Quiz Summer in the City Alex Aster

Summer in the City Quiz

Whether you read the book last week or last year, this quiz will test how well you remember the details of Elle and Parker’s summer romance. The questions span the entire story, from the first stairwell meeting to the final proposal. Use the full book page to refresh your memory, or check the questions and answers for deeper discussion. When you’re done, read the ending explained to see how the final chapters tie everything together.

Questions

Plot and Sequence (Questions 1–8)

  1. Where does Elle first meet Parker?

    • A. At a coffee shop
    • B. In a stairwell at a club
    • C. In an elevator at their apartment building
    • D. On the High Line

  2. What object does Parker buy at the art auction that makes Elle smile?

    • A. A diamond necklace
    • B. A painting of a cityscape
    • C. A mushroom-shaped bracelet
    • D. An antique vase

  3. What event wakes Elle on her first night in the Manhattan apartment?

    • A. A fire alarm
    • B. A loud party next door
    • C. A phone call from her sister
    • D. A rainstorm

  4. Where do Parker and Elle go for their first fake date?

    • A. A Yankees baseball game
    • B. A morning run in Central Park
    • C. A high-end restaurant
    • D. The Summit One Vanderbilt observatory

  5. What causes Elle to end the fake relationship in Chapter 24?

    • Short answer: _______________________________

  6. What emergency makes Parker fly Elle to Sicily?

    • A. Elle’s sister goes into early labor
    • B. Elle’s mother’s funeral
    • C. A last-minute business meeting
    • D. Elle’s sister’s wedding

  7. What name do Elle and Cali give the baby born in Sicily?

    • Short answer: _______________________________

  8. What iconic Paris landmark does Parker rent for a private dinner?

    • A. The Louvre
    • B. The Eiffel Tower
    • C. Notre Dame Cathedral
    • D. The Musée Rodin garden

Character Motivation (Questions 9–13)

  1. Why does Elle refuse Parker’s offer of a helicopter ride in Chapter 1?

    • A. She is afraid of heights.
    • B. She thinks he is offering money for sex.
    • C. She is already late for a flight.
    • D. She is angry at Penelope for leaving her alone.

  2. What is Elle’s main reason for agreeing to the fake relationship?

    • A. She wants to date a billionaire.
    • B. She needs help visiting New York locations for her screenplay.
    • C. She hopes to make her sister jealous.
    • D. Penelope threatens to stop being her friend.

  3. Why does Parker propose the fake relationship deal?

    • A. He wants to improve his public image during a company acquisition.
    • B. He wants to make his ex-girlfriend jealous.
    • C. He is lonely and wants company.
    • D. He wants Elle to write a screenplay about him.

  4. What is Elle’s deepest fear about being in a real relationship?

    • A. Losing her independence and being controlled
    • B. That Parker will cheat on her
    • C. That she will have to move back to Los Angeles
    • D. That her mother’s ghost will disapprove

  5. Why does Parker keep the “ugly vase” from his childhood?

    • Short answer: _______________________________

Theme and Symbol (Questions 14–17)

  1. What does the Manhattanhenge sunset in Chapter 19 represent?

    • A. The permanence of New York City
    • B. The temporary beauty of a shared moment
    • C. Elle’s hatred of the city fading
    • D. Parker’s wealth and power

  2. What does the scone that Elle loves most likely symbolize?

    • A. Comfort, routine, and a simple joy she can’t buy
    • B. The high cost of living in Manhattan
    • C. Parker’s attempt to control her diet
    • D. The fading memory of her mother

  3. The apartment Elle house-sits is described as too big and not really hers. What does it represent?

    • A. The luxury she has always dreamed of
    • B. The temporariness of her summer in New York
    • C. Parker’s secret plan to keep her there
    • D. Her sister’s hidden wealth

  4. What does Parker’s fear of heights at Summit One Vanderbilt reveal about his character?

    • Short answer: _______________________________

Synthesis (Questions 18–20)

  1. How does the theme of “money as control” appear in both Elle’s relationship with her father and with Parker?

    • Short answer: _______________________________

  2. Why does Elle finally accept Parker’s proposal at the end of the book?

    • A. He gives her a flower-shaped ring.
    • B. She realizes he respects her independence and has changed.
    • C. Penelope forces her to say yes.
    • D. Parker threatens to sell his company if she refuses.

