The Raging Storm Quiz – 20 Questions
About This Quiz
This 20‑question quiz covers the full arc of Ann Cleeves’ The Raging Storm, the third Matthew Venn novel. Questions span plot sequence, character motivation, theme and symbol, and synthesis. Most use a multiple‑choice format; a few require short‑answer responses. The answer key at the bottom explains each correct answer using evidence from the novel.
Plot and Sequence (8 questions)
1. Where is Jem Rosco’s body discovered?
- A. Inside his rented cottage, Quarry Bank
- B. In a dinghy anchored near Scully Point
- C. On the rocks at Scully Cove
- D. In the quarry behind the village
2. Who first identifies the dead man as Jem Rosco? (Short answer)
3. According to Alan Ford, what did he see around 1 a.m. on the night of the murder?
- A. A man carrying a duffle bag
- B. A woman with pale hair and a dark green coat getting out of a taxi
- C. Two people arguing near the lifeboat station
- D. A car speeding away from Greystone
4. What piece of evidence is recovered from the quarry?
- A. A gold locket
- B. A waterproof canvas bag
- C. A kitchen knife
- D. A mobile phone
5. Who is the second victim found dead in the investigation?
- A. Davy Gregory
- B. Bartholomew Lawson
- C. Alan Ford
- D. Sammy Barton
6. What event traps the police team in Greystone early in the story? (Short answer)
7. Who rescues Matthew Venn and Ross May from Scully Cove?
- A. Jonathan and the coastguard
- B. Jen Rafferty and Sammy Barton
- C. Davy Gregory and Mary Ford
- D. The lifeboat crew on the Lesley Alexander
8. What items does Jonathan find in the hidden cove that link directly to Jem Rosco?
- A. A stack of love letters and a photograph
- B. A waterproof canvas bag and a plastic shower curtain
- C. A knife wrapped in a scarf
- D. A suitcase full of cash
Character Motivation (5 questions)
9. Why does Mary Ford write letters to Jem Rosco? (Short answer)
10. What is Davy Gregory’s stated reason for helping with the murders?
- A. He wanted revenge against Harry Carter
- B. He needed money to fund medical treatment for Arthur
- C. He was blackmailed by Eleanor Lawson
- D. He hoped to inherit part of Rosco’s estate
11. What is Eleanor Lawson’s true motive for orchestrating the murders?
- A. She wanted to punish Rosco for rejecting her charity plea
- B. She enjoyed the power and excitement of the game
- C. She was jealous of Selina Vickery
- D. She feared Rosco would expose her past
12. Why does Alan Ford become complicit in Rosco’s death?
- A. He believed the murder would secure a fake online cure for Arthur
- B. He hated Rosco for humiliating his daughter
- C. He was forced by Davy Gregory
- D. He wanted to please Eleanor Lawson
13. Why does Jem Rosco stay in Greystone for nearly a month? (Short answer)
Theme and Symbol (4 questions)
14. What does the storm primarily symbolize in the novel?
- A. Cleansing and renewal
- B. Isolation, danger, and breakdown of order
- C. The hope of a new beginning
- D. The unpredictability of the sea
15. What does Jem Rosco’s public reputation contrast with in the story?
- A. His wealthy background
- B. His true private character – mean, greedy, and petty
- C. His skill as a sailor
- D. His loyalty to old friends
16. How is the Barum Brethren community primarily portrayed?
- A. As a source of comfort and charity
- B. As a controlling and secretive group that polices itself
- C. As an irrelevant, fading institution
- D. As a positive moral force
17. What does Scully Cove repeatedly represent in the narrative?
- A. A beautiful picnic spot
- B. A place of death, secrets, and superstition
- C. A shortcut to Morrisham
- D. A safe harbour for fishermen
Synthesis (3 questions)
18. Compare the roles of Eleanor Lawson and Selina Vickery in Jem Rosco’s life. (Short answer)
19. How does the novel use the setting of Greystone to explore class and community? (Short answer)
20. What is the significance of the gold locket and Grace Fanshaw’s inheritance to the plot? (Short answer)
Answer Key
1. B – Jem Rosco’s naked body is found in a dinghy anchored near Scully Point. The lifeboat crew retrieves it, and Mary Ford recognizes him.
2. Mary Ford, the lifeboat helm, identifies the dead man as Jem Rosco during the return to Greystone.
3. B – Alan Ford, a retired naturalist, tells police he saw a woman with pale hair, a long dark green coat, and a gold‑threaded scarf get out of a taxi near Quarry Bank around 1 a.m.
4. C – A wide‑bladed kitchen knife, believed to be the murder weapon, is found inside the quarry. Venn suspects it was staged there.
5. B – Bartholomew Lawson, the sailing club commodore and husband of Eleanor “Nelly Wren” Lawson, is found dead at the base of the cliffs near Scully Cove.
6. A severe September gale cuts power, blocks roads, and strands the police team in the village of Greystone.
7. B – Jen Rafferty and Sammy Barton rescue Venn and Ross using a borrowed dinghy after the rockfall attack.
8. B – Jonathan finds a waterproof canvas bag (Rosco’s) and a plastic shower curtain in the cove, linking the killer to the scene.
9. Mary Ford admits she harbored an erotic fantasy for Jem Rosco, writing him letters over many years. She felt humiliated when he dismissed her in the pub.
10. B – Davy Gregory helps kill Rosco and Lawson to raise money for Arthur’s treatment, after Alan Ford became obsessed with a fake online cure.
11. B – Eleanor confesses she was motivated by the thrill of power and control, not by genuine charity. She enjoyed the “adventure” and the deception.
12. A – Alan Ford, Mary’s father, believed that killing Rosco would somehow bring a happy ending by funding the fake American cure for Arthur’s disease.
13. Jem Rosco told locals he was waiting for a “mysterious visitor.” In reality, he was hiding and hoping to meet his first love, Eleanor Lawson.
14. B – The storm traps characters, cuts off the village, and heightens the sense of danger and isolation, mirroring the closed‑off community.
15. B – Rosco’s public image as a heroic adventurer contrasts with his private nature: mean, greedy, and unwilling to help a sick child.
16. B – The Brethren are depicted as a controlling, secretive community that polices itself and resents outside interference, echoing Venn’s own past.
17. B – Scully Cove is the site of past suicide (Henry Lawson), the disposal of Rosco’s body, the second victim’s death, and the murder attempt on the detectives.
18. Eleanor was Rosco’s lifelong obsession – his first love who rejected him. Selina was his brief wife who realised she could never compete with Eleanor’s idealized image. Both women were used by Rosco for emotional fantasy rather than genuine connection.
19. Greystone is portrayed as a remote, working‑class, insular community shaped by the quarry and hard lives. Characters like the Lawsons represent landed privilege, while the Brethren add a layer of religious control. The novel shows how class resentment and isolation breed secrets and violence.
20. Rosco found a gold locket and befriended its elderly owner, Grace Fanshaw, who left him her entire estate. This inheritance funded his sailing career and lifestyle, but also created resentment from her nephew, David Fanshaw, and gave Rosco the means to live a lie.
For more on the novel, see the full book overview, detailed questions and answers, or the ending explained.