The Last Letter by Rebecca Yarros – 20-Question Quiz
Before You Begin
This quiz covers the entire novel The Last Letter by Rebecca Yarros. Questions are divided into four sections: Plot/Sequence, Character Motivation, Theme/Symbol, and Synthesis. Some are multiple-choice; others ask for short written answers. Use your memory of the story—no cheating! After the quiz, you’ll find a complete answer key with explanations.
Section 1: Plot & Sequence (8 questions)
1. (Multiple Choice)
What event causes Beckett to first read Ella’s letter from Ryan?
A. He receives a package on his birthday.
B. Mac hands him the letter during a mission.
C. He finds it in a box of old gear after returning home.
D. Havoc brings the letter to him.
2. (Short Answer)
In Chapter Four, Ella receives two devastating pieces of news. What are they, and in what order do they occur?
3. (Multiple Choice)
Why does Beckett first travel to Telluride?
A. He wants a quiet vacation after his deployment.
B. Ryan’s final letter asks him to look after Ella and the twins.
C. He needs to deliver a message from the military.
D. He is searching for a lost soldier.
4. (Multiple Choice)
During Maisie’s treatment, which procedure gives the family hope that her cancer is beatable?
A. Surgery to remove the tumor
B. A bone marrow transplant
C. MIBG therapy
D. Chemotherapy alone
5. (Short Answer)
When does Ella first learn that Beckett is Chaos? Describe the scene briefly.
6. (Multiple Choice)
What prompts Beckett to reveal his identity as Chaos to the insurance investigator?
A. The investigator threatens to arrest Ella.
B. Beckett realises the investigator knows the truth already.
C. He wants to protect Maisie’s access to life-saving treatment.
D. Ella forces him to confess.
7. (Short Answer)
What happens to Colt in Chapter Twenty-Seven? Explain the circumstances.
8. (Multiple Choice)
Five years after Colt’s death, what does Maisie do during her visit to his grave?
A. She places a yellow flower on the headstone.
B. She promises to live twice as fully for both of them.
C. She tells Colt she will join him soon.
D. She thanks him for saving Emma.
Section 2: Character Motivation (5 questions)
9. (Multiple Choice)
Why does Beckett initially avoid reading Ella’s letters from Ryan?
A. He is too busy with military operations.
B. He fears forming attachments to people he might lose.
C. He dislikes reading personal messages.
D. He thinks the letters are meant for another soldier.
10. (Short Answer)
Ella refuses Beckett’s marriage proposal in Chapter Fifteen. Give two reasons she gives for her refusal.
11. (Multiple Choice)
What motivates Beckett to force Jeff Danbury to sign away his parental rights?
A. Revenge for how Jeff treated Ella
B. A desire to adopt the twins so Maisie can get military insurance
C. Jeff’s own request to give up custody
D. A court order after Jeff fails to pay child support
12. (Short Answer)
Why does Beckett keep his identity as Chaos hidden from Ella for so long? Provide at least two reasons from the text.
13. (Multiple Choice)
At the end of the novel, why does Ella finally choose to forgive Beckett?
A. He proves his love by rescuing Colt.
B. She realises that love can coexist with grief, and Beckett’s actions were born from love.
C. Beckett writes a long apology letter.
D. Maisie begs her mother to give Beckett another chance.
Section 3: Theme & Symbol (4 questions)
14. (Multiple Choice)
In the story, Ella often refers to herself as “gravity.” What does this symbolise?
A. Her ability to keep everyone grounded and together
B. Her heavy burden of sadness
C. The force that pulls people away from her
D. The weight of her financial struggles
15. (Short Answer)
The letters between Ella and Chaos (Beckett) are central to the plot. What do they represent thematically? Mention at least two themes.
16. (Multiple Choice)
What does Havoc, Beckett’s military dog, symbolise in the novel?
A. Danger and unpredictability
B. Loyalty, protection, and the capacity for domestic love
C. The chaos of war that follows Beckett home
D. Beckett’s inability to settle down
17. (Short Answer)
The phrase “you are enough” appears several times. Who says it to whom, and what does it mean in the context of Ella’s journey?
Section 4: Synthesis (3 questions)
18. (Short Answer)
Compare Beckett’s secrecy about being Chaos with Ella’s initial refusal to accept help from him. How do both characters’ behaviours stem from fear?
19. (Multiple Choice)
If Beckett had told Ella the truth about his identity the day he arrived in Telluride, how might the story have changed? Choose the most plausible outcome.