  3. What does the flower-shaped engagement ring Parker gives at the end symbolize?

    • A. That Elle will now run his company
    • B. Growth, new beginnings, and love that does not diminish independence
    • C. A reminder of the rose gardens in Paris
    • D. That Elle must give up her career

Answer Key

Each answer below includes a brief explanation referencing the story outline.

Plot and Sequence

  1. B. In a stairwell at a club – Elle hides near the bathroom and meets Parker, who she mistakes for a bouncer. They share an intense encounter in the stairwell (Chapter 2).

  2. C. A mushroom-shaped bracelet – At the art auction, Parker buys the bracelet for $300,000 because he thinks it made her smile (Chapter 16).

  3. A. A fire alarm – The fire alarm wakes Elle, and she rushes into the stairwell where she bumps into Parker again (Chapter 5).

  4. B. A morning run in Central Park – Parker proposes a morning run as their first fake date after agreeing to the deal (Chapter 9).

  5. A tabloid exposes Elle as the anonymous screenwriter, and her father takes credit for her success. – The leak devastates Elle, and she ends the arrangement (Chapter 24).

  6. A. Elle’s sister goes into early labor – Cali goes into labor, and Parker flies them to Sicily on his private jet (Chapter 26).

  7. Isabella – The baby is named Isabella after Elle and Cali’s mother (Chapter 26).

  8. B. The Eiffel Tower – Parker rents the entire Eiffel Tower for a private dinner and declares his love at the summit (Chapter 27).

Character Motivation

  1. B. She thinks he is offering money for sex. – When Parker offers dinner or a helicopter ride, Elle assumes it is payment for sex and leaves furious (Chapter 2).

  2. B. She needs help visiting New York locations for her screenplay. – Parker offers to take her to the locations on her list; she agrees for the convenience (Chapter 9).

  3. A. He wants to improve his public image during a company acquisition. – Parker needs a fake girlfriend for PR to counter negative press as his company is being acquired (Chapter 8).

  4. A. Losing her independence and being controlled – Elle fears that money will give Parker power over her, just as her father used money to control her mother and herself (outline, Chapters 22 and 31).

  5. It has sentimental value and reminds him of his mother and his humble childhood. – Parker saves the ugly vase because it represents his family heritage and his mother’s foundation (Chapter 27).

Theme and Symbol

  1. B. The temporary beauty of a shared moment – The Manhattanhenge sunset is described as a moment “trapped in a snow globe,” emphasizing that summer and their arrangement are limited (Chapter 19).

  2. A. Comfort, routine, and a simple joy she can’t buy – The scone is a small pleasure Elle treasures; Parker buying the chain shows his attempt to buy her happiness, which angers her because it threatens her independence (Chapter 17).

  3. B. The temporariness of her summer in New York – Elle feels the apartment was never hers, echoing that her stay—and her fake relationship—will end in September (Chapter 28).

  4. It reveals his vulnerability and his need to face his weaknesses, as well as his trust in Elle when she guides him across the glass floor. – Parker conquers his fear by relying on Elle, deepening their emotional connection (Chapter 13).

Synthesis (Accept reasonable answers that align with the outline)

  1. Elle’s father used his wealth to control her and her mother, attaching strings to every favor. Parker also tries to buy her happiness (e.g., the scone chain, the house deed), but eventually learns that Elle needs to feel independent. Elle rejects the deed because she wants to buy her own dream house, seeing the gift as a violation of her autonomy. (Chapters 22, 31)

  2. B. She realizes he respects her independence and has changed. – After reading her mother’s note urging her to live fully, Elle returns to New York. Parker gives away most of his fortune and buys the townhouse she loves, showing he understands her need to be her own person. She accepts his flower-shaped ring, choosing love without fear (Chapter 32).

  3. B. Growth, new beginnings, and love that does not diminish independence – The flower shape contrasts with the earlier diamond rings, which signified wealth and control. The ring represents that Elle can have love and still be her own person (Chapter 32).