Quiz Road Trip Mary Kay Andrews

Road Trip by Mary Kay Andrews – Full Book Quiz

About This Quiz

This 20-question companion quiz spans the entire novel Road Trip: eight plot/sequence, five character motivation, four theme/symbol, and three synthesis questions. Use it to test your recall and deepen your understanding after reading. An answer key with brief explanations follows each question.

Quiz Questions

Plot & Sequence (Questions 1–8)

  1. In the 1926 prologue, what does Lady Delia Rossington give Kathleen before she flees to America? (Multiple choice)

    • A) A diamond necklace
    • B) A satchel with a cut portrait, jewelry, and cash
    • C) A letter of introduction to a New York banker
    • D) A first-class ticket on a luxury liner

  2. What does Maeve discover about her mother’s house shortly after the funeral? (Multiple choice)

    • A) It has been sold without her knowledge
    • B) It carries a $325,000 mortgage taken out for televangelist Brother Jerome
    • C) It is worth $1.2 million because of a hidden painting
    • D) It has been left entirely to Therese

  3. How do Maeve and Therese first learn that the portrait of Lady Geraldine might be valuable? (Multiple choice)

    • A) Uncle Keith shows them an antique appraisal
    • B) Therese finds a photo of the same painting selling for £1.2 million
    • C) A museum curator contacts them by email
    • D) Maeve’s ex-boyfriend is an art collector

  4. Where do the sisters stay during their first nights in Ireland? (Multiple choice)

    • A) A youth hostel in Dublin
    • B) The Tarrymore Inn on the estate grounds
    • C) A bed-and-breakfast in Cobh
    • D) Liam’s cottage in the village

  5. What does Esme Rossington admit to Therese about the 1970s IRA art heist? (Multiple choice)

    • A) She was a lookout because her father refused to let her marry an IRA member
    • B) She planned and participated in the robbery as revenge against her father
    • C) She discovered the stolen paintings buried on the estate
    • D) She reported the theft to the police anonymously

  6. What event forces Maeve to stay in Ireland longer than planned? (Multiple choice)

    • A) Therese hides her passport in the Dublin hotel safe
    • B) Maeve’s rental car is stolen
    • C) A snowstorm cancels all flights out of Dublin
    • D) Maeve is arrested for questioning in Esme’s murder

  7. After Esme’s death, what shocking inheritance do Maeve and Therese receive? (Short answer: name the beneficiary and condition)

    • Example answer: Esme’s entire estate, held in trust for her dog Sinead, with the sisters as guardians required to live in Tarrymore.

  8. In the epilogue, what does Maeve wear for her wedding to Liam? (Multiple choice)

    • A) A vintage flapper dress from Esme’s belongings
    • B) Her grandmother’s wedding dress
    • C) A new designer gown bought in Dublin
    • D) Therese’s old prom dress

Character Motivation (Questions 9–13)

  1. Why does Uncle Keith insist Maeve and Therese use their mother’s hidden cash for a trip to Ireland? (Multiple choice)

    • A) He wants them out of the way while he sells the house
    • B) Mary Helen stipulated that the money fund a joint trip to her ancestral home
    • C) He believes the portrait can only be authenticated in Ireland
    • D) He wants to keep the money away from Brother Jerome

  2. What drives Therese to steal $100 from Maeve’s purse in Chapter 6? (Multiple choice)

    • A) She needs money for a bus ticket to New York
    • B) She wants to pay an art appraiser to examine the portrait
    • C) She has a gambling debt she must settle
    • D) She intends to buy a plane ticket home because she hates Ireland

  3. Why does Esme Rossington hide the stolen Lady Geraldine portrait in her washroom for decades? (Multiple choice)

    • A) She was afraid her brother would find it and sell it
    • B) She kept it as a memento of her lover Mick, who gave it to her before he was killed
    • C) She planned to return it to the National Gallery but never found the courage
    • D) She wanted to use it as leverage to reclaim the family estate

  4. What is Therese’s main reason for deciding to buy their mother’s house and move back to Savannah? (Multiple choice)

    • A) She discovers the house is worth far more than she thought
    • B) She wants to be closer to Scotty Childress and start a serious relationship
    • C) Maeve pressures her to settle down and help with the estate
    • D) She has no job prospects in Los Angeles or New York

  5. Why does Maeve refuse Liam’s proposal of a long-distance relationship in Chapter 47? (Multiple choice)

    • A) She is secretly dating someone else back in Savannah
    • B) She believes from past experience that long-distance romance fails, and she can’t risk heartbreak
    • C) She does not have a valid passport and cannot travel internationally
    • D) Her sister Therese forbids her from seeing Liam

Theme & Symbol (Questions 14–17)

