Rock Paper Scissors Quiz: 20 Questions on Plot, Characters, and Themes
Test your knowledge of Alice Feeney's Rock Paper Scissors with this 20-question quiz. Questions span the full novel, from the snowbound Scottish chapel to the letters that reveal the truth. If you need a refresher, check the book overview, questions and answers, or the ending explained before you start. The complete answer key with explanations appears after all questions. Good luck!
Plot & Sequence (Questions 1–8)
1. What is the name of the remote Scottish property where Adam and Amelia stay for the weekend?
A) Blackwater Chapel
B) Hollowgrove House
C) The Old Rectory
D) Lochside Cottage
2. What item does Amelia secretly hide from Adam before they leave London?
(Short answer)
3. What does Adam find in the crypt that reveals the chapel's history?
(Short answer)
4. Who does Adam eventually identify as the owner of the chapel, based on a magazine article?
A) Henry Winter
B) October O'Brien
C) Robin Wright
D) The housekeeper
5. What happens to the car's tyres while Adam and Amelia are at the chapel?
(Short answer)
6. What does Robin do with the couple's dog, Bob?
(Short answer)
7. What is the significance of the date 29th February in the novel?
A) It is Adam's birthday
B) It is a leap day and the couple's wedding anniversary
C) It is the day Henry Winter died
D) It is the day the chapel was built
8. What ultimately happens to Amelia at the end of the novel?
(Short answer)
Character Motivation (Questions 9–13)
9. What is Robin's primary motivation for luring Adam and Amelia to Scotland?
A) To sell the chapel
B) To seek revenge for Adam's affair and Amelia's role in his mother's death
C) To reunite with her father Henry
D) To win a writing competition
10. Why does Amelia hide Adam's phone at the start of the trip?
(Short answer)
11. Why does Adam turn off the generator while they are at the chapel?
(Short answer)
12. Why does Robin write annual secret letters to Adam?
(Short answer)
13. What motivates Amelia to agree to the weekend away?
(Short answer)
Themes & Symbols (Questions 14–17)
14. What does the paper crane symbolize throughout the novel?
A) Luck and hope
B) Wealth and status
C) Fear and isolation
D) Betrayal and revenge
15. What does the red kimono represent in Adam's recurring nightmares?
(Short answer)
16. What is the significance of the game rock paper scissors in the novel?
(Short answer)
17. What does the magnolia tree symbolize in the couple's marriage?
A) Growth and renewal
B) Decay and death
C) Stability and permanence
D) Jealousy and suspicion
Synthesis (Questions 18–20)
18. How does the novel use mirrors and reflections to develop its themes?
(Short answer)
19. Compare the two wives, Robin and Amelia, in terms of their relationship with Adam and their hidden connections to his past.
(Short answer)
20. What is the significance of the title Rock Paper Scissors in relation to the plot's resolution?
(Short answer)
Answer Key
1. A) Blackwater Chapel – The couple drives to Blackwater Chapel, a converted chapel in the Scottish Highlands, for their weekend away (Chapter 4).
2. His phone – Amelia hides Adam's phone in the car, and he later realizes she lied about it (Chapters 4 and 7).
3. A pamphlet titled “The History of Blackwater Chapel” – Adam finds it on the floor in the crypt (Chapter 34).
4. A) Henry Winter – Adam recognizes the study from a magazine article and concludes Henry Winter owns the chapel (Chapter 45).
5. They are slashed with smile-shaped gashes – Adam and Amelia discover all four tyres slashed, confirming someone intends to keep them there (Chapter 47).
6. She takes him – Robin takes the dog, Bob, and later returns him after the couple leaves (Chapters 38 and 62).
7. B) It is a leap day and the couple's wedding anniversary – Adam and Robin married on 29 February 2008, and the present events occur on 29 February (Chapters 9 and 55).
8. She dies – Robin kills Amelia with scissors; Adam later reflects on her death without remorse (Chapters 61–63).
9. B) To seek revenge for Adam's affair and Amelia's role in his mother's death – Robin orchestrates the weekend to expose Amelia as the hit-and-run driver who killed Adam's mother and to reclaim Adam (Chapters 56, 59, 61).
10. To keep him from working and focus on their marriage – Amelia wants to save their relationship and believes his phone is a distraction (Chapter 4).
11. To force an early departure – Adam turns off the generator because he wants to leave the chapel and return to London (Chapter 60).
12. To express her love and later to reveal the truth – Robin writes annual letters as a coping mechanism and to document their story; she later uses them to expose secrets (Chapters 6, 57, 59).
13. She wants to save their marriage – Amelia sees the weekend as a last attempt to mend their deteriorating relationship (Chapter 10).
14. A) Luck and hope – The paper crane is a recurring lucky charm, given as an anniversary gift and carried by Adam for years (Chapters 9, 11, 41).
15. Adam's mother's death and his guilt – The red kimono appears in his nightmares about the hit-and-run that killed his mother (Chapters 26, 40, 63).
16. It represents decision-making and fate – The game is used to make life-changing choices, from the proposal to the final ultimatum (Chapters 6, 49, 59).
17. B) Decay and death – The magnolia tree is a symbol of the marriage; it dies as the relationship collapses (Chapters 31, 53).
18. Mirrors and reflections highlight fractured identity and deception – Characters see distorted versions of themselves, and the chapel's mirrors and stained-glass windows create a sense of being watched and of hidden truths (Chapters 5, 13, 60).
19. Robin is Adam's first wife and Henry Winter's daughter, while Amelia is his second wife and the person who killed his mother – Robin's hidden parentage and Amelia's criminal past are central to the plot's revelations (Chapters 55, 59, 61).
20. The title reflects the game that decides the characters' fates – Adam must choose between three options (rock, paper, scissors) that determine whether he stays with Amelia or reunites with Robin, mirroring the novel's themes of choice and consequence (Chapter 59).