The Deluge Quiz: 20 Questions on Plot, Character, and Theme
This quiz covers the full arc of Stephen Markley's The Deluge, from Tony Pietrus's early climate warnings to the novel's final flood. Questions are grouped by type: plot and sequence, character motivation, theme and symbol, and synthesis. Use the answer key at the end to check your work and deepen your understanding of the book's interconnected stories. If you need a refresher, revisit the book overview or explore questions and answers and the ending explained.
Each question is grounded in the novel's plot and themes; no outside knowledge is required.
Good luck!
(Note: short-answer questions accept any phrasing that captures the core idea.)
Plot and Sequence Questions
1. In 2013, what real-world event drew public attention to methane hydrates, as described in the opening chapter?
A. The Fukushima nuclear disaster
B. The Deepwater Horizon oil spill
C. Hurricane Sandy
D. The Paris Agreement
2. What does Tony Pietrus find in the second envelope he opens in the first chapter, and what does it turn out to be?
(Short answer)
3. In “Shane and Murdock Get Breakfast,” where did Shane and Murdock first meet?
A. At an EOD memorial ceremony in Florida
B. At an Iraq Veterans Against the War rally in Washington, D.C.
C. At a Bob Evans restaurant in Pennsylvania
D. At a Penn State lecture by Professor Whitehall
4. In “The Actor,” what book does the actor buy for Jackie at the bookstore?
(Short answer)
5. In “The Lion and the Field,” what recurring nightmare haunts the narrator?
A. A pink umbrella leads him to a lion that devours him
B. A flood swallows his childhood home
C. A lion chases him through a cornfield
D. He is trapped in a burning building
6. In “alHasan_May2016.docx,” what is the name of Ashir’s NBA prediction model?
(Short answer)
7. In “The Years of Rain and Thunder: Part I,” what advocacy group does Kate work for?
A. The Bison Project
B. A Fierce Blue Fire
C. The Sierra Club
D. Greenpeace
8. In “The Watch and the Blood Bank,” what items does Johnny pawn to get money?
(Short answer)
Character Motivation Questions
9. Why does Murdock throw his Bronze Star Medal at the EOD memorial ceremony?
(Short answer)
10. In “The Actor,” what primarily motivates Jackie to sleep with the actor?
A. She is in love with him
B. She seeks a sense of connection and escape after a career setback
C. She wants to advance her advertising career
D. She is trying to make her ex-boyfriend jealous
11. In “The Years of Rain and Thunder: Part II,” why does Kate decide to endorse Republican candidate Mary Randall?
(Short answer)
12. In “The Weathermen,” why does Shane propose assassinating fossil-fuel executives and their families?
A. She wants revenge for personal losses
B. She believes it is the only tactical move left to stop climate catastrophe
C. She is following orders from the Benefactor
D. She hopes to become the leader of the group
13. In “The Derecho and the Light,” why does Keeper sell security information about the Tuscarawas power plant to Tawrny?
(Short answer)
Theme and Symbol Questions
14. In the opening chapter, what does the recurring image of methane bubbles rising through dark water symbolize for Tony?
A. The beauty of the ocean
B. The feedback loops driving climate catastrophe
C. His daughter’s recovery
D. The promise of clean energy
15. In “The Watch and the Blood Bank,” what does the watch symbolize?
(Short answer)
16. What does the “blue flames” symbol represent in the novel?
A. The destructive power of wildfires
B. The activism and hope of A Fierce Blue Fire
C. The oil industry’s corporate logo
D. The color of the ocean after a storm
17. In “The Siege,” what does Quinton Marcus-McCall’s self-immolation represent?
(Short answer)
Synthesis Questions
18. How does the novel use the recurring phrase “years of rain and thunder” to connect personal and political change?
(Short answer)
19. Compare the motivations of Shane and Keeper as they engage in destructive acts. What drives each of them?
(Short answer)
20. What role does the surveillance state play in the novel’s critique of power?
(Short answer)
Answer Key
1. B. The Deepwater Horizon oil spill
The outline states that the 2010 BP oil spill drew attention to methane hydrates when a containment dome clogged.