A. Ella would have welcomed him immediately because she loved Chaos.
B. She would have still rejected him, but the truth might have built trust sooner.
C. The insurance fraud investigation would never have happened.
D. Colt would not have died.
20. (Short Answer)
The novel ends with Maisie choosing to live fully for both herself and Colt. How does this resolution reflect the book’s overall message about love and loss? Use examples from the epilogue or final chapters.
Answer Key
Section 1 – Plot & Sequence
1. A – Beckett receives a package from Mac (Ryan) on his birthday, which contains Ella’s first letter. He initially avoids it but finally reads it, feeling a strong connection.
2. First, Maisie is diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma (10% chance of survival). Later, on New Year’s Eve, officers inform Ella that her brother Ryan has been killed in action.
3. B – Ryan’s deathbed letter asks Beckett to go to Telluride and care for Ella and the twins because Maisie is sick.
4. C – MIBG therapy is the treatment that offers a real chance at remission. It is not covered by Ella’s insurance, which leads to Beckett’s proposal and adoption plan.
5. In Chapter Twenty-One, Beckett shows the insurance investigator a box of letters he wrote as Chaos. Ella sees the letters and forces him to admit, “I’m Beckett Gentry. Call sign Chaos.”
6. C – Beckett reveals his identity to protect Maisie’s access to treatment, knowing it will cost him Ella’s trust. He says, “I can’t let another kid pay for my mistakes, especially not Maisie.”
7. During a school field trip, a landslide occurs. Colt pushes Emma to safety but falls; Beckett and Havoc find him pinned under a rock with severe internal injuries. Colt dies after calling Beckett “Dad.”
8. B – Maisie tells Colt she has broken their childhood promise to die together and vows to be “twice as awesome” and live for both of them.
Section 2 – Character Motivation
9. B – Beckett fears attachment because he believes he brings only pain (rooted in his mother’s words and his military losses). He avoids the letter to protect himself from caring.
10. Ella says marriage requires love and commitment, and she fears Beckett will eventually abandon her like Jeff and her father did. She also believes his offer is only about duty, not genuine love.
11. B – Beckett needs Jeff to sign away parental rights so he can adopt the twins and put them on his military insurance, which covers Maisie’s MIBG treatment.
12. Beckett feels responsible for Ryan’s death (Ryan took his place on the mission). He believes Ella would hate him if she knew the truth, and he is terrified of losing her and the children. He also wants to honour Ryan’s request to protect them, which he thinks requires hiding his identity.
13. B – In Chapter Twenty-Nine, Ella realises that she can carry both grief and love. She tells Beckett, “Because there’s nothing to forgive,” and chooses to keep living for him and Maisie. The theme of love being enough to save them is key.
Section 3 – Theme & Symbol
14. A – In her sixth letter, Ella says she is “gravity” for her children—she is the force that holds them together, keeps them grounded, and prevents them from flying apart.
15. The letters represent connection across distance, vulnerability, and the power of words to create intimacy. They also symbolise hope, honesty (the eventual truth), and the theme that sharing your heart can change your life.
16. B – Havoc transitions from a military working dog to a beloved family pet. She protects the children, sleeps at Beckett’s side, and represents his capacity for loyalty and domestic love despite his chaotic past.
17. Chaos (first Ryan, then Beckett) wrote “You are enough” to Ella in letters. It becomes Ella’s mantra, helping her believe she is sufficient as a mother and partner, even when she feels inadequate. In Chapter Eighteen, she reads those words and gains the courage to initiate intimacy with Beckett.
Section 4 – Synthesis
18. Both characters fear being hurt or causing harm. Beckett hides his identity because he is afraid his truth will destroy their relationship and because he blames himself for Ryan’s death. Ella initially refuses help because she has been let down by men before (Jeff, her father) and does not want to rely on anyone. Their secrecy and defensiveness stem from a fear of vulnerability, but they must learn to trust to build a family.
19. B – Beckett’s honesty would have likely still caused a rift because of his role in Ryan’s death, but it would have removed the element of prolonged deception. Without that betrayal, Ella might have been able to trust him sooner, though the grief of Ryan’s loss would remain.
20. The epilogue shows Maisie visiting Colt’s grave and making a conscious choice to live with joy and purpose. She says she will be “twice as awesome” and live for both of them. This mirrors the novel’s message that love does not end with death—it transforms. Ella also learns to hold grief and love together, and the family moves forward while honouring Colt’s memory. The book argues that the greatest tribute to those we lose is to fully embrace the life we still have.