Quiz Root Magic Eden Royce

Root Magic Quiz: Test Your Knowledge of Eden Royce's Novel

About This Quiz

This quiz covers the full arc of Eden Royce's Root Magic, from Gran's funeral to the homegoing service for Daddy. Use it to check your recall of key events, character choices, symbols, and big-picture ideas. For deeper discussion, see the study guide or the questions and answers. If you want to revisit how the story resolves, read the ending explained.

Quiz Questions

1. (Plot/Sequence, Multiple Choice) What event opens the novel?

  • A) Jezebel's first day of sixth grade

  • B) Gran's funeral on Wadmalaw Island

  • C) Deputy Collins's search of the Turner home

  • D) Doc's first rootwork lesson

2. (Plot/Sequence, Multiple Choice) What does Deputy Collins do when he arrives at the Turner home in Chapter 2?

  • A) He apologizes for the earlier break-in

  • B) He demands to search the house and breaks a bud vase

  • C) He arrests Mama for practicing rootwork

  • D) He brings a warning from Sheriff Edwards

3. (Plot/Sequence, Multiple Choice) What is the first rootwork lesson Doc teaches Jezebel and Jay?

  • A) Mixing haint blue paint

  • B) Making root bags

  • C) Collecting graveyard dirt

  • D) Brewing a luck potion

4. (Plot/Sequence, Multiple Choice) What happens to Jezebel at the salt marsh in Chapter 5?

  • A) She sees a red wolf

  • B) She hears a voice and her feet become stuck in mud

  • C) She finds a poppet doll

  • D) She meets Susie for the first time

5. (Plot/Sequence, Multiple Choice) What does Jezebel find in the marsh in Chapter 13 that traps her?

  • A) A metal animal trap

  • B) A carved wooden doll

  • C) A hag skin

  • D) A broken root bag

6. (Plot/Sequence, Multiple Choice) What does Jezebel discover about Susie in Chapter 18?

  • A) Susie is a rootworker's apprentice

  • B) Susie is a boo-hag who sheds her skin

  • C) Susie stole the notebook pages

  • D) Susie is moving away

7. (Plot/Sequence, Multiple Choice) What happens to Doc's cabin at the end of Chapter 21?

  • A) It is flooded by the marsh

  • B) It explodes

  • C) It is painted haint blue

  • D) It is searched by Deputy Collins

8. (Plot/Sequence, Multiple Choice) How does Jezebel defeat Deputy Collins in Chapter 22?

  • A) She shoots him with Mama's gun

  • B) She summons the red wolves she saved

  • C) She uses a protection powder to blind him

  • D) She calls Sheriff Edwards for help

9. (Character Motivation, Short Answer) Why does Mama initially resist letting Doc teach Jezebel and Jay rootwork?

10. (Character Motivation, Multiple Choice) Why does Jezebel make a root bag wishing for a friend?

  • A) She wants to be popular at school

  • B) She is lonely and wants someone to talk to, like Gran

  • C) She hopes to get a pet

  • D) She wants to impress Lettie

11. (Character Motivation, Multiple Choice) Why does Jay drink the luck potion in Chapter 10?

  • A) He thinks it will make him fly

  • B) He believes it is for drinking and wants luck for a baseball game

  • C) He wants to test Doc's magic

  • D) He is thirsty and mistakes it for water

12. (Character Motivation, Short Answer) Why does Susie hide her identity as a boo-hag?

13. (Character Motivation, Multiple Choice) Why does Jezebel decide to help Susie even after learning she is a hag?

  • A) She wants Susie to owe her a favor

  • B) She feels empathy and understands Susie is trapped

  • C) She hopes to learn hag magic

  • D) She is afraid Susie will hurt her family

14. (Theme/Symbol, Multiple Choice) What does the haint blue paint symbolize in the novel?

  • A) Wealth and status

  • B) Protection and cultural heritage

  • C) Sadness and loss

  • D) The ocean and travel

15. (Theme/Symbol, Multiple Choice) What does the red wolf represent?