2. A threatening letter and a powder that turns out to be cornmeal (an anthrax hoax).
Tony opens a second envelope containing a threatening letter and a powder; the FBI later determines it is cornmeal, a hoax.
3. B. At an Iraq Veterans Against the War rally in Washington, D.C.
The outline says they met in 2007 at that rally.
4. The Road by Cormac McCarthy.
The actor buys her a copy of The Road and invites her to dinner.
5. A. A pink umbrella leads him to a lion that devours him.
The outline describes the recurring nightmare: a pink umbrella leads him to a lion that devours him in the woods behind his childhood home.
6. The Sports Almanac.
Ashir’s model is called the Sports Almanac.
7. A. The Bison Project.
Kate works for the Bison Project, an advocacy group opposing bison slaughter.
8. His mother’s watch and her TV.
He takes the watch given to him by Joe Biggs and the TV, then pawns the TV for $50 and the watch for $30.
9. He throws it to protest the war and to honor his fallen captain, Troy Ta’amu, and the soldiers he served with.
The outline says he threw his Bronze Star Medal at the ground during the EOD memorial ceremony, reflecting his disillusionment with the Iraq War.
10. B. She seeks a sense of connection and escape after a career setback.
Jackie is upset about being passed over for a promotion and reflects on her stalled career and recent breakup; the encounter is a form of escapism and a search for genuine connection.
11. She believes endorsing Randall will secure support for a comprehensive climate bill.
The outline states that Senators Fitzpatrick and Mackowski propose that FBF endorse Randall in exchange for support on a climate bill, and Kate decides to proceed with the endorsement.
12. B. She believes it is the only tactical move left to stop climate catastrophe.
In “The Weathermen,” Shane argues that assassinating fossil-fuel executives is the only tactical move left, though the others vote against it.
13. He needs money for rent and expenses.
Tawrny pays him $2,000 for security information, and Keeper uses the money for rent and expenses.
14. B. The feedback loops driving climate catastrophe.
The image of methane bubbles rising through dark water haunts Tony as he thinks about methane hydrate melting and the feedback loop that drove past extinctions.
15. The watch symbolizes lost value, family connection, and economic desperation.
It is a gift from Joe Biggs, but Johnny pawns it for a small sum, reflecting how economic precarity forces him to sacrifice meaningful possessions.
16. B. The activism and hope of A Fierce Blue Fire.
The organization’s name and the blue flames symbol represent its mission and the urgency of climate action.
17. It represents martyrdom and the desperation of climate activism.
Quinton Marcus-McCall’s self-immolation is a dramatic act of protest, highlighting the extreme lengths some activists go to when political avenues fail.
18. The phrase “years of rain and thunder” serves as a metaphor for the overlapping personal and political upheavals—climate disasters, social unrest, and individual crises—that shape the characters’ lives.
It connects the external storms (hurricanes, floods, political turmoil) with internal emotional turbulence, suggesting that personal change is inseparable from the larger historical moment.
19. Shane is driven by a radical belief that only violent escalation can stop climate catastrophe, while Keeper is driven by economic desperation and survival.
Shane’s actions stem from ideological conviction and a sense of urgency; Keeper’s destructive acts (selling security info, assaulting Levi) arise from poverty, addiction, and a need to provide for his family. Both are products of a failing system, but their motivations differ: Shane seeks systemic change, Keeper seeks personal survival.
20. The surveillance state functions as a tool of authoritarian control, enabling the government and private corporations to target and suppress dissent.
The novel shows how predictive AI, mass monitoring, and laws like PRIRA are used to detain activists, intimidate scientists like Tony, and criminalize opposition, revealing how power uses technology to maintain its grip and crush resistance.