Sundial Quiz: How Well Do You Know Catriona Ward's Thriller?

Welcome to the Sundial quiz. This set of 20 questions spans the entire novel, from the Goodwin family's January party to the final confrontation at Arrowood. Whether you're testing your recall of plot twists, character motivations, or the novel's rich symbolism, you'll find questions that reward careful reading. If you need a refresher, check the book overview or dive into the ending explained before you start. Good luck—and watch out for coyotes.

The quiz is divided into four sections: plot and sequence, character motivation, theme and symbol, and synthesis. Answers are provided at the bottom with brief explanations.

Quiz Questions

Plot and Sequence

1. What event forces the Goodwin family to cancel their January party?

• A) A sudden snowstorm

• B) Annie develops chicken pox

• C) Irving's car breaks down

• D) Callie runs away

1. What does Rob find in Callie's hidden backpack that leads her to take Callie to Sundial?

• A) A stash of stolen money

• B) A diary with violent stories

• C) Animal bones, hydrogen peroxide, superglue, and the missing medicine cap

• D) A razor and a note from Miss Grainger

1. During the drive to Sundial, what game do Callie and Pale Callie play to pass the time?

• A) I Spy

• B) Warm or Pale

• C) Twenty Questions

• D) The Alphabet Game

1. At dawn on January 23, what does Rob do at the sundial?

• A) She buries a box of letters

• B) She steps onto the marker and her shadow reveals the date

• C) She pours out a vial of medicine

• D) She reads a letter from Jack

1. What does Callie find in her mother's purse that spells IRVING?

• A) A set of Scrabble tiles

• B) A copy of Pride and Prejudice with certain letters blacked out

• C) A torn photograph with letters written on the back

• D) A coded message in a diary

1. What happens to Irving at the end of the novel?

• A) He is arrested for domestic abuse

• B) He is dragged away by a pack of coyotes after Rob stabs him

• C) He escapes to Mexico

• D) He dies in a car crash

1. In the Arrowood tower, how does Callie restore Jack's blue eyes?

• A) She splashes water on her face

• B) She slashes Jack's eyes with a straight razor to remove the golden coins

• C) She recites a spell from a book

• D) She makes Jack drink a potion

1. What does Rob retrieve from the dog graveyard that she had buried years earlier?

• A) A silver locket and a lock of hair

• B) A blue plastic case with a syringe and a Snoopy lunch box containing pages

• C) A diary and a photograph

• D) A bone knife and a mirror fragment

Character Motivation

1. Why does Rob decide to take Callie to Sundial?

• A) To give Callie a vacation from school

• B) To separate her from Annie, fearing Callie might harm her

• C) To confront Irving about his affair

• D) To visit her father's grave

1. Why does Callie take the blame for the medicine poisoning?

• A) She wants to protect her sister Annie, who actually did it

• B) She is afraid of being sent to reform school

• C) She wants to punish her mother

• D) She believes she deserves punishment

1. Why does Jack reveal that she and Rob are adopted?

• A) To hurt Rob

• B) To help Rob escape Sundial and build a new life

• C) To get revenge on Falcon and Mia

• D) To convince Rob to stay at Sundial

1. Why does Rob decide to kill Irving?

• A) To inherit his money

• B) To protect her daughters from him and stop him from taking them

• C) Because he cheated on her

• D) To prevent him from selling Sundial

1. Why does Callie press the button on the controller?

• A) She wants to test if it works

• B) She believes it will bring the dogs to help her mother

• C) She is trying to scare her mother

• D) She wants to call the coyotes to attack Irving

Theme and Symbol

1. What does the sundial primarily symbolize in the novel?

• A) The passage of time and the inescapability of fate

• B) The family's wealth and status

• C) The beauty of the desert

• D) The bond between mother and daughter

1. What does the “click” represent in the story?

• A) A sound made by the coyotes

• B) Genetic conditioning and the idea of predetermined behavior

• C) The turning of a lock

• D) A secret code between the sisters

1. What does the concept of being “pale” signify in the novel?

• A) Fear of the dark

• B) Death, ghosts, and the boundary between living and dead

• C) A skin condition

• D) A state of emotional numbness

1. What does Callie's collection of animal bones symbolize?

• A) Her interest in science

• B) Her connection to death and her hidden darkness

