Remarkably Bright Creatures Quiz: 20 Questions About the Novel
Think you know Shelby Van Pelt’s captivating debut? From Marcellus’s cunning escapes to Tova’s long-buried secrets, this quiz spans the entire novel. Mixing multiple-choice and short-answer questions, it’s designed for book clubs, classroom discussions, or any reader ready to test their recall. An answer key with brief explanations follows the questions.
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Quiz Questions
Question 1 (Plot/Sequence – Multiple Choice)
How does Marcellus the octopus calculate that he has about 161 days left to live?
A. He subtracts the number of sea cucumbers he has eaten from his birth weight.
B. He subtracts his days in captivity from the average lifespan of a giant Pacific octopus.
C. He counts the remaining herring rations in Terry’s freezer.
D. He measures the fading camouflage on his mantle against a calendar.
Question 2 (Plot/Sequence – Short Answer)
What object does Marcellus return to Tova during their first direct interaction at the aquarium tank?
Question 3 (Plot/Sequence – Multiple Choice)
Why does Cameron lose his job at the construction site and get kicked out by his girlfriend Katie?
A. He refuses to pay child support.
B. He lies about having a holiday off and is caught playing hooky.
C. He steals tools from the job site.
D. He quits because he wants to start a band.
Question 4 (Plot/Sequence – Multiple Choice)
Who reveals to Tova that her son Erik had a secret girlfriend the night he disappeared?
A. Terry Bailey
B. Janice Kim
C. Adam Wright
D. Ethan Mack
Question 5 (Plot/Sequence – Multiple Choice)
What object does Tova find on the aquarium floor after Marcellus’s final escape, which confirms that Cameron is Erik’s son?
A. A silver earring
B. A driver’s license
C. A gold class ring engraved “EELS”
D. A Dala horse
Question 6 (Plot/Sequence – Short Answer)
Where does Tova release Marcellus so he can die in the open ocean?
Question 7 (Plot/Sequence – Multiple Choice)
What item of clothing from Cameron’s lost luggage does Ethan wear on Thanksgiving at Tova’s condo?
A. A Sowell Bay High School letterman jacket
B. A vintage Grateful Dead T‑shirt
C. A bright yellow “MOTH SAUSAGE” T‑shirt
D. A green duffel bag turned into a poncho
Question 8 (Plot/Sequence – Multiple Choice)
How does Marcellus retrieve the class ring from the wolf eel enclosure?
A. He distracts the eels with a dead sea cucumber.
B. He speaks calm words to the pair and searches the sandy bottom.
C. He waits until the eels sleep and then uses a stick.
D. He lures the eels into a separate tank with a food trail.
Question 9 (Character Motivation – Multiple Choice)
Why does Tova keep Marcellus’s nighttime escapes a secret from manager Terry?
A. She thinks Terry will be impressed by the octopus’s intelligence.
B. She fears Terry will either seal the tank permanently or euthanize Marcellus.
C. She wants to study the escapes for a research paper.
D. She hopes Marcellus will eventually escape the building for good.
Question 10 (Character Motivation – Multiple Choice)
What is Cameron’s primary reason for traveling from California to Sowell Bay?
A. To attend his high school reunion.
B. To find his biological father, Simon Brinks, and seek child support.
C. To take a job at the aquarium.
D. To reconcile with his mother, Daphne.
Question 11 (Character Motivation – Multiple Choice)
Why does Ethan Mack investigate Daphne Cassmore’s past?
A. He wants to collect a long‑overdue bad check she wrote to his store.
B. He hopes to reunite Daphne with her son Cameron.
C. He wants to prevent Tova from hearing a painful rumor and give her closure about Erik’s death.
D. He is writing a true‑crime book about the town.
Question 12 (Character Motivation – Multiple Choice)
Why does Marcellus steal Cameron’s driver’s license from Terry’s desk?
A. He adds it to his collection of shiny objects.
B. He intends to use it as a tool to escape.
C. He wants to leave it where Tova will find it, as a dying wish to reveal Cameron’s parentage.
D. He mistakes it for a fish and tries to eat it.
Question 13 (Character Motivation – Multiple Choice)
Why does Tova ultimately decide not to move into Charter Village retirement community?
A. She cannot afford the deposit.
B. She learns that Cameron is her grandson and wants to stay close to him.
C. Janice guilt‑trips her into staying.
D. The retirement home loses her application.
Question 14 (Theme/Symbol – Multiple Choice)
What does the Dala horse hidden in Erik’s bedroom floorboard symbolize?
