Quiz Primitives Erich Krauss

Primitives by Erich Krauss: The Complete Book Quiz

Primitives by Erich Krauss: The Complete Book Quiz 20 Questions to Test Your Understanding of the Novel. Answer the questions below, then check your responses against the answer key at the end. Each question is grounded in the events and themes of the book. Good luck!

Plot & Sequence (Questions 1–8)

  1. In the prologue, what does Seth do with the body he carries down from the butte?

  • A) Buries it in a shallow grave

  • B) Throws it into a canyon

  • C) Burns it on a funeral pyre

  • D) Leaves it for scavengers

  1. What evidence does Sarah find in the jungle that leads her to identify a Dragger camp?

  • A) A pile of discarded weapons

  • B) A charred jaguar skull

  • C) A shortwave radio

  • D) A map of the surrounding area

  1. When Seth finally opens the Professor's laboratory door, what does he discover?

  • A) A hidden room full of scientific equipment

  • B) Two wooden crates—one holding a living infant girl, the other a dead boy

  • C) A woman weeping in a corner

  • D) A collection of Ande skeletons

  1. What does Sarah find when she breaks into Caldwell's lab?

  • A) The cure for the Fatigue

  • B) A hidden prison containing pregnant Draggers and a child Dragger

  • C) James waiting for her

  • D) A stash of NAD+ vials

  1. How does Seth scare away the Ande pack that surrounds the pit?

  • A) By firing arrows at them

  • B) By blowing a trumpet loudly

  • C) By setting a fire

  • D) By throwing rocks

  1. What does the Professor reveal about the shortwave radio he has hidden for twenty years?

  • A) He used it to contact survivors and organize a gathering, but it turned out to be a trap

  • B) He used it to listen to music

  • C) He never used it because it was broken

  • D) He used it to call for rescue

  1. After Sarah is captured by Josh, where is she taken?

  • A) To a military compound on the mainland

  • B) To a remote island

  • C) Back to her apartment in New Haven

  • D) To the jungle to be released

  1. What happens when Seth tries to lead the Ande he befriended down the mountain?

  • A) The Ande attacks him

  • B) The Ande refuses to enter the desert and eventually leaves

  • C) The Ande follows him all the way to San Diego

  • D) The Ande dies from a fever

Character Motivation (Questions 9–13)

  1. Why does Sarah want to leave New Haven? (Short answer)
  • Your answer:
  1. Why does the Professor want Seth to capture a female Ande?

  • A) To study her for scientific research

  • B) To breed her and search for a rare gene that might restore humanity

  • C) To use her as a companion

  • D) To sell her to the Merry Men

  1. Why does Josh invite Sarah on a scavenging expedition?

  • A) He genuinely needs her help

  • B) He has ulterior motives and plans to trap her

  • C) He wants to escape New Haven himself

  • D) He is following Caldwell's orders to test her loyalty

  1. Why does Seth decide to help the prisoner in the lab instead of focusing on retrieving the peptides? (Short answer)
  • Your answer:
  1. Why does Sarah refuse Josh's offer of the cure? (Short answer)
  • Your answer:

Theme & Symbol (Questions 14–17)

  1. What does the trumpet symbolize for Seth?

  • A) His connection to the Professor

  • B) His transformation from using fear as a weapon to embracing music and humanity

  • C) His desire to become a musician

  • D) His anger at the Andes

  1. What does the Atlas statue represent in the story?

  • A) The weight of carrying humanity's future

  • B) The power of the old world

  • C) The strength of the Merry Men

  • D) The burden of the Professor's experiments

  1. What does the pit that Seth digs symbolize?

  • A) His skill as a hunter

  • B) His guilt and the cycle of violence

  • C) His hope for a better future

  • D) His connection to the Andes

  1. What does the ocean represent for Seth when he finally reaches it?

  • A) A barrier to his mission

  • B) Freedom and rebirth

  • C) A source of food

  • D) A reminder of his past

Synthesis (Questions 18–20)

  1. How do the journeys of Sarah and Seth parallel each other? (Short answer)
  • Your answer:
  1. What is the significance of the “Merry Men” in the story? (Short answer)
  • Your answer:
  1. What does the ending suggest about hope for humanity? (Short answer)
  • Your answer:

Answer Key

1. C) Burns it on a funeral pyre

In the prologue, Seth builds a pyre and burns the body, reflecting on the Professor's experiments and his own isolation.

2. B) A charred jaguar skull

Sarah finds a camp with leaf beds, a firepit, bones, and a charred jaguar skull, which she identifies as a Dragger camp.

3. B) Two wooden crates—one holding a living infant girl, the other a dead boy

Seth opens the lab and finds these crates, revealing the Professor's dark experiments.

4. B) A hidden prison containing pregnant Draggers and a child Dragger

Sarah discovers a hatch leading to cells with Draggers, including a skeletal child who attacks her.

5. B) By blowing a trumpet loudly

Seth uses a trumpet to create a loud noise that scares the Ande pack away.

6. A) He used it to contact survivors and organize a gathering, but it turned out to be a trap

The Professor explains that he contacted ninety-one survivors, but the gathering was discovered and resulted in a mass grave.

7. A) To a military compound on the mainland

Josh and his men take Sarah to a compound with watchtowers and soldiers.

8. B) The Ande refuses to enter the desert and eventually leaves

The Ande becomes fearful and gestures back up the mountain; the next morning, he is gone.

9. Sarah wants to leave New Haven because she craves freedom and distrusts Caldwell's authoritarian control.

She sees the society as a gilded cage and wants to find what lies beyond the jungle.

10. B) To breed her and search for a rare gene that might restore humanity

The Professor believes a rare gene in some Andes could reverse the damage and wants to breed it.

11. B) He has ulterior motives and plans to trap her

Josh's invitation is a setup; he later reveals he set a trap to capture her.

12. Seth chooses compassion over his mission, deciding to rescue the unconscious woman rather than prioritize the peptides.

He hears a cry and intervenes, striking the attacker and carrying the woman out.

13. Sarah refuses because she does not trust Josh and wants to maintain her independence and freedom.

She rejects his offer even though it could cure her Fatigue.

14. B) His transformation from using fear as a weapon to embracing music and humanity

Seth initially uses the trumpet to scare Andes, but later plays “Sweet Caroline” and discards it, symbolizing his shift away from violence.

15. A) The weight of carrying humanity's future

The Atlas statue appears in the lab and later topples, representing the burden of responsibility for the characters.

16. B) His guilt and the cycle of violence

Seth fills the pit he dug for trapping Andes, reflecting his regret and desire to break the cycle.

17. B) Freedom and rebirth

When Seth reaches the ocean, he swims and feels relief from guilt, symbolizing a new beginning.

18. Both Sarah and Seth are trapped in isolated worlds—Sarah in New Haven's controlled society, Seth on the butte—and both seek escape and truth. They both face betrayal (Josh for Sarah, the Professor's secrets for Seth) and must choose between revenge and compassion.

Their journeys converge when they meet and ultimately help each other.

19. The Merry Men are a bandit group that represents the violent, selfish remnants of humanity, contrasting with the hope of rebuilding.

They are responsible for massacres and symbolize the destructive side of human nature.

20. The ending suggests that despite destruction and loss, connection and redemption are possible.

Sarah and Seth find each other, and the Professor's final actions hint at a chance for a new beginning, even as the future remains uncertain.

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