Quiz She Drives Me Crazy Kelly Quindlen

She Drives Me Crazy Quiz: Test Your Knowledge of Kelly Quindlen's Novel

Test your knowledge of Kelly Quindlen's She Drives Me Crazy with this 20-question quiz covering plot, character motivation, themes, and synthesis. Answers are at the bottom—no peeking until you've finished! Good luck, Reindeer fans. 🏀📣🎉

(If you need a refresher, check out the book overview or the ending explained first.)

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Plot and Sequence

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1. What causes Scottie to crash into another car in Chapter 1?

  • A) She is distracted by a text from Tally

  • B) She is watching Tally's car drive away

  • C) Irene backs into her without looking

  • D) She loses control on a wet road

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2. What item does Tally return to Scottie after the preseason game?

(Short answer)

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3. What deal do Scottie and Irene strike at the end of Chapter 6?

  • A) Irene will drive Scottie to school in exchange for basketball lessons

  • B) Scottie will pay Irene's insurance deductible if Irene pretends to date her for four months

  • C) Irene will help Scottie win Homecoming King in exchange for a cheerleading spot

  • D) Scottie will help Irene win SAOY if Irene stops bullying her

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4. What does Charlotte Pascal do at her Thanksgiving party that humiliates Irene?

  • A) She spills a drink on Irene's dress

  • B) She plays an old video of Irene denying she is gay

  • C) She tells everyone Irene cheated on the SAOY application

  • D) She reveals Irene's fake relationship with Scottie

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5. How did Irene get her eyebrow scar?

(Short answer)

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6. What song does Irene play during her final romantic gesture in the parking lot?

  • A) “In Your Eyes” by Peter Gabriel

  • B) “She Drives Me Crazy” by Fine Young Cannibals

  • C) “Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor

  • D) “Purple Rain” by Prince

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7. What does Scottie do at halftime of the championship game?

  • A) She asks Irene to prom

  • B) She performs a cheer routine with the squad and publicly asks Irene on a date

  • C) She confronts Charlotte about the photo

  • D) She announces she is transferring to Candlehawk

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8. How does the championship game end?

(Short answer)

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Character Motivation

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9. Why does Scottie initially agree to drive Irene to school?

  • A) She wants to get closer to Irene

  • B) Her mom volunteers her after the accident and Irene's car is not drivable

  • C) She wants to make Tally jealous

  • D) She owes Irene a favor from the tow truck incident

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10. Why does Tally warn Scottie that Irene “isn't good for her” in Chapter 3?

  • A) She knows Irene is secretly mean

  • B) She is jealous of Scottie's perceived friendship with Irene

  • C) She wants Scottie to transfer to Candlehawk

  • D) She is trying to protect Scottie from a bully

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11. Why does Irene agree to the fake dating arrangement?

  • A) She wants to win Homecoming Queen

  • B) She needs money to pay her insurance deductible and hopes to win a cheerleading award to afford Benson University

  • C) She wants to make Charlotte jealous

  • D) She is in love with Scottie

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12. Why does Scottie go to Tally's New Year's Eve game?

  • A) To win Tally back

  • B) To get closure and cut ties with Tally, as Danielle advised

  • C) To confront Tally about the kiss

  • D) To support Tally's team

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13. Why does Irene drop out of the SAOY competition in Chapter 19?

  • A) She realizes she doesn't care about the award anymore

  • B) Her mother's office wants the cheer squad for a commercial and has promised Irene a summer job, guaranteeing her admission to Benson

  • C) She wants Danielle to win and beat Charlotte

  • D) She is too busy with Scottie

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Theme and Symbol

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14. What does the basketball button symbolize in the novel?

(Short answer)

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15. In Chapter 11, how does Irene view the boom box scene from Say Anything...?

  • A) As the most romantic moment in cinema

  • B) As an empty, self-indulgent grand gesture that replaces actual communication

  • C) As a perfect example of true love

  • D) As a funny joke

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16. In the final scene, what does Scottie say she feels instead of butterflies when Irene reenacts the boom box moment?

(Short answer)

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17. What does the “gardening metaphor” in Chapter 16 represent?

(Short answer)

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Synthesis

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18. How does the novel challenge the idea of “performative romance”?

(Short answer)

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19. Compare Scottie's relationships with Tally and Irene. What key difference does the novel highlight?

(Short answer)

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20. What does the novel suggest about the importance of “proving oneself”?

  • A) You must prove yourself to everyone to be respected

  • B) Proving yourself to others is less important than being true to yourself and earning the respect of those who matter

  • C) Proving yourself is only possible through athletic achievement

  • D) Proving yourself requires sacrificing your integrity

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Answer Key

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  1. B – Scottie crashes because she is watching Tally's car drive away (Chapter 1).

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  1. Her basketball button – Tally returns it after the game (Chapter 1).

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  1. B – Scottie pays Irene's deductible in exchange for four months of fake dating (Chapter 6).

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  1. B – Charlotte plays an old video of Irene denying she is gay (Chapter 9).

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  1. Charlotte shoved her into a cabinet – Irene explains this in Chapter 10.

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  1. B – Irene plays “She Drives Me Crazy” instead of “In Your Eyes” (Chapter 19).

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  1. B – Scottie performs a cheer routine and asks Irene on a date (Chapter 18).

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  1. Danielle hits a three-pointer at the buzzer – Chapter 18.

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  1. B – Scottie's mom volunteers her after the accident (Chapter 2).

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  1. B – Tally is jealous of Scottie's perceived friendship with Irene (Chapter 3).

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  1. B – Irene needs money for her deductible and hopes to win a cheerleading award for Benson (Chapter 6).

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  1. B – Scottie goes for closure and to cut ties with Tally (Chapter 14).

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  1. B – Irene's mom's office wants the squad for a commercial and promises a summer job (Chapter 19).

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  1. The basketball button symbolizes Scottie's past relationship with Tally, her identity as an athlete, and her journey toward self-acceptance (Chapters 1, 16).

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  1. B – Irene calls it empty and self-indulgent (Chapter 11).

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  1. Bumblebees – Scottie says she has bumblebees in her stomach (Chapter 19).

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  1. The gardening metaphor represents the slow, patient process of healing and personal growth (Chapter 16).

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  1. The novel challenges performative romance by contrasting Irene's critique of the boom box scene with her final, authentic gesture that uses a song meaningful to their relationship (Chapters 11, 19).

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  1. Tally is manipulative and self-centered, while Irene is honest and supportive; Scottie learns to value authenticity over validation (throughout).

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  1. B – The novel suggests that being true to yourself matters more than proving yourself to others (Chapters 17–18).

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Want to dig deeper? Explore the questions and answers or revisit the ending explained.

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