• C) A desire to become a veterinarian

• D) A rebellion against her mother

Synthesis

1. How does the desert setting reinforce the novel's themes of isolation and danger?

• A) It provides a beautiful backdrop for family bonding

• B) It emphasizes the characters' vulnerability and the impossibility of escape

• C) It serves as a source of healing and renewal

• D) It represents the characters' freedom from society

1. Compare the relationship between Rob and Jack with that of Callie and Annie. What parallel emerges?

• A) Both pairs are identical twins

• B) Both involve a protective older sister and a dangerous younger one

• C) Both are marked by mutual hatred

• D) Both end in reconciliation and peace

1. What is the significance of the star lamp and the pink lamp in the narrative?

• A) They are decorative objects with no meaning

• B) They symbolize hope and guidance, but also hidden dangers

• C) They represent the family's wealth

• D) They are used as weapons

Answer Key

Plot and Sequence

1. B) Annie develops chicken pox – Rob discovers blisters on Annie on the morning of the party, forcing the family to stay home.

2. C) Animal bones, hydrogen peroxide, superglue, and the missing medicine cap – Rob finds these items in Callie's backpack, leading her to suspect Callie of harming animals and poisoning Annie.

3. B) Warm or Pale – Callie and Pale Callie guess whether people they pass are ghosts (pale) or alive (warm).

4. B) She steps onto the marker and her shadow reveals the date – Rob performs a ritual at the sundial, and her shadow indicates January 23, the day she whispers grief and love.

5. B) A copy of Pride and Prejudice with certain letters blacked out – Callie finds the book with letters I, G, R, N, V blacked out, spelling IRVING.

6. B) He is dragged away by a pack of coyotes after Rob stabs him – Rob stabs Irving in the eye and beats him; the coyotes then drag him away.

7. B) She slashes Jack's eyes with a straight razor to remove the golden coins – Callie uses her razor to flip the golden coins out of Jack's eyes, restoring her blue irises.

8. B) A blue plastic case with a syringe and a Snoopy lunch box containing pages – Rob digs up the syringe (with the click) and the lunch box containing Jack's letter.

Character Motivation

1. B) To separate her from Annie, fearing Callie might harm her – Rob finds evidence that Callie may have poisoned Annie and decides to isolate Callie at Sundial.

2. A) She wants to protect her sister Annie, who actually did it – Callie takes the blame to shield Annie, who had planned to harm Mrs. Goodwin.

3. B) To help Rob escape Sundial and build a new life – Jack reveals the adoption so Rob can leave without guilt, giving her a chance at a normal life.

4. B) To protect her daughters from him and stop him from taking them – Rob decides to kill Irving to prevent him from gaining custody and to end his abuse.

5. B) She believes it will bring the dogs to help her mother – Callie presses the button thinking it will summon the coyotes to aid her mother in the struggle against Irving.

Theme and Symbol

1. A) The passage of time and the inescapability of fate – The sundial marks time and serves as a reminder of mortality and the past's hold on the present.

2. B) Genetic conditioning and the idea of predetermined behavior – The click is a genetic modification that controls aggression, symbolizing the characters' lack of free will.

3. B) Death, ghosts, and the boundary between living and dead – Being “pale” refers to ghosts or those near death, as seen in the “warm or pale” game and Pale Callie.

4. B) Her connection to death and her hidden darkness – Callie's bones reflect her fascination with mortality and her inherited darkness, as well as her attempts to understand it.

Synthesis

1. B) It emphasizes the characters' vulnerability and the impossibility of escape – The desert's vastness and isolation trap the characters, mirroring their psychological entrapment and the dangers they face.

2. B) Both involve a protective older sister and a dangerous younger one – Rob protects Jack (though Jack is the dangerous one), and Callie protects Annie, who is the true threat. The parallel highlights the theme of sibling responsibility and sacrifice.

3. B) They symbolize hope and guidance, but also hidden dangers – The star lamp hides the medicine that Annie uses to poison, while the pink lamp at Hannah's house signals the final threat. Both are beacons that lead to revelation and peril.

For further discussion, visit the questions and answers page or revisit the ending explained for deeper analysis.