B. A Colt 1911 pistol

C. A .410 shotgun

D. A deer rifle

Multiple choice: In Chapter 8, what does Frenchie offer the narrator during the dinner at the Italian villa?

A. A movie deal for his books

B. A permanent residency in Europe with a trust fund

C. A one-time cash payment to leave immediately

D. A book tour through France and Italy

Multiple choice: In Chapter 14, what happens to Dylan in Pordenone?

A. He gets into a fight with a local

B. He collapses and becomes unresponsive

C. He reveals he is actually Remus in disguise

D. He runs away and disappears

Multiple choice: In Chapter 15, what does Soot try to prevent when he sees Vivian sitting alone by the river?

A. Vivian stealing money from Tasha

B. Vivian convincing Mia to move to Canada

C. Vivian's suicide and its influence on Mia

D. Vivian and Tasha becoming friends

Multiple choice: In Chapter 32, what happens when Remus lunges at the narrator in the kitchen?

A. The narrator shoots Remus

B. The gun discharges and strikes Dylan through a window

C. Remus disarms the narrator and leaves

D. The gun jams and Remus escapes

Character Motivation (Questions 9–13)

Short answer: Why does Soot carry a concealed gun during his Minnesota visit, despite his literary success?
Multiple choice: Why does the narrator ultimately accept Frenchie's offer to stay permanently in Europe?

A. He wants to escape the threat of Remus

B. He believes he can write better in Europe

C. He knows they cannot return home and is drawn to the peace and found family

D. He wants to be closer to Kelly

Multiple choice: In Chapter 24, why does Dylan become furious with the narrator on the Paris streets?

A. Because the narrator called him “kid”

B. Because the two people they met couldn't fix his problem, and he is tired of being an “Other”

C. Because the narrator refused to help him find medicine

D. Because he wants to return to Baltimore immediately

Short answer: Why does the narrator sign books with names like Ta-Nehisi Coates, Walter Mosley, and Colson Whitehead?
Multiple choice: Why does Soot refuse to leave his ancestral land in North Carolina?

A. He wants to be near his ex-wife Tasha

B. He believes the land holds a cure for his condition

C. Generations of his family lived and died there, and it is his legacy and roots

D. He is waiting for his daughter to return

Theme & Symbol (Questions 14–17)

Multiple choice: What does the black peacock that appears in the field symbolize?

A. Hope and renewal

B. The narrator's literary fame

C. A death omen foreshadowing Mia's death

D. The beauty of the natural world

Multiple choice: What does the gun that hangs suspended in midair over the Seine at the end of the novel represent?

A. The narrator's inability to let go of his grief

B. The inescapable nature of American violence and identity

C. A magical intervention that saves Dylan

D. The power of storytelling to rewrite reality

Short answer: What does the recurring phrase “people like us” refer to in the novel?
Multiple choice: What does the “Other Continent” represent to the characters?

A. A real place in Europe where Black people are fully accepted

B. A mythical haven of belonging that ultimately proves unattainable

C. The United States as seen from abroad

D. A metaphor for the afterlife

Synthesis (Questions 18–20)

Short answer: How does the novel use the concept of time travel as a narrative device?
Short answer: Compare the narrator's relationship with Kelly to his relationship with his daughter Mia.
Multiple choice: What is the significance of the recurring motif of school shootings and active shooter drills?

A. They highlight the characters' obsession with violence

B. They represent the normalization of violence and the constant fear that shapes the characters' lives

C. They serve as comic relief in an otherwise dark story

D. They are only relevant to the Minnesota subplot

Answer Key

Soot — The protagonist is introduced by name in Chapter 1.
B — Remus tackles him, examines his teeth, and announces he intends to kill him (Chapter 2).
C — The narrator wins the National Book Award (Chapter 4).
B — He buys a Colt 1911 pistol and a shoulder holster (Chapter 6).
B — Frenchie offers a trust fund in exchange for living in Europe and recording memories of old America (Chapter 10).
B — Dylan collapses and becomes unresponsive; the narrator later finds Remus in the bathroom (Chapter 14).
C — Soot knows Vivian came to kill herself and fears she will “infect” Mia with the idea (Chapter 15).
B — The gun discharges, striking Dylan through a windowpane (Chapter 32).
For protection — Soot carries a gun due to fear of police violence and racial profiling, as seen in his memory of Philando Castile and his own traffic-stop experiences (Chapter 9).
C — He accepts because he knows they cannot return home, and he is drawn to the peace and found family at Frenchie's estate (Chapters 30–31).
B — Dylan is tired of not fitting in and being treated as an “Other”; the two people were supposed to fix his problem but couldn't (Chapter 24).
To hide his identity — The narrator impersonates other Black authors as a form of self-protection and to avoid being recognized (Chapters 2, 18, 22).
C — Generations of his family lived and died on the land, and he feels anchored to it (Chapters 11, 23).
C — The black peacock appears as a death omen, foreshadowing Mia's death (Chapters 23, 28).
B — The gun that won't fall symbolizes the inescapable nature of American violence and identity; “You can't unbake the cake” (Chapter 32).
Black Americans who share experiences of grief, violence, and alienation — The phrase recurs throughout, linking characters like Soot, Dylan, Kelly, and the narrator (Chapters 4, 22, 32).
B — The “Other Continent” is a legendary place of belonging, but it is ultimately unattainable; even in Europe, the characters remain outsiders (Chapters 20, 22).
Time travel is used to explore grief, the inability to change the past, and the cyclical nature of trauma — Soot revisits moments with his daughter, but he can never alter the outcome (Chapters 3, 11, 15, 29).
Both relationships involve love, loss, and the desire to fix things, but Kelly offers a chance at connection while Mia's death is permanent — Kelly reappears and they build a relationship, whereas Mia's death is a fixed point that Soot cannot change (Chapters 18, 28, 30).
B — The drills and shootings represent the normalization of violence and the constant fear that shapes the characters' lives, from Soot's daughter's death to Dylan's trauma (Chapters 19, 27, 29).