Sandwich by Catherine Newman: 20-Question Book Quiz

Quiz: 20 Questions on Sandwich by Catherine Newman

Test your knowledge of the novel’s plot, characters, themes, and deeper connections. Questions are grouped by type, and the full answer key with explanations appears after the quiz. For more context, see the book overview, questions and answers, or the ending explained.

Plot & Sequence (Questions 1–8)

1. What is the first mishap that occurs after the family arrives at the rented cottage?

A. The shower curtain rod detaches

B. The toilet overflows

C. Maya vomits from a bad clam

D. The narrator falls and hits her head

1. Arrange these events in the order they happen in the novel:

• Maya reveals she is pregnant

• The narrator tells Willa about her abortion

• The narrator’s mother collapses at the beach

• The narrator tells Nick about her abortion

A. Maya reveals → mother collapses → tells Willa → tells Nick

B. Mother collapses → Maya reveals → tells Nick → tells Willa

C. Maya reveals → tells Willa → mother collapses → tells Nick

D. Tells Willa → Maya reveals → mother collapses → tells Nick

1. What does the narrator search for in the cottage’s medicine cabinet?

A. Poison ivy scrub

B. Tylenol

C. Sunscreen

D. A hairband

1. What is the name of the family cat?

A. Precious

B. Chicken

C. Goat-butt

D. Smencil

1. What does the narrator’s mother reveal at the hospital after her collapse?

A. She has a heart condition requiring valve replacement

B. She has been secretly taking painkillers

C. She is allergic to shellfish

D. She has Parkinson’s disease

1. What announcement does Jamie make during breakfast near the end of the vacation?

A. He and Maya are moving to New Jersey

B. He and Maya are getting married

C. He got a new job

D. He wants to adopt a kitten

1. What causes the crowd to gather at the beach, leading the narrator to fear her father is drowning?

A. A shark sighting

B. A swimmer in distress

C. A lost child

D. A beached whale

1. What does the narrator say is her favorite moment of the week?

A. The night swim with Willa

B. The lobster dinner

C. The family together and alive

D. Finding sea glass

Character Motivation (Questions 9–13)

1. Why does the narrator initially keep her abortion a secret from Nick?

A. She is afraid he will leave her

B. She feels shame, regret, and was overwhelmed by motherhood

C. She wants to protect Willa from the truth

D. She thinks Nick already knows

1. Why does Willa ask her mother about her pregnancies during their night swim?

A. She wants to understand her mother’s secrets and her own identity

B. She is considering having a baby herself

C. She wants to prove her mother is lying

D. She is curious about her father’s role

1. Why does Nick get upset when the narrator forgets to tell him about Maya’s pregnancy?

A. He feels left out of the emotional labor and decision-making

B. He is angry that Maya didn’t tell him directly

C. He worries about the financial cost

D. He thinks the narrator is being careless

1. What does the narrator’s mother advise her before dying?

A. To write a memoir about their family

B. Not to draw so many conclusions and to accept life’s imperfections

C. To move closer to her children

D. To stop taking antidepressants

1. Why does the narrator decide to “let go” of her grief habit in the ocean?

A. She realizes she must choose happiness and set free her sorrow

B. She is exhausted by crying

C. Nick demands she stop

D. She wants to forget her past entirely

Theme & Symbol (Questions 14–17)

1. What does the pond symbolize in the novel?

A. The narrator’s fear of snakes

B. Memory, family connection, and personal growth

C. The dangers of swimming alone

D. The passage of time and aging

1. What does the “sandwich” in the title represent?

A. The narrator’s favorite beach food

B. The narrator’s role as caregiver caught between children and parents

C. The layers of secrets in the family

D. The difficulty of making lunch for everyone

1. What does the ocean represent in the novel?

A. Release, grief, and the narrator’s insignificance

B. The family’s vacation destination

C. The dangers of climate change

D. The narrator’s fear of drowning

1. What does the beach bag full of old items (sand toys, rocks, a maxi pad) symbolize?

A. The family’s lack of organization

B. Childhood artifacts, memory, and the passage of time

C. The narrator’s hoarding tendencies

D. The messiness of family life

Synthesis (Questions 18–20)

