Quietly Hostile Quiz: 20 Questions to Test Your Knowledge of Samantha Irby's Essays
Quiz: 20 Questions on Quietly Hostile by Samantha Irby
(2023)
Test your knowledge of Samantha Irby's essay collection with these questions spanning the entire book. Each question is based on the essays as outlined in the study guide.
Part 1: Plot & Sequence (8 questions)
1. In the front-matter page “Other Titles,” which of the following is the correct order of Irby's previously published essay collections?
A. Meaty, Wow, No Thank You, We Are Never Meeting in Real Life.
B. We Are Never Meeting in Real Life., Meaty, Wow, No Thank You
C. Meaty, We Are Never Meeting in Real Life., Wow, No Thank You
D. Wow, No Thank You, Meaty, We Are Never Meeting in Real Life.
2. In “The Last Normal Day,” what is the correct sequence of events after Irby receives the email to leave Chicago?
A. She packs, drives to Michigan, stops at a gas station, panics, buys corn dogs, throws them away.
B. She stops at a gas station, panics, buys corn dogs, throws them away, then drives to Michigan.
C. She drives to Michigan, stops at a gas station, panics, buys corn dogs, eats them, then continues.
D. She packs, drives to Michigan, stops at a gas station, buys hand sanitizer, and eats corn dogs.
3. In “Chub Street Diet,” what happens on Friday of the logged week?
A. She orders Detroit-style pizza.
B. Her podcast is canceled.
C. She celebrates her birthday.
D. She drives to Grand Rapids for gyros.
4. In “My Firstborn Dog,” what is the order in which Irby and her partner attempt to adopt dogs?
A. Granny, then Felicity, then Bubbles
B. Felicity, then Granny, then Bubbles
C. Bubbles, then Granny, then Felicity
D. Granny, then Bubbles, then Felicity
5. In “Body Horror!,” what event directly ends the relationship with the soccer fanatic?
A. He asks her to urinate on him.
B. He kisses her after she urinates on him, and urine enters her mouth.
C. She refuses to let him watch her urinate.
D. She urinates in his bathtub and he becomes disgusted.
6. In “Two Old Nuns Having Amzing [sic] Lesbian Sex,” how long is the video that Irby describes as her favorite?
A. 22 minutes
B. 39 minutes
C. 45 minutes
D. 60 minutes
7. In “QVC, ILYSM,” what initially leads Irby to discover QVC?
A. She sees an Isaac Mizrahi top on a commercial.
B. She signs up for cable after a door-to-door salesman visits during the pandemic.
C. Her wife recommends it.
D. She reads about it in a magazine.
8. In “Superfan!!!!!!!,” what happens after the “Meet the Writers” article on Deadline is published?
A. She receives a job offer from Michael Patrick King.
B. She gets unhinged Instagram messages, including a threatening one, and later deactivates her Twitter.
C. She is invited to a Sex and the City reunion.
D. She starts rewriting episodes immediately.
Part 2: Character Motivation (5 questions)
9. In “I Like It!,” why does Irby adopt the phrase “I like it!” as a coping mechanism?
A. To convince herself she enjoys things she actually hates.
B. To deflect criticism and resist pressure to justify her tastes.
C. To impress her wife's friends.
D. To start a new self-improvement goal.
10. In “David Matthews's Greatest Romantic Hits,” what motivates Irby to defend Dave Matthews's music?
A. She wants to appear cool to younger fans.
B. She is unapologetic about her fandom and rejects taste stereotypes.
C. She hopes to meet him backstage.
D. She wants to prove she knows about classic rock.
11. In “Oh, So You Actually Don't Wanna Make a Show About a Horny Fat Bitch with Diarrhea? Okay!,” why does Irby write a pilot script based on her life?
A. To make money quickly.
B. To represent chronic illness and realistic bodily functions on TV.
C. To impress her friends.
D. To fulfill a contract with a streaming service.
12. In “What If I Died Like Elvis,” why does Irby avoid salon maintenance like manicures?
A. She finds it unsustainable and dislikes being attended to.
B. She is allergic to nail polish.
C. She prefers to do everything herself.
D. She cannot afford it.
13. In “Please Invite Me to Your Party,” why does Irby beg to be invited to parties?
A. She genuinely loves socializing.
B. She wants to show off her hosting skills.
C. She desires inclusion but admits she won't actually attend.
D. She wants to meet celebrities.
Part 3: Theme & Symbol (4 questions)
14. In “Food Fight,” what does the refrigerator symbolize in Irby's marriage?
A. The couple's shared love of cooking.
B. The compromises and conflicts inherent in sharing a domestic space.
C. The importance of buying organic food.
D. The couple's financial stability.
15. In “I Like to Get High at Night and Think About Whales,” what do whales represent for Irby?
A. Fear of the ocean.
B. Awe at nature's scale and a means of escapism.
C. A desire to travel.
D. A symbol of loneliness.
16. In “Shit Happens,” what is a central theme regarding public bathrooms?
A. The importance of luxury amenities.
B. The need to avoid public restrooms entirely.
C. Bodily shame, etiquette, and consideration for others.
D. The superiority of hotel bathrooms.
17. In “O Brother, Where Art Thou?,” what does the mother's question “Are you sure?” (in response to Irby's declaration of love) symbolize?
