Quiz The First Time I Saw Him Laura Dave

The First Time I Saw Him Quiz: Test Your Knowledge

This quiz covers the full arc of The First Time I Saw Him by Laura Dave—from the prologue on the design center floor to the final reunion on a boat in the Mediterranean. Questions are divided into plot and sequence (8), character motivation (5), theme and symbol (4), and synthesis (3). A complete answer key with brief explanations follows.

Quiz Questions

Plot and Sequence (Questions 1–8)

  1. Multiple choice: Where does the prologue take place?
    A) A floating house in Sausalito
    B) The Pacific Design Center in Los Angeles
    C) A vineyard in New Zealand
    D) La Réserve hotel in Paris

  2. Multiple choice: What does Hannah find hidden in her jacket after Owen’s surprise visit?
    A) A key to a safe-deposit box
    B) A flash drive
    C) A note with a phone number
    D) A wedding ring

  3. Short answer: Bailey destroys her cell phone by submerging it in what liquid?

  4. Multiple choice: Who does Hannah call for help after learning that Nicholas Bell has died?
    A) US Marshal Grady Bradford
    B) Jules
    C) Charlie
    D) Seth

  5. Multiple choice: Where does the plane originally heading to Teterboro divert?
    A) Miami
    B) New Zealand
    C) Napa
    D) Paris

  6. Short answer: In Chapter 18, when the door to room 202 opens, who is standing there—not Owen?

  7. Multiple choice: What painting does Owen use as a clue on the flash drive’s honeymoon photo album?
    A) Starry Night by van Gogh
    B) Ulysses and the Sirens by Picasso
    C) Water Lilies by Monet
    D) The Kiss by Klimt

  8. Multiple choice: Frank Bell shoots Nicholas in the shoulder during the confrontation in Èze. What happens immediately after the shot?
    A) Nicholas falls unconscious
    B) Hannah tackles Frank
    C) The security guard disarms Frank
    D) Frank helps Nicholas to his feet and asks for a private conversation

Character Motivation (Questions 9–13)

  1. Multiple choice: Why does Owen go to New Zealand?
    A) To start a new life with a different identity
    B) To learn biodynamic farming from an old friend of his mother
    C) To hide from the FBI
    D) To wait for Bailey to turn eighteen

  2. Short answer: What does Nicholas ask Frank to do as a favor before going to prison sixteen years ago?

  3. Multiple choice: Why does Quinn, the eldest of Frank’s children, seek vengeance against Owen?
    A) Owen stole her inheritance
    B) Owen’s RICO testimony imprisoned her husband Wesley
    C) Owen seduced her daughter
    D) Owen embarrassed her at a family party

  4. Multiple choice: Hannah tells Bailey she feels “hope, not anger” toward Owen. What reason does she give?
    A) She has already moved on
    B) Forgiveness requires his presence
    C) She secretly planned his disappearance
    D) She knows he will return with money

  5. Short answer: After Bailey reunites with Owen in the Musée Picasso, what does she say they have to catch?

Theme and Symbol (Questions 14–17)

  1. Multiple choice: The epigraph by Harriet Selina introduces which central theme?
    A) Revenge
    B) Lost love and casual reunions
    C) The power of wealth
    D) Parental duty

  2. Multiple choice: The marine compass is used as a symbol for what?
    A) Navigation across the ocean
    B) A reliable “true north” in times of confusion
    C) The tools of a ship captain
    D) The organization’s tracking system

  3. Short answer: What does the town motto of Èze—“In death, I am reborn”—foreshadow for Nicholas?

  4. Multiple choice: The “forty keys” in Chapter 18 refer to:
    A) The number of safe-deposit boxes Owen used
    B) The rooms at La Réserve hotel, symbolizing seclusion
    C) The years Owen and Hannah have been apart
    D) The number of family members in the organization

Synthesis (Questions 18–20)

  1. Short answer: How does the final chapter’s title, “The First Time I Saw Him,” echo the book’s epigraph to emphasize the theme of memory?

  2. Multiple choice: Which internal link would best help a reader understand the significance of faked deaths in the novel?
    A) /books/the-first-time-i-saw-him/ending-explained/
    B) /books/the-first-time-i-saw-him/questions-and-answers/
    C) /books/the-first-time-i-saw-him/

  3. Short answer: Explain why Hannah chooses to “let go” rather than be angry at Owen at the end of the novel, using evidence from the final chapter.

Answer Key

  1. B – The prologue opens at the Pacific Design Center in Los Angeles during a First Look exhibition.
  2. B – Hannah finds a flash drive hidden in her jacket after Owen’s visit.
  3. Soapy water – Bailey destroys her phone in soapy water to avoid surveillance.
  4. A – Hannah calls US Marshal Grady Bradford, who informs her of Nicholas’s death.
  5. A – The plane diverts to Miami; the pilot claims weather, but Hannah suspects the organization.
  6. Nicholas – Nicholas Bell is revealed behind the door, not Owen.
  7. B – Ulysses and the Sirens by Picasso is the clue; Owen used it to signal the Antibes connection.
  8. D – After shooting Nicholas in the shoulder, Frank helps him up and asks for a private conversation.
  9. B – Owen goes to New Zealand to work for Tom, an old friend of his late mother, and learn biodynamic farming.
  10. Bring his granddaughter Kristin back to him – Nicholas asks Frank to bring Kristin back after Kate’s death.
  11. B – Quinn’s husband Wesley was imprisoned due to Owen’s RICO testimony, fueling her desire for vengeance.
  12. B – Hannah says forgiveness requires Owen’s presence, so she feels hope instead of anger.
  13. A boat – Bailey says, “We have a boat to catch.”
  14. B – The epigraph depicts a casual reunion after a shattering breakup, establishing the theme of lost love.
  15. B – Hannah recalls a sailing lesson where the compass is called “the most reliable tool” because it always points north, symbolizing true guidance.
  16. His faked death and subsequent moral rebirth – Nicholas fakes his death and later sacrifices himself to protect his family, aligning with the motto.
  17. B – “Forty Keys” refers to La Réserve’s forty rooms, symbolizing the seclusion and privacy of the hotel.
  18. The epigraph imagines a chance reunion after shattering love; the final chapter shows Hannah turning toward Owen as if seeing him for the first time, suggesting that forgiveness allows a new beginning.
  19. A – The ending-explained page discusses the faked death of Nicholas and the resolution, which is central to understanding the plot’s twist.
  20. Hannah chooses to let go because she realizes that she and Owen have a chance to build a new life together. In the final pages, she considers being mad forever but feels “the letting go coming in hot and quick.” She turns toward Owen, acknowledging that love requires releasing the past.

For more context, explore the book overview, discussion questions, and the ending explained.