Seek You Quiz: 20 Questions on Kristen Radtke's Graphic Memoir

Test your knowledge of Kristen Radtke's graphic memoir Seek You with this 20-question quiz covering plot, character motivation, themes, and synthesis. Each question is grounded in the book's content. Answers and explanations are provided at the bottom. For further study, see the study guide or questions and answers. If you're curious about the ending, check the ending explained. Good luck!

Quiz

Plot and Sequence (Questions 1–8)

1. What did CBS sound engineer Charley Douglass develop to adjust audience laughter in early TV comedies? (Multiple choice)

• A. A laugh track machine

• B. A clap track

• C. A sound effects library

• D. A live audience re-recording system

1. In Harry Harlow's surrogate mother experiment, what did baby monkeys prefer? (Multiple choice)

• A. The wire mother that dispensed milk

• B. The cloth mother that provided comfort

• C. The wire mother with a heating pad

• D. The cloth mother with a bottle

1. What was the ham radio handle of the author's father? (Short answer)

2. Which mass shooting does the author describe waking up to in New York in 2017? (Multiple choice)

• A. The Pulse nightclub shooting

• B. The Las Vegas shooting

• C. The Sandy Hook shooting

• D. The Orlando shooting

1. What did the author do when she visited her great-grandmother's body after her death? (Short answer)

2. What was the name of the woman who tweeted about a car accident in Vancouver, Washington, in 2013? (Multiple choice)

• A. ScanCouver

• B. TweetHeart

• C. NewsNelly

• D. LocalLens

1. What radio program did the author listen to every Sunday night as a child? (Multiple choice)

• A. The Top Forty countdown with Casey Kasem

• B. The Ham Radio Hour

• C. The Long-Distance Dedication Show

• D. The American Top 10

1. What computer did the author's family own in 1999? (Multiple choice)

• A. A Macintosh

• B. A Gateway 2000

• C. An IBM PC

• D. A Commodore 64

Character Motivation (Questions 9–13)

1. Why did the author's father spend his nights making CQ calls on ham radio? (Short answer)

2. According to the author, why do we project loneliness onto strangers? (Multiple choice)

• A. To feel superior to them

• B. To feel less lonely ourselves

• C. To understand their lives

• D. To avoid our own problems

1. Why did ScanCouver continue tweeting after her husband's death? (Multiple choice)

• A. She wanted attention

• B. She liked Twitter and felt safe using it as an outlet

• C. She was trying to gain followers

• D. She was asked by news outlets to do so

1. Why did the author take a picture of her great-grandmother's body? (Short answer)

2. At the bakery, why did the author check customers' left hands for wedding bands? (Multiple choice)

• A. To see if they were married

• B. To know they weren't alone

• C. To guess their age

• D. To start conversations

Theme and Symbol (Questions 14–17)

1. What does the laugh track symbolize in the book? (Multiple choice)

• A. The artificiality of television

• B. A social surrogate that makes solitary viewers feel less alone

• C. The manipulation of audiences

• D. The decline of live comedy

1. How does the cowboy archetype function in the book? (Multiple choice)

• A. It represents freedom and adventure

• B. It symbolizes American individualism and loneliness as superiority

• C. It embodies the myth of the Old West

• D. It critiques masculinity

1. What do CQ calls symbolize in the book? (Short answer)

2. In the discussion of Mad Men, what does the trapped fly in the ceiling light symbolize? (Multiple choice)

• A. Don Draper's entrapment in his own loneliness

• B. The futility of advertising

• C. The passage of time

• D. The American dream

Synthesis (Questions 18–20)

1. How does the book connect the invention of the laugh track to the experience of loneliness? (Short answer)

2. What does the author mean by “the spaces between us” and how does she explore this concept throughout the book? (Short answer)

3. Which of the following best describes the book's overall argument about technology and loneliness? (Multiple choice)

• A. Technology eliminates loneliness

• B. Technology can both connect and isolate, but often creates a performance of connection

• C. Technology is the primary cause of loneliness

• D. Technology has no effect on loneliness

Answer Key

1. A. A laugh track machine

Charley Douglass developed “sweetening,” a machine with hundreds of recorded laughs, to adjust audience response in early TV comedies.

2. B. The cloth mother that provided comfort

Harlow's surrogate mother study showed babies preferred cloth mothers over wire ones that dispensed milk, indicating comfort over food.

3. WD9JHQ

The author's uncle revealed her father's ham radio handle as WD9JHQ.

4. B. The Las Vegas shooting

The author describes waking in New York during the 2017 Las Vegas shooting and waiting to hear from loved ones.

5. She took a picture of her body and her things.

The author photographed her great-grandmother's body and bathroom shelf, explaining she wanted the option to review what her own end might look like.

6. A. ScanCouver

The woman who relayed details of the car accident on Twitter was known as ScanCouver.

7. A. The Top Forty countdown with Casey Kasem

The author listened to Casey Kasem's Top Forty countdown each Sunday night, particularly for the Long-Distance Dedications.

8. B. A Gateway 2000

The author recalls her family's Gateway 2000 computer in 1999.

9. To seek connection and reach out, as a hidden desire for connection.

The father's nightly CQ calls were a way to seek connection, evidence of existence, and a solitary voice reaching out.

10. B. To feel less lonely ourselves

The author suggests, “Perhaps we see loneliness in others simply to feel less lonely ourselves.”

11. B. She liked Twitter and felt safe using it as an outlet

ScanCouver explained she liked Twitter, used it to share and receive information, and considered it her outlet where she felt safe.

12. She didn't want to see an end she might mirror, but wanted the option to review it later.

The author took the photo because she didn't want to see an end she assumed might mirror hers, but later might want to review what that would look like.

13. B. To know they weren't alone

The author checked for wedding bands to know that others weren't alone, and to imagine she might have someone waiting for her too.

14. B. A social surrogate that makes solitary viewers feel less alone

The laugh track works by making a solitary viewer feel less alone, serving as a media substitute for social connection.

15. B. It symbolizes American individualism and loneliness as superiority

The cowboy archetype frames loneliness as meaningful and superior, especially for men, rather than pathetic.

16. CQ calls symbolize seeking connection, evidence of existence, and solitary voices reaching out.

The author compares subway sounds to CQ calls, and the calls represent attempts to connect and affirm existence.

17. A. Don Draper's entrapment in his own loneliness

The trapped fly in the ceiling light is a visual metaphor for Don Draper's own entrapment in loneliness, as the author notes “Don is that fly.”

18. The laugh track is a social surrogate that makes a solitary viewer feel less alone, illustrating how media can substitute for human connection.

The book shows that the laugh track, by simulating shared laughter, helps solitary viewers feel less isolated, highlighting media's role in addressing loneliness.

19. “The spaces between us” refers to the persistent distance in human connections, explored through technology, media, relationships, and isolation.

The book investigates why we engage with one another and what is risked when we turn away, examining the gaps that remain despite attempts to connect.

20. B. Technology can both connect and isolate, but often creates a performance of connection

Through examples like early internet culture, social media, and the laugh track, the book shows technology's dual role, often fostering a performed or superficial sense of connection rather than genuine intimacy.