Small Things Like These Quiz: Test Your Understanding

Answer the following 20 questions based on Claire Keegan’s Small Things Like These. Questions mix multiple-choice and short-answer formats. After completing all questions, scroll to the answer key for explanations.

Plot and Sequence Questions

What season is depicted at the novel’s opening?
- A) Spring
- B) Summer
- C) Autumn
- D) Winter
In what year does the story take place? (Short answer)
When Furlong encounters Mick Sinnott’s boy foraging for sticks, what does he give him?
- A) A bag of coal
- B) Loose change
- C) A lift home
- D) His own coat
Where does Furlong first discover Sarah Redmond? (Short answer)
After finding Sarah locked in the coal shed, what does Furlong do?
- A) Calls the police
- B) Helps her out and takes her to the convent door
- C) Drives her home to her family
- D) Tells her to run away
What gift does Furlong buy for his wife at the end of the novel? (Short answer)
What was Furlong’s childhood Christmas disappointment?
- A) He received only a hot water bottle and a used book instead of the jigsaw he wanted
- B) His mother was not home for the holiday
- C) He got a new bike that broke immediately
- D) He had to work in the coal yard all day
Which family took in Furlong and raised him after his mother’s death?
- A) Kehoe
- B) Redmond
- C) Sinnott
- D) Wilson

Character Motivation Questions

Why does Eileen urge Furlong to ignore what he witnessed at the convent?
- A) She does not believe his account
- B) She fears the nuns’ power and wants to protect their family
- C) She thinks the girl is lying
- D) She wants to avoid gossip about the family
What personal reason does Furlong give himself for helping Sarah, despite the risks? (Short answer)
What motivates Mrs Kehoe to warn Furlong about the nuns?
- A) She wants him to join the Church
- B) She knows the nuns have pervasive power and wants to protect him
- C) She is jealous of the convent’s influence
- D) She is spreading malicious gossip
Why does Furlong refuse Communion at Christmas Mass? (Short answer)
What does Furlong’s memory of working in the mushroom factory reveal about his motivation?
- A) He enjoys repetitive work
- B) He feels trapped in an endless cycle of labor
- C) He wants to quit his coal business
- D) He wishes he lived in a different town

Theme and Symbol Questions

In the novel, the crows gathering around the convent most likely symbolize:
- A) Good luck
- B) The nuns’ protection
- C) An ominous or unsettling secret
- D) Winter migration
What does the Christmas manger scene with Sarah emphasize? (Short answer)
The title Small Things Like These primarily refers to:
- A) The small items Furlong delivers
- B) The children’s small requests for gifts
- C) Small acts of kindness and noticing that add up to a life
- D) The minor cruelties of the town
How does the epigraph from the 1916 Proclamation set up a theme of hypocrisy? (Short answer)

Synthesis Questions

Which real‑world institution is referenced in the author’s note and directly connected to the novel’s events?
- A) The Irish Famine
- B) The Magdalen laundries
- C) The Easter Rising
- D) The Troubles
How does Furlong’s decision to take Sarah home contrast with the behavior of most townspeople he meets? (Short answer)
In what way does the author’s note change the reader’s understanding of the fictional story? (Short answer)

Answer Key

D) Winter
The opening lines describe trees turning yellow in October and by November the winds strip them bare; cold rain and frost dominate, establishing a bleak winter setting.
1985
The narrative explicitly mentions the year 1985, referencing events like the Live Aid concert and the opening of Knock Airport.
B) Loose change
Furlong “offered him a lift and gave him what bit of change was loose in my pocket.” He does not give coal or a coat.
In the coal shed at the convent
Furlong goes to deliver coal and finds a terrified young woman locked inside the coal shed overnight.
B) Helps her out and takes her to the convent door
He escorts her out of the shed and up to the convent entrance, where the Mother Superior dismisses the incident.
Shoes
On Christmas Eve, Furlong buys a pair of shoes for Eileen from Hanrahan’s.
A) He received only a hot water bottle and a used book instead of the jigsaw he wanted
This memory from his own childhood reinforces his empathy for underprivileged children.
D) Wilson
After his mother died, Mrs Wilson of the Wilson family raised Furlong in their house.
B) She fears the nuns’ power and wants to protect their family
Eileen insists they ignore the situation to avoid trouble, prioritizing the safety of their household.
His own mother was taken in by Mrs Wilson; turning away would deny his own existence
Furlong thinks, “Was it possible to carry on … without once being brave enough to go against what was there …?” He sees Sarah’s plight as connected to his mother’s story.
B) She knows the nuns have pervasive power and wants to protect him
Mrs Kehoe warns Furlong with the phrase “They’re all the one,” implying the nuns’ influence is absolute.
He feels like a hypocrite after taking the convent’s money and not acting
At Mass he cannot bring himself to receive Communion because he knows he participated in the cover-up.
B) He feels trapped in an endless cycle of labor
Recalling the mushrooms pushing through the compost again, Furlong reflects on the repetitive, wearying nature of his work.
C) An ominous or unsettling secret
The crows gather around the convent in December, creating an atmosphere of foreboding and hinting at hidden cruelty.
The contrast between the Christmas ideal and the harsh reality, and the possibility of redemption through action
Sarah stops at the lighted manager and strokes the donkey; this quiet moment highlights hope amid the town’s complicity.
C) Small acts of kindness and noticing that add up to a life
The novel repeatedly shows how small gestures (giving change, an encouraging word) define character and legacy.
The proclamation promises to cherish all children equally, yet the story reveals the Church and state failing to protect vulnerable girls
The epigraph sets a high moral standard that the novel’s events show is betrayed by the institutions in power.
B) The Magdalen laundries
The author’s note states that Ireland’s last Magdalen laundry operated until 1996 and that thousands of women were incarcerated in such institutions.
Most townspeople ignore or avoid the situation; Furlong alone bravely helps Sarah, directly opposing community complicity
The chapter shows people giving them a wide berth or staring; Furlong persists despite the stares and confrontations.
It grounds the fictional story in real historical horrors, making it a representation of widespread injustice rather than an isolated case
Keegan cites documented abuses and the 2013 apology, turning the novel into a powerful commentary on a national scandal.