Someone Else's Shoes Quiz: 20 Questions on Plot, Characters & Themes
Test your knowledge of Jojo Moyes's Someone Else's Shoes with this 20-question quiz. It covers the full arc of the story, from the accidental bag swap at the gym to the final showdown at the Bentley Hotel. Questions span plot, character motivation, themes, and big-picture synthesis. After you finish, check the answer key to see how you did and why each answer is correct.
Plot & Sequence (Questions 1–8)
1. What event sets the entire story in motion?
A) Sam loses her job at Grayside Print Solutions
B) Nisha's husband Carl files for divorce
C) Sam accidentally grabs Nisha's gym bag at the Bodyworks gym
D) Phil discovers Sam's affair with Joel
2. After Nisha discovers the bag swap, what does the gym receptionist offer her?
A) A pair of track shoes
B) A pair of flip-flops
C) A refund for the lost bag
D) A replacement Chanel jacket
3. What happens to Sam during the meeting with Michael Frampton?
A) She closes the deal and wins a contract
B) She trips and twists her ankle, and Frampton asks if she is drunk
C) She reveals the shoes are not hers and apologizes
D) She is fired on the spot
4. How does Sam win over Miriam Price during the negotiation?
A) She offers a lower price than her competitors
B) She bonds with Miriam over the Louboutin shoes in the Ladies room
C) She brings a sample catalog that impresses Miriam
D) She asks Joel to charm Miriam
5. After being barred from the Bentley Hotel, what does Nisha do to survive?
A) She moves in with a wealthy friend
B) She takes a job as a hotel maid under the name Anita
C) She returns to the United States
D) She sells her jewelry to pay for a flat
6. What happens to the red Louboutin shoes after Phil hides them?
A) Sam finds them and returns them to Nisha
B) Phil throws them in the bin
C) Cat takes them to a charity shop near her college
D) They are stolen by a burglar
7. How do Nisha and Sam finally recover the shoes from Liz Frobisher?
A) They buy them back from the charity shop
B) They trick Liz with a fake charity prize and later steal them during a fire alarm
C) They call the police and have Liz arrested
D) They ask Carl to send Ari to retrieve them
8. What is Carl Cantor's fate at the end of the novel?
A) He escapes to another country
B) He is found guilty of smuggling diamonds and sentenced to incarceration in the US
C) He reconciles with Nisha and they remarry
D) He loses all his money in a bad investment
Character Motivation (Questions 9–13)
9. Why does Nisha initially resist accepting help from Jasmine and the other women?
A) She is too proud to admit she is poor
B) She is used to transactional relationships and is uncomfortable with genuine friendship
C) She believes they are trying to steal her identity
D) She plans to return to Carl and doesn't want to owe anyone
10. Why does Phil hide the red shoes in the camper-van?
A) He wants to sell them for money
B) He suspects Sam of having an affair and doesn't want them in the house
C) He is planning to give them to Cat
D) He thinks they are too valuable to leave out
11. Why does Sam agree to help Nisha recover the shoes?
A) She wants to get her job back at Uberprint
B) She feels guilty for the mix-up and losing her job, and wants to make amends
C) She hopes to become friends with Nisha
D) She wants to sell the shoes herself
12. Why does Cat take the shoes to a charity shop?
A) She thinks they are a symbol of patriarchal oppression and doesn't like her mother wearing them
B) She wants to donate them to a good cause
C) She is angry at her mother for ignoring her
D) She needs money and sells them
13. Why does Nisha decide to return the shoes to Carl in exchange for a settlement?
A) She wants to be free of him and secure a settlement for herself and her son
B) She realizes the shoes are worthless
C) She is afraid of Ari's threats
D) She wants to reconcile with Carl
Theme & Symbol (Questions 14–17)
