Quiz The Exchange John Grisham

The Exchange Quiz: 20 Questions to Test Your Knowledge

Think you know the twists of Mitch McDeere’s return? This 20-question quiz covers plot, character motivations, themes, and big-picture synthesis from The Exchange. For deeper analysis, visit the main book page.

Plot & Sequence

  1. Who asks Mitch to take on the death row case of Tad Kearny?
    A) Jack Ruch
    B) Lamar Quin
    C) Willie Backstrom
    D) Amos Patrick

  2. Why does Mitch cancel his flight and drive to Sumrall, Tennessee?
    (Short answer)

  3. How does Tad Kearny die before Mitch can meet him?
    A) Fatal car crash
    B) Heart attack
    C) Suicide by hanging in prison
    D) Shot during a prison riot

  4. When the convoy drives to the bridge site, what happens at the main army checkpoint?
    A) The guards wave them through
    B) The real guards are dead and impostors take everyone captive
    C) They are turned back for missing paperwork
    D) Giovanna is separated from the group

  5. Where does Mitch first meet Luca Sandroni in person?
    A) A hotel in Tripoli
    B) Luca’s office in Rome
    C) The Peabody hotel in Memphis
    D) A hospital in Gemelli

  6. What item does Abby receive that contains photos of her family and a live shot of Giovanna?
    A) A FedEx envelope
    B) A typed letter
    C) A burner phone from Noura
    D) A video link on her laptop

  7. Who does Mitch visit in Sumrall, Tennessee?
    A) Amos Patrick
    B) His mother
    C) Kay Quin
    D) Lamar Quin

  8. What event forces the Scully & Pershing management committee to vote on borrowing $25 million?
    (Short answer)

Character Motivation

  1. Why does Mitch decide to accept the Lannak case in Libya?
    A) Luca promises him a huge bonus
    B) He feels obligated to Luca because of the Kearny case
    C) Jack Ruch orders him to go
    D) Mitch wants to escape his family responsibilities

  2. What is Abby’s primary motivation for agreeing to receive the burner phone from Noura?
    A) Curiosity about the kidnapping
    B) Fear for her and her children safety after seeing photos of them
    C) A desire for a payout from the ransom
    D) Pressure from Mitch to cooperate

  3. Why does Luca Sandroni continue to work on the case while terminally ill?
    (Short answer)

  4. Why does Giovanna volunteer to travel to the oil rig in Mitch’s place?
    A) She hopes to prove herself to her father
    B) The Libyan government would not allow Mitch to go
    C) Mitch is too ill with food poisoning, and the trip has a narrow window of approval
    D) She distrusts the Turkish security team

  5. Why does Mitch initially refuse to involve the FBI or CIA after the kidnapping?
    A) He doesn’t trust them because of his Bendini past
    B) The kidnappers threatened to kill Giovanna if the government became involved
    C) He believes the government would mismanage the ransom
    D) Both A and B

Themes & Symbols

  1. The Great Gaddafi Bridge symbolizes:
    A) Libya’s oil wealth
    B) A construction project doomed by corruption and unpaid debt
    C) The connection between Mitch and Luca
    D) The power of international arbitration

  2. What does the repeated focus on food and cooking represent in Mitch’s family life?
    A) Abby’s career as a chef
    B) A sense of domestic normalcy and connection amid chaos
    C) Mitch’s dietary preferences
    D) The cultural differences between Italy and America

  3. The Peabody hotel in Memphis recurs as a symbol of:
    (Short answer)

  4. The term “rat race” appears when Lamar Quin describes a visit to Scully & Pershing. What does it highlight?
    A) The efficiency of Big Law
    B) The shallow, frantic pursuit of money and status
    C) The competitiveness of criminal law
    D) The importance of hourly billing

Synthesis

  1. How does Mitch’s traumatic experience at the Bendini firm shape his decisions and mindset in The Exchange?
    (Short answer)

  2. Compare the career trajectories of Mitch McDeere and Lamar Quin. What does their divergence say about the legal profession?
    (Short answer)

  3. At the end of the book, Mitch resigns from Scully & Pershing. Based on the author’s note and his past pattern of leaving firms, where might he go next?
    (Short answer)

Answer Key

  1. C) Willie Backstrom — The pro bono director recruits Mitch to evaluate Tad Kearny’s case, drawing parallels to Mitch’s Appalachian roots.

  2. To confront Lamar Quin about their shared past — Mitch feels compelled to reconcile with his former Bendini colleague, leading to a tense lunch.

  3. C) Suicide by hanging in prison — Amos Patrick informs Mitch that Tad was found hanged, though Amos believes it was murder to silence him.

  4. B) The real guards are dead and impostors take everyone captive — The impostors shoot the driver Youssef and kidnap the group, including Giovanna.

  5. B) Luca’s office in Rome — Chapter 6 shows Mitch visiting Luca at his practice, where he learns of the Lannak case and Luca’s terminal cancer.

  6. C) A burner phone from Noura — Abby receives the phone with photos proving the kidnappers are watching her family and that Giovanna is alive.

  7. D) Lamar Quin — Mitch drives to Sumrall, finds Lamar in an empty courthouse, and they share painful stories.

  8. The kidnappers demanded a $10 million good-faith deposit by noon Friday — This triggers the committee vote to borrow on the line of credit.

  9. B) He feels obligated to Luca because of the Kearny case — Mitch agrees out of professional loyalty and Luca’s personal plea, not for money or orders.

  10. B) Fear for her and her children safety after seeing photos of them — The photos of her sons leaving school terrify Abby and compel her to follow Noura’s instructions.

  11. He wants to save his daughter Giovanna and arranges ransom funding — Even while hospitalized, Luca mortgages assets and negotiates with Italian diplomats to secure the ransom.

  12. C) Mitch is too ill with food poisoning, and the trip has a narrow window of approval — Giovanna steps in to avoid losing the crucial inspection.

  13. D) Both A and B — Mitch distrusts government from his Bendini ordeal, and the kidnappers explicitly threaten Giovanna if authorities are involved.

  14. B) A construction project doomed by corruption and unpaid debt — The bridge is the central piece of the Lannak claim and represents Libya’s refusal to pay.

  15. B) A sense of domestic normalcy and connection amid chaos — Meals and cooking scenes counterbalance the high-pressure legal work.

  16. Mitch’s naive past and poor decision to join Bendini — It recalls his recruitment and the moment he chose a dangerous path.

  17. B) The shallow, frantic pursuit of money and status — Lamar observes the relentless hustle of Big Law lawyers.

  18. Mitch remains wary of trusting powerful firms and governments, and he prioritizes his family’s safety over career. — His escape from Bendini makes him cautious about accepting cases without exit plans and leads him to hide his family in Maine.

  19. Mitch climbs to the top of Big Law, while Lamar rebuilds a small-town practice after prison; the contrast shows how luck and privilege determine legal fortunes. — Mitch’s Harvard degree and escape from prosecution allowed him to succeed; Lamar faced prison and struggled to return to law.

  20. Mitch may start his own boutique firm or return to Europe to work independently. — Grisham hints that Mitch is again leaving a firm, and his past behavior suggests he will avoid large institutions and seek autonomy.

For more discussion, see our Questions and Answers and Ending Explained.