  • A) Danger and violence

  • B) Wildness, gratitude, and freedom

  • C) The police and authority

  • D) The marsh's hidden dangers

16. (Theme/Symbol, Multiple Choice) What does the doll Dinah symbolize?

  • A) Childhood innocence

  • B) Ancestral connection and Gran's spirit

  • C) Jezebel's loneliness

  • D) The rootwork notebook

17. (Theme/Symbol, Short Answer) What does the marsh represent throughout the novel?

18. (Synthesis, Short Answer) How does the novel explore the tension between cultural heritage and assimilation?

19. (Synthesis, Short Answer) Compare Jezebel's and Mama's attitudes toward rootwork.

20. (Synthesis, Short Answer) What is the significance of the homegoing service for Daddy at the end of the novel?

Answer Key

1. B — The novel opens with Gran's funeral, where Jezebel struggles to cry until she says goodbye and clutches the doll Gran gave her.

2. B — Deputy Collins demands to search the house, dumps belongings, and breaks a bud vase before warning he is watching the family.

3. B — Doc teaches them to sew felt bags, fill them with an odd number of items, breathe into them, and tie them closed.

4. B — Jezebel's feet become stuck in mud, and she hears a voice that Jay cannot hear; she frees herself with a paint-coated stick.

5. B — She finds a carved wooden doll in a tidal pool; when she touches it, something grips her arm and pulls her under.

6. B — Jezebel and Jay witness Susie remove her skin and fly away, revealing she is a boo-hag.

7. B — After the family pours protection powder, Doc's cabin explodes, setting up the confrontation with Deputy Collins.

8. B — Jezebel opens the protective circle, breathes in rootwork-rich smoke, and flies to the marsh to summon the red wolves, who drag Collins away.

9. Mama fears the dangers of practicing rootwork, especially given police harassment and the family's vulnerability; she also worries about the children's safety and the stigma attached to rootwork.

10. B — Jezebel is lonely after Gran's death and wishes for a friend to talk to and play with, someone who accepts her.

11. B — Jay drinks the potion because he thinks it is for drinking, hoping to get luck for his baseball game; Doc had intended it to be sprinkled like cologne.

12. Susie hides her identity because a rootworker stole a piece of her skin, trapping her in hag form; she wanted to learn root magic to recover it and feared rejection if her true nature were known.

13. B — Jezebel empathizes with Susie's entrapment and chooses to help her, believing it is the right thing despite the risk.

14. B — Haint blue paint is used to protect the house from haints and is a tradition passed down through the family, symbolizing both protection and cultural heritage.

15. B — The red wolf, which Jezebel frees from a trap, later comes to her aid, representing wildness, gratitude, and the freedom she helps restore.

16. B — Dinah, made by Gran and given life through Gran's breath, serves as a conduit for Gran's spirit and a reminder of ancestral connection.

17. The marsh is a liminal space—both a source of sustenance and play and a place of danger, where supernatural threats lurk and where Jezebel experiences both vulnerability and connection to her ancestors.

18. The novel shows characters navigating two worlds: the Gullah-Geechee traditions of rootwork and the pressures of school and mainstream society. Jezebel learns to embrace her heritage, while Mama initially distances herself from rootwork, and Lettie and others mock it. The story ultimately affirms the value of cultural roots.

19. Mama learned root from Gran but chose not to continue, fearing persecution and wanting a safer life; Jezebel embraces rootwork as a way to honor Gran, protect her family, and connect with her ancestors. Over time, Mama comes to accept and even rely on Jezebel's magic.

20. The homegoing service provides closure for the family after learning Deputy Collins killed Daddy. It brings the community together, honors Gullah funeral customs, and allows Jezebel to say goodbye, reinforcing themes of family unity, ancestral connection, and resilience.

For more help, revisit the full study guide or explore common questions.

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