A. The family’s Swedish heritage and forgotten traditions.
B. Erik’s secret relationship, a repaired object representing forgiveness and legacy.
C. Tova’s inability to let go of her son’s childhood.
D. Cameron’s search for his own identity.
Question 15 (Theme/Symbol – Multiple Choice)
The silver‑dollar‑sized scar on Tova’s arm from Marcellus’s suckers primarily represents:
A. The physical toll of her job at the aquarium.
B. Her lasting connection to Marcellus and the indelible mark of grief and healing.
C. A birthmark she has had since childhood.
D. An injury from her son Erik’s sailing accident.
Question 16 (Theme/Symbol – Multiple Choice)
Throughout the novel, keys (such as Tova’s house key and the class ring engraved with EELS) serve as symbols of:
A. Material wealth and property ownership.
B. Unlocking hidden truths, secrets, and family connections.
C. Physical confinement and captivity.
D. Tova’s reluctance to change.
Question 17 (Theme/Symbol – Multiple Choice)
Tova’s meticulous cleaning routines at the aquarium and at home represent:
A. A coping mechanism for her grief and a way to maintain order in a chaotic world.
B. A professional standard she expects from everyone.
C. Her fear of germs and disease.
D. A subtle protest against the decline of Sowell Bay.
Question 18 (Synthesis – Short Answer)
How does Marcellus’s first‑person narration challenge typical human assumptions about animal intelligence? Provide one specific example from the story.
Question 19 (Synthesis – Short Answer)
In what way do both Tova and Cameron learn to “let go” of the past by the end of the novel? Describe one key decision each character makes.
Question 20 (Synthesis – Short Answer)
The setting of Sowell Bay — the aquarium, the pier, the fog — functions as more than a backdrop. Choose one setting element and explain how it reflects a character’s emotional state.
Answer Key
Answer 1 – B. Marcellus knows the average lifespan is 1,460 days; he has served 1,299, leaving at most 161 days (chapter 1).
Answer 2 – Her lost house key. Marcellus finds it on his tentacle and offers it to Tova in the pump room (chapter 20, 23).
Answer 3 – B. Cameron lies to Katie about a fake holiday, she discovers the truth, and throws him out (chapter 11).
Answer 4 – C. Drunk on martinis at Mary Ann’s farewell luncheon, Adam Wright recalls that a girl was with Erik that night (chapter 38).
Answer 5 – C. The gold ring engraved “EELS” (Erik’s initials, from Sowell Bay High School, class of 1989) is found after Marcellus’s final journey (chapter 60).
Answer 6 – The jetty at low tide. Tova wheels Marcellus in a mop bucket to the jetty and releases him into Puget Sound (chapter 61).
Answer 7 – C. Ethan wears the “MOTH SAUSAGE” T‑shirt that finally arrived from his lost luggage (chapter 66).
Answer 8 – B. Marcellus speaks softly to the wolf eels, then sweeps the sand with his arm until he finds the ring (chapter 58).
Answer 9 – B. Tova fears that if Terry knows about the escapes, he will clamp the tank shut or euthanize the octopus (chapter 33).
Answer 10 – B. Cameron finds a class ring from Sowell Bay High and believes Simon Brinks is his father; he flies to Seattle expecting financial help (chapter 22, 24).
Answer 11 – C. Ethan remembers Daphne’s bad check, researches her, and decides to tell Tova that Cameron is Daphne’s son before a rumor does (chapter 46).
Answer 12 – C. Marcellus predicts Tova will find the license when she cleans under the sea lion statue, connecting Cameron to her (chapter 45).
Answer 13 – B. Once she realizes Cameron is Erik’s son and her grandson, she chooses not to sell her house and move (chapter 61, 64).
Answer 14 – B. The Dala horse was broken in an argument; Erik repaired it and hid it, symbolizing his secret and the possibility of repair (chapter 64).
Answer 15 – B. The scar from the octopus’s sucker physically mirrors Tova’s unresolved grief and her emerging bond with Marcellus (chapter 2, 20).
Answer 16 – B. Keys unlock literal doors and metaphorical truths: the house key opens Tova’s home; the ring “keys” Erik’s identity; fingerprints are compared to keys (chapter 12, 20, 21, 45).
Answer 17 – A. Tova’s cleaning gives her purpose and control after Erik’s death; it is her primary way of coping with loss (chapter 2, 8).
Answer 18 – Example: Marcellus reads the informational plaque beside his tank, understands his own mortality, and solves puzzles like the clear plastic box (chapter 1, 16). This shows reasoning and literacy beyond simple instinct.
Answer 19 – Tova stops letting Erik’s death define her, accepts the accident, and embraces Cameron. Cameron stops searching for his biological father and instead builds a new family with Tova and Ethan (chapter 61, 64, 66).
Answer 20 – Example: The constant “June gloom” fog mirrors Tova’s emotional fog of grief and isolation (chapter 8). The aquarium’s tank represents Marcellus’s captivity but also becomes a space for cross-species empathy (chapter 20, 23, 33).