Quiz The Coworker Freida McFadden

The Coworker Quiz – 20 Questions About Freida McFadden’s Thriller

Quiz Overview

This quiz covers the full arc of The Coworker, from the prologue to the epilogue. Questions are divided into four categories:

  • 8 Plot/Sequence (questions about key events and their order)
  • 5 Character Motivation (understanding why characters act as they do)
  • 4 Theme/Symbol (the deeper meaning of turtles, emails, etc.)
  • 3 Synthesis (connecting plot, character, and theme)

Most questions are multiple-choice; a few are short-answer. Write your answers on a separate sheet.

Plot / Sequence (Questions 1–8)

1. What triggers Natalie to go to Dawn’s house in Chapter 5?
A) A text from Dawn saying she is in danger
B) A phone call from Dawn’s office line with the word “Help me”
C) A notice from the police asking Natalie to check on Dawn
D) An email from Dawn’s friend Mia

2. When Natalie arrives at Dawn’s house, which of the following does she not see?
A) An uncorked wine bottle
B) A toppled chair
C) A ceramic turtle the size of a basketball
D) A missing turtle figurine from the bookshelf

3. After discovering the blood in Dawn’s living room, Natalie gives a false alibi. Who does she claim she was with all night?
A) Seth Hoffman
B) Kim Healey
C) Caleb McCullough
D) Her mother

4. In the flashback six months before the main events, what does Dawn find in the break‑room trash?
A) Her turtle mug, shattered
B) Her turtle‑shaped cupcakes, smashed
C) A threatening note from Melinda
D) A dead turtle

5. What piece of evidence leads Detective Santoro to suspect Natalie of bullying Dawn?
A) A video of Natalie shoving Dawn
B) Emails Dawn wrote to a friend about Natalie’s jokes and exclusion
C) A diary Dawn kept under her desk
D) Testimony from Seth’s wife

6. Where does Natalie dispose of the bloody ceramic turtle?
A) In a Dumpster behind Vixed
B) In the ocean at Wollaston Beach
C) In a construction‑site hole
D) In her own backyard

7. What does Dawn use to try to drown herself on the pier?
A) A heavy office chair
B) A cinderblock tied to her ankle
C) A bag of rocks
D) A concrete block

8. In the epilogue, what secret do Natalie and Dawn agree to keep from each other?
A) Natalie’s affair with Seth
B) Dawn’s murder of Tara Wilkes
C) Caleb’s role in the frame‑up
D) The stolen charity money

Character Motivation (Questions 9–13)

9. Why does Dawn send an urgent email to Seth in the Prologue?
A) She wants to report a coworker’s theft
B) She wants to schedule a meeting about a “matter of great importance”
C) She wants to ask for a raise
D) She wants to complain about the refrigerator cleaning schedule

10. Why does Natalie lie to Detective Santoro about her alibi?
A) She was actually with Seth, not Caleb
B) She was alone and afraid of being accused
C) She wanted to protect Kim
D) She had broken the law in another way

11. What is Dawn’s real name, and why does she hide it?
A) Amelia – she changed it after her friend’s suicide to escape her past
B) Mia – she swapped names with her best friend after a childhood game
C) Rhonda – she uses a pseudonym to avoid her mother
D) Tara – she stole the identity of a dead woman

12. Why does Caleb agree to help Dawn frame Natalie?
A) He is in love with Dawn and hates Natalie for bullying his sister
B) He wants Natalie’s money
C) He is blackmailed by Seth
D) He is a police informant

13. After the frame‑up begins, why does Dawn decide she must kill herself?
A) She feels guilty about Tara’s death
B) She wants to ensure Natalie is convicted for murder by providing a body
C) She learns that Caleb still loves Natalie
D) She is afraid of being caught by the police

Theme / Symbol (Questions 14–17)

14. Throughout the novel, turtles symbolize which of the following for Dawn?
A) Wealth and status
B) Vulnerability, patience, and a need for a protective shell
C) Aggression and competition
D) Freedom and escape

15. The repeated reappearance of the small glass turtle on Natalie’s desk most directly represents:
A) Natalie’s guilt about the murder
B) Dawn’s persistent presence and hidden revenge
C) Natalie’s fondness for animals
D) The police planting evidence

16. Which of the following best describes the role of email correspondence in the story?
A) It serves only as comic relief
B) It reveals characters’ true thoughts and advances the mystery
C) It is used exclusively for business matters
D) It replaces all face‑to‑face dialogue

17. The charity 5K run that Natalie organizes is ironic because:
A) Natalie never finishes the race
B) The run is meant to honor Amelia (Mia), the very girl Natalie once bullied to suicide
C) Dawn ends up winning the race
D) The money is stolen before the race begins

Synthesis (Questions 18–20)

18. How does the author use the “unreliable communication” motif (emails, blocked calls, false alibis) to drive the plot?
Short‑answer (2–3 sentences).