A. Her mother's doubt about Irby's sincerity.
B. The unresolved and complicated nature of their relationship.
C. Her mother's confusion from medication.
D. A joke between them.
Part 4: Synthesis (3 questions)
18. How does Irby use humor to cope with serious topics such as anaphylaxis (in “What If I Died Like Elvis”) or the death of a parent (in “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”)? Provide one example from each essay.
19. Compare the role of consumerism in “QVC, ILYSM” and “Chub Street Diet.” How does Irby's relationship with shopping differ between the two essays?
20. Across multiple essays, Irby uses self-deprecating humor as a defense mechanism. Identify one instance from any essay and explain how it protects her from vulnerability.
Answer Key
1. C – The front-matter page lists Meaty, We Are Never Meeting in Real Life., and Wow, No Thank You in that order.
2. A – After packing, she drives toward Michigan, stops at a gas station in Indiana, panics, buys corn dogs and hand sanitizer, cries, throws the corn dogs away, and continues home.
3. B – On Friday, her podcast is canceled; she later orders Detroit-style pizza for dinner.
4. A – They first try to adopt Granny (taken), then Felicity (taken), and finally adopt Bubbles, renaming him Abraham.
5. B – After she urinates on him, he kisses her and urine enters her mouth, ending the relationship.
6. B – The video is 39 minutes long, with the women orgasming after about 22 minutes.
7. B – She signs up for cable after a door-to-door salesman during the pandemic, then discovers QVC.
8. B – She receives unhinged Instagram messages, including a threatening one, and later deactivates her Twitter due to toxic reactions.
9. B – She uses the phrase to deflect criticism and resist pressure to justify her preferences, as seen when a friend's wife criticizes her dry cleaner recommendation.
10. B – She is unapologetic about her love for Dave Matthews and rejects the idea that his music is uncool, embracing her fandom despite taste stereotypes.
11. B – She writes the pilot to represent her life, including chronic illness and realistic bodily functions, which she feels are underrepresented on TV.
12. A – She finds salon maintenance unsustainable and dislikes being attended to, preferring to avoid the hassle.
13. C – She describes herself as an ideal guest and begs for invitations, but admits she won't actually attend, reflecting her social anxiety and desire for inclusion.
14. B – The refrigerator, filled with her wife's condiments and milks, symbolizes the compromises and conflicts of sharing a domestic space, highlighting unspoken marriage challenges.
15. B – Whales represent awe at nature's scale and a means of escapism; she imagines floating on a raft as a whale surfaces, a feeling both terrifying and soothing.
16. C – The essay covers bodily shame, bathroom etiquette, and consideration for others, such as advising against squatting over seats and recommending headphones to mask sounds.
17. B – The mother's question, delivered on her deathbed, underscores the unresolved and complicated nature of their relationship, mixing doubt with a final moment of dark humor.
18. In “What If I Died Like Elvis,” Irby jokes about her anaphylactic shock, describing the absurdity of being rushed to the ER after a gel manicure and probiotic gummies. In “O Brother, Where Art Thou?,” she uses humor to defuse the pain of her mother's death, such as the absurd “Are you sure?” moment and the squabbling with her sister over chairs. Humor allows her to distance herself from grief and fear.
19. In “QVC, ILYSM,” consumerism is a source of comfort and escapism during the pandemic; she finds joy in watching QVC and receiving packages. In “Chub Street Diet,” consumerism is more about impulse and coping with anxiety—she buys food and drinks (like Dunkin', Culver's, and DoorDash) as a way to manage stress. The former is about material goods as fantasy, the latter about food as immediate comfort.
20. For example, in “Please Invite Me to Your Party,” Irby lists all the ways she would be a perfect guest, then admits she won't attend. This self-deprecating twist protects her from the vulnerability of actually seeking social connection; by preemptively rejecting herself, she avoids potential rejection. Similarly, in “Body Horror!,” she jokes about her bodily failures to deflect shame about aging and loss of control.