  1. What does the portrait of Lady Geraldine primarily symbolize in the novel? (Multiple choice)

    • A) The unbreakable bond between the two sisters
    • B) The hidden family legacy and the question of worth—both monetary and emotional
    • C) The religious faith that Mary Helen passed to her daughters
    • D) The danger of trusting strangers in a foreign country

  2. The Irish road trip itself becomes a symbol of… (Multiple choice)

    • A) Escape from responsibility
    • B) The journey toward understanding and reconciliation between Maeve and Therese
    • C) The sisters’ shared love of adventure
    • D) A futile search for wealth

  3. What does Sinead the dog represent in the second half of the novel? (Multiple choice)

    • A) The burden of unexpected inheritance and the need for loyalty
    • B) Esme’s cruelty to animals
    • C) The only true friend Maeve has in Ireland
    • D) A replacement for the lost portrait

  4. Which of the following best captures a central theme of Road Trip? (Multiple choice)

    • A) The glamour of the Irish aristocracy
    • B) The power of storytelling to shape—and sometimes distort—family identity
    • C) The danger of trusting a charismatic televangelist
    • D) The impossibility of escaping one’s past

Synthesis (Questions 18–20)

  1. How does Kathleen Connor’s story in the 1920s parallel Maeve’s journey in 2025? (Short answer: at least two parallels)

    • Example answer: Both leave home under duress; both carry a family heirloom that holds the key to their identity; both are forced to trust strangers and adapt to new circumstances.

  2. Compare the sibling relationships: Maeve/Therese and Esme/Geoffrey. What does each pair reveal about inheritance and family loyalty? (Short answer: two to three sentences)

    • Example answer: Esme and Geoffrey are estranged by greed and betrayal—Geoffrey tries to steal the estate and murders Esme. Maeve and Therese, despite initial conflict, grow to support each other and share the burden of inheritance, showing that loyalty can overcome rivalry.

  3. If you were advising Maeve at the end of the novel, would you recommend she accept Esme’s inheritance and stay in Ireland, or return to Savannah? Support your answer with evidence from the book. (Short answer: two to three sentences)

    • Example answer: Accepting the inheritance allows Maeve to honor Kathleen’s courage, write her novel in the cottage library, and build a life with Liam. Therese supports her decision, and Maeve’s own words (“wild and precious”) suggest that staying is the brave, fulfilling choice.

Answer Key

  1. B – Lady Delia packs a satchel with a cut portrait, jewelry, and cash for Kathleen’s escape (Prologue).
  2. B – Uncle Keith reveals the $325,000 mortgage taken for Brother Jerome (Chapter 5).
  3. B – Therese sees a New York Times article about a similar portrait selling for £1.2 million (Chapter 3).
  4. B – They book the Tarrymore Inn on the estate (Chapter 15).
  5. B – Esme confesses she planned and participated in the IRA robbery as revenge against her father (Chapter 42).
  6. A – Therese hides Maeve’s passport in the hotel safe, forcing Maeve to stay (Chapter 61).
  7. Esme’s entire estate is left in trust for her dog Sinead; the sisters must become guardians and one must live in Tarrymore (Chapter 59).
  8. B – Maeve wears her grandmother’s wedding dress (Epilogue).
  9. B – Mary Helen saved the money and stipulated it be used for a joint trip to Ireland (Chapter 6).
  10. B – Therese needs money to pay art appraiser Wyllona Jackson (Chapter 6).
  11. B – Esme kept the portrait as a memento of her lover Mick, an IRA member killed in a shoot‑out (Chapter 43).
  12. B – Therese wants to be close to Scotty Childress and start a relationship (Chapter 57).
  13. B – Maeve’s past experience with a failed long-distance romance makes her unwilling to try again (Chapter 47).
  14. B – The portrait represents hidden family legacy and the sisters’ quest to separate myth from reality.
  15. B – The road trip is the physical and emotional journey that brings Maeve and Therese closer together.
  16. A – Sinead represents the unexpected inheritance and the loyalty required to care for Esme’s legacy.
  17. B – The theme centers on how family stories shape identity, often blurring truth and fiction.
  18. Both women leave Ireland under difficult circumstances; both carry a family heirloom that determines their future; both must adapt to a new country and rely on strangers.
  19. Maeve and Therese learn to trust each other despite their differences, while Esme and Geoffrey’s bond is destroyed by greed and violence, highlighting how inheritance can either unite or destroy siblings.
  20. Maeve should accept the inheritance because it allows her to write her novel, honor Kathleen’s memory, and build a life with Liam—a choice she calls “wild and precious” (Chapter 62). Therese supports her, and the epilogue shows her joy at the wedding.