Quiz Self-Portrait with Nothing Aimee Pokwatka

Self-Portrait with Nothing Quiz: 20 Questions on Plot, Character, and Theme

Test your knowledge of Aimee Pokwatka's Self-Portrait with Nothing with this 20-question quiz covering plot, character motivation, themes, and synthesis. Answers are provided at the end. Good luck!

Quiz Questions

Plot and Sequence

  1. What is the title of the poem from which the epigraph is taken? (Short answer)

  2. Who reported Ula Frost missing? (Multiple choice)

  • A. Jamie Marchand

  • B. Gordon Priddy

  • C. Tilda Hogan

  • D. Victor Morgan

  1. What does Pepper find behind the bathroom mirror in the London flat? (Multiple choice)

  • A. A love letter

  • B. A Polaroid of a statue emerging from a sidewalk

  • C. A key to a garage

  • D. A self-portrait of Ula

  1. In which city does Pepper meet Levi Crow? (Multiple choice)

  • A. Wrocław

  • B. Cologne

  • C. London

  • D. Paris

  1. What does Pepper steal from Bartosz's canvas shop? (Multiple choice)

  • A. A canvas

  • B. An invoice bearing the name U. Mróz

  • C. A brush

  • D. A frame

  1. How is Ula Frost's body discovered? (Multiple choice)

  • A. Drowned

  • B. Burned outside her church

  • C. Stabbed

  • D. Poisoned

  1. What does Pepper use to try to pick the lock at the postal museum? (Multiple choice)

  • A. A hairpin

  • B. A paperclip

  • C. A metal rib from a broken umbrella

  • D. A key from Blue

  1. What is the address of Ula's apartment that Blue reveals? (Short answer)

Character Motivation

  1. Why does Pepper initially refuse to answer Scott Morrow's questions about Ula Frost? (Short answer)

  2. Why does Pepper decide not to sign the inheritance agreement? (Multiple choice)

  • A. She wants to avoid financial burden

  • B. She wants to go to London to find Ula

  • C. She is afraid of the Everett Group

  • D. She wants to give the paintings to Tilda

  1. Why does Ula Zero want Pepper to destroy the painting? (Multiple choice)

  • A. To prevent the Everett Group from getting it

  • B. To send herself back to her universe

  • C. To kill the real Ula

  • D. To protect Pepper

  1. Why does Pepper refuse to destroy the painting in the van? (Short answer)

  2. Why does Ula (the real one) tell Pepper to hide the painting? (Multiple choice)

  • A. To protect Tilda

  • B. To keep it from the Everett Group

  • C. To sell it later

  • D. To destroy it herself

Theme and Symbol

  1. What does the epigraph “All sketches wish to be real” suggest about the novel's central theme? (Short answer)

  2. What does the Polish coin symbolize for Pepper? (Multiple choice)

  • A. Her Polish heritage

  • B. Her connection to Ula and her origin

  • C. Good luck

  • D. A reminder of her adoptive family

  1. What does the painting “Self-Portrait with Nothing” depict? (Multiple choice)

  • A. Ula as an old woman

  • B. A young Ula holding an infant with its face turned away

  • C. Ula and Tilda together

  • D. A self-portrait of Pepper

  1. What happens when a portrait is destroyed, according to the novel? (Short answer)

Synthesis

  1. How does Pepper's training as a forensic anthropologist shape her investigation into Ula's disappearance? (Short answer)

  2. Compare Pepper's relationship with her biological mother, Ula, with her relationship with her adoptive mothers, Lydia and Annie. (Short answer)

  3. What role does the many-worlds interpretation play in the novel's resolution? (Short answer)

Answer Key

  1. Answer: The Blue House. Explanation: The epigraph is from Tomas Tranströmer's poem “The Blue House,” as stated in Chapter 1.

  2. Answer: B. Gordon Priddy. Explanation: Gordon, Ula's assistant, reported her missing after three weeks without contact.

  3. Answer: B. A Polaroid of a statue emerging from a sidewalk. Explanation: In the London flat, Pepper finds this Polaroid behind the bathroom mirror.

  4. Answer: B. Cologne. Explanation: Pepper travels to Cologne to meet Scott and interview Levi Crow.

  5. Answer: B. An invoice bearing the name U. Mróz. Explanation: Pepper steals this invoice from Bartosz's shop, which reveals Ula's Polish name.

  6. Answer: B. Burned outside her church. Explanation: Police inform Pepper that Ula's body was found burned outside her church, identified by dental records.

  7. Answer: C. A metal rib from a broken umbrella. Explanation: Pepper uses this to try to pick the lock at the postal museum, cutting her hand.

  8. Answer: 201 Piękna. Explanation: Blue reveals that Piękna is a street name and 201 Piękna is Ula's apartment address.

  9. Answer: To conceal her connection to Ula (she is her daughter). Explanation: Pepper refuses to answer Scott's questions to hide her biological relationship.

  10. Answer: B. She wants to go to London to find Ula. Explanation: After learning about Ula's past and the inheritance, Pepper decides to pursue the mystery rather than sign the agreement.

  11. Answer: B. To send herself back to her universe. Explanation: Ula Zero believes destroying the painting will allow her to return home.

  12. Answer: She realizes Ula Zero is not the real Ula. Explanation: Pepper sees Ula Zero's deteriorating body and senses something wrong, leading her to refuse.

  13. Answer: A. To protect Tilda. Explanation: Ula tells Pepper to hide the painting to keep Tilda safe from the Everett Group.

  14. Answer: Art's longing to become reality; the transformation of art into life. Explanation: The epigraph sets up the novel's theme of art crossing into reality.

  15. Answer: B. Her connection to Ula and her origin. Explanation: The Polish coin appears in Pepper's unfinished portrait, symbolizing her biological heritage.

  16. Answer: B. A young Ula holding an infant with its face turned away. Explanation: The painting depicts Ula with baby Pepper, whose face is turned away, symbolizing their estrangement.

  17. Answer: The subject is sent back to their universe or somewhere else. Explanation: Pepper explains that destroying a portrait allows the subject to return or move to another universe.

  18. Answer: She uses scientific observation and analysis to cope and verify identities. Explanation: Pepper examines the burned body to determine it isn't Ula, and uses forensic methods to gather evidence.

  19. Answer: Pepper's relationship with Ula is distant and painful due to abandonment, while her adoptive mothers provide love and stability. Explanation: The novel contrasts biological and chosen family.

  20. Answer: It allows for multiple versions of characters and the possibility of return, but raises questions about identity and choice. Explanation: The many-worlds interpretation underpins the plot's alternate selves and the destruction of portraits.

Further Reading

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