1. How does the narrator’s relationship with her body change over the course of the novel?

A. She becomes more ashamed of her aging body

B. She moves from self-consciousness to acceptance, embracing menopause and its changes

C. She decides to get cosmetic surgery

D. She stops caring about her appearance entirely

1. How does the novel treat the theme of secrets and truth?

A. Secrets are harmless and should be kept

B. Secrets create distance, but confession brings connection and healing

C. Truth always destroys relationships

D. Only women keep secrets in the novel

1. Compare the narrator’s experience of pregnancy loss with her mother’s experience of aging and death.

A. Both are treated as shameful and hidden

B. Both involve grief, acceptance, and the importance of family support

C. The narrator’s loss is more tragic than her mother’s death

D. The mother’s aging is portrayed as humorous, while the narrator’s loss is not

Answer Key

1. B. The toilet overflows – The family arrives and within an hour the toilet overflows, leading to the bathroom accident. (Outline, Chapter 1)

2. A. Maya reveals → mother collapses → tells Willa → tells Nick – Maya reveals her pregnancy in Chapter 11, the mother collapses in Chapter 23, the narrator tells Willa in Chapter 33, and tells Nick in Chapter 36. (Outline, Chapters 11, 23, 33, 36)

3. A. Poison ivy scrub – The narrator searches for it after Willa brushes against poison ivy. (Outline, Chapter 7)

4. B. Chicken – The family cat is named Chicken throughout the novel. (Outline, Chapters 7, 20, 29, 39)

5. A. She has a heart condition requiring valve replacement – The mother reveals this in the ER, shocking the narrator. (Outline, Chapter 27)

6. B. He and Maya are getting married – Jamie announces their engagement during breakfast. (Outline, Chapter 38)

7. A. A shark sighting – The crowd gathers because of a possible shark, which turns out to be a red herring. (Outline, Chapter 23)

8. C. The family together and alive – The narrator says her favorite moment is simply the fact of them together and alive. (Outline, Chapter 43)

9. B. She feels shame, regret, and was overwhelmed by motherhood – She confesses this to Willa and later to Nick, explaining she was anxious, exhausted, and possibly depressed. (Outline, Chapters 33, 36)

10. A. She wants to understand her mother’s secrets and her own identity – Willa presses for the truth about her mother’s pregnancies during their night swim. (Outline, Chapter 33)

11. A. He feels left out of the emotional labor and decision-making – Nick is hurt that the narrator didn’t share Maya’s news, leading to an argument about emotional work. (Outline, Chapter 37)

12. B. Not to draw so many conclusions and to accept life’s imperfections – The mother’s final advice is to accept imperfection and avoid over-concluding. (Outline, After)

13. A. She realizes she must choose happiness and set free her sorrow – After a therapist friend’s advice, she decides to push her grief out to sea and let go. (Outline, Chapter 42)

14. B. Memory, family connection, and personal growth – The pond is where Willa wrote her college essay, where the narrator swims with her daughter, and where secrets are revealed. (Outline, Chapters 6, 31, 33)

15. B. The narrator’s role as caregiver caught between children and parents – The title reflects the “sandwich generation” theme, as the narrator is midlife, caring for both grown children and aging parents. (Outline, Prologue)

16. A. Release, grief, and the narrator’s insignificance – The ocean is where she swims after loss, where she lets go of grief, and where she feels small against its vastness. (Outline, Chapters 17, 42)

17. B. Childhood artifacts, memory, and the passage of time – The bag contains remnants of the children’s past, symbolizing layered memories and the inevitability of change. (Outline, Chapter 6)

18. B. She moves from self-consciousness to acceptance, embracing menopause and its changes – She stops caring about cellulite, jokes about her body, and accepts aging. (Outline, Chapters 5, 6, 15)

19. B. Secrets create distance, but confession brings connection and healing – The narrator’s hidden abortion strains her marriage, but confessing to Willa and Nick deepens their bonds. (Outline, Chapters 33, 36, 39)

20. B. Both involve grief, acceptance, and the importance of family support – The narrator’s pregnancy losses and her mother’s death both require processing grief and finding comfort in family. (Outline, Chapters 17, 19, 24, 27, After)