19. Both Natalie and Dawn commit serious crimes by the end of the book. Explain one crime each and how they remain unpunished.
Short‑answer (3–4 sentences).

20. If you could change one event in the story to prevent the tragedy, which would it be and why? Support your answer with evidence from the book.
Short‑answer (3–5 sentences).

Answer Key

Plot / Sequence

  1. B – In Chapter 2, Natalie answers Dawn’s ringing phone and hears a woman whisper “Help me,” which prompts her to drive to Dawn’s house.

  2. C – The ceramic turtle (the murder weapon) is not seen at the house; Natalie later finds it hidden in her own laundry hamper in Chapter 31.

  3. C – Natalie claims she was with Caleb the whole night, but Caleb later admits to the detective that he left at 9:30.

  4. B – In Chapter 27 (flashback), Dawn finds her turtle‑shaped cupcakes crushed in the break‑room trash, confirming Natalie’s sabotage.

  5. B – Detective Santoro obtains Dawn’s emails to Mia, which detail Natalie’s jokes, exclusion from parties, and property damage.

  6. B – In Chapter 35, Natalie drives to Wollaston Beach, smashes the turtle into pieces, and throws the shards into the water.

  7. B – On the pier in Chapter 59, Dawn ties a cinderblock to her ankle, planning to drown herself and frame Natalie.

  8. B – In the epilogue, Natalie keeps quiet about Dawn murdering Tara Wilkes, and Dawn keeps quiet about Natalie’s embezzlement.

Character Motivation

  1. B – Dawn’s email asks for a meeting about a “matter of great importance” (the missing company money). She does not state it explicitly yet.

  2. A – Natalie was actually with Seth (her married boss) that night, having an affair, and cannot reveal the truth without damaging her reputation.

  3. A – Dawn’s real name is Amelia. She changed it after her best friend Mia (Amelia Hodge) committed suicide because of Natalie’s bullying.

  4. A – Caleb is Amelia’s half-brother. He loves Dawn and wants revenge on Natalie for driving his sister to suicide.

  5. B – Dawn realises that without a real body, the case against Natalie may collapse, so she plans to become the victim herself.

Theme / Symbol

  1. B – Dawn frequently compares herself to a turtle needing a shell; the turtle figurines represent her fragility and her slow, patient approach to revenge.

  2. B – The turtle reappearing on Natalie’s desk even after she throws it away signals that Dawn (who planted it) is always watching and manipulating.

  3. B – Emails (to Mia, to Seth, and between characters) expose true feelings, document bullying, and create the evidence that drives the investigation.

  4. B – Natalie dedicates the 5K to her “best friend” Amelia, unaware (or in denial) that she was the bully who caused Amelia’s death.

Synthesis (Sample Answers)

  1. Sample answer:
    The failed communication – Dawn’s emails being ignored, blocked calls, and false alibis – create misunderstandings that escalate the conflict. Without these gaps, Natalie and Dawn might have resolved the embezzlement issue earlier, perhaps avoiding the frame‑up and murder.

  2. Sample answer:
    Natalie embezzles money from Vixed and later from the charity 5K but avoids prosecution because Dawn agrees to stay silent. Dawn murders Tara Wilkes and stages the crime to look like her own death, but Natalie keeps that secret in return. Both crimes go unpunished because of their mutual blackmail pact.

  3. Sample answer:
    If Natalie had simply apologized to Amelia (Mia) after the Valentine’s Day prank, Amelia might not have committed suicide, and Dawn would never have sought revenge. The entire plot – the frame‑up, Tara’s murder, and Natalie’s arrest – stems from that initial act of bullying. A sincere apology could have broken the cycle.

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