14. What do the red Louboutin shoes symbolize for Nisha throughout the novel?
A) Her love of fashion
B) Her identity, status, and leverage over Carl
C) Her desire to become a dancer
D) Her childhood poverty
15. What does the camper-van symbolize for Phil?
A) His love of road trips
B) His unfulfilled dreams and depression
C) His desire to escape his family
D) His successful business venture
16. How does the theme of female solidarity manifest in the novel?
A) Through the rivalry between Sam and Nisha
B) Through the friendships between Sam, Nisha, Jasmine, and Andrea, who support each other
C) Through the women competing for the same job
D) Through the women's shared love of designer clothes
17. What does the memory stick that Sam receives symbolize?
A) The importance of technology in modern life
B) The hidden secrets and dangers that disrupt lives
C) Sam's desire to start a new career
D) The connection between Sam and Joel
Synthesis (Questions 18–20)
18. Compare how Sam and Nisha each use clothing to transform their identities.
A) Sam uses borrowed clothes to gain confidence, while Nisha uses her clothes to maintain status but later learns to rely on inner strength
B) Both use clothing to deceive others for personal gain
C) Sam rejects fashion, while Nisha embraces it
D) Both use clothing to hide their true selves from each other
19. How does the novel use the metaphor of "someone else's shoes" to explore empathy and understanding?
A) It shows that wearing expensive shoes makes you a better person
B) The bag swap forces both women to experience each other's lives, leading to mutual understanding and friendship
C) It suggests that shoes are the most important part of a person's identity
D) It demonstrates that people should never borrow others' belongings
20. What is the significance of the diamonds hidden in the shoe heels?
A) They represent the hidden value of material possessions
B) They are a symbol of Carl's generosity
C) They give Nisha leverage over Carl and represent the idea that true worth is not always visible
D) They are a gift from Nisha to Sam
Answer Key
1. C – Sam grabs the wrong kitbag at the gym, which contains Nisha's Louboutin shoes and Chanel jacket, setting off the entire chain of events.
2. B – The receptionist offers Nisha flip-flops because there are no track shoes available, and she reluctantly takes them.
3. B – Sam stumbles and twists her ankle during the meeting, and Michael Frampton later mutters to Joel, "Is she drunk?" – his final words to the company.
4. B – In the Ladies room, Miriam admires Sam's shoes, and they bond over the "totemic power of shoes," leading Miriam to suggest they negotiate away from the boys.
5. B – After being barred from the hotel, Nisha is mistaken for a new hire and works as a maid under the name Anita, cleaning rooms with Jasmine.
6. C – Phil moves the shoes to the camper-van, but Cat later finds them and takes them to a charity shop near her college, thinking they are a symbol of patriarchal oppression.
7. B – They trick Liz with a fake charity prize to get her to bring the shoes, and later Nisha steals them during a fire alarm that Sam triggers.
8. B – Carl is found guilty of smuggling £21 million worth of uncut diamonds and is sentenced to incarceration in the US under an extradition agreement.
9. B – Nisha tells Aleks that her past friendships were transactional and that she is uncomfortable receiving help, reflecting her difficulty trusting genuine kindness.
10. B – Phil hides the shoes because he suspects Sam of having an affair (based on Cat's report) and doesn't want them in the house.
11. B – Sam feels guilty for the mix-up and for losing her job as a result, and she wants to make amends by helping Nisha recover the shoes.
12. A – Cat tells Andrea that she took the shoes because they are a "repulsive symbol of patriarchal oppression" and she didn't want them in the house.
13. A – Nisha decides to return the shoes in exchange for a signed settlement so she can be free of Carl and secure a future for herself and her son Ray.
14. B – The shoes represent Nisha's identity, status, and the leverage she holds over Carl, who demands them back as part of the divorce settlement.
15. B – The camper-van is a symbol of Phil's unfulfilled dreams and his depression; he bought it two years ago but never finished it, mirroring his emotional stagnation.
16. B – The novel emphasizes female solidarity through the friendships that develop between Sam, Nisha, Jasmine, and Andrea, who support each other through crises.
17. B – The memory stick contains disturbing explicit footage that horrifies Sam and Andrea, representing the hidden secrets and dangers that disrupt their lives.
18. A – Sam uses the borrowed shoes and jacket to project confidence and win contracts, while Nisha initially relies on her designer clothes for status but eventually learns to value inner strength and genuine relationships.
19. B – The accidental bag swap forces Sam and Nisha to walk in each other's shoes, literally and metaphorically, leading to mutual understanding and an unlikely friendship.
20. C – The diamonds hidden in the heels give Nisha leverage over Carl, and they symbolize the idea that true worth is not always visible on the surface.
For more discussion, check out the main book page, the questions and answers, or the ending explained.