Quiz The Running Grave Robert Galbraith

The Running Grave: Book Quiz

Quiz Questions

  1. What is the name of the cult that Will Edensor joins? (Short answer)

  2. In what year does the main action of the novel begin? (Short answer)

  3. How does Robin first make contact with the cult?

    • A. Attends a service at the Rupert Court Temple
    • B. Sends a written letter requesting information
    • C. Calls the cult’s helpline
    • D. Meets a recruiter at a coffee shop

  4. What small object does Robin secretly use to track the passing of days at Chapman Farm?

    • A. Pebbles
    • B. Notches on a wooden plank
    • C. A hidden calendar app on her phone
    • D. Marks on the dormitory wall

  5. Who is ultimately revealed as the killer of Kevin Pirbright? (Short answer)

  6. What stage illusion does Robin deduce is used to create the ghostly appearance of the Drowned Prophet?

    • A. Pepper’s ghost
    • B. Smoke and mirrors
    • C. A hologram projector
    • D. Ventriloquism with a hidden puppet

  7. What does Robin discover in the locked barn during the search for a missing toddler?

    • A. A collection of Polaroid photos showing pig‑masked figures
    • B. A hidden tunnel leading off the farm
    • C. A stash of weapons
    • D. Will Edensor’s hidden journal

  8. How does Strike extract Robin from Chapman Farm when her cover is blown? (Short answer)

  9. Why does Robin volunteer for the dangerous undercover mission inside the Universal Humanitarian Church? (Short answer)

  10. What is the main reason Strike threatens Jonathan Wace during their confrontation backstage at the Superservice? (Short answer)

  11. Why does Will Edensor, after escaping the farm, refuse to contact his father or the police for help? (Short answer)

  12. What primarily motivates Charlotte Campbell in her final actions, including her suicide note?

    • A. Jealousy and a desire to hurt Strike
    • B. A genuine wish for reconciliation with Strike
    • C. Fear of being alone after her arrest
    • D. A desire for public attention

  13. Why does Mazu Wace force former members to wear pig masks and crawl naked as punishment? (Short answer)

  14. What does the epigraph “When, like a running grave, time tracks you down” symbolise in the novel? (Short answer)

  15. The cult’s repeated use of the I Ching primarily serves what function?

    • A. A tool for manipulation and control over members
    • B. A genuine, respectful spiritual practice
    • C. A random element to create suspense
    • D. A symbol of peace and harmony

  16. What does the recurring pig‑mask imagery represent within the cult’s rituals and secrets? (Short answer)

  17. How is the conflict between “truth” and “peace” illustrated in the novel? Give one example. (Short answer)

  18. How does Strike’s childhood connection to the Aylmerton Community—the same location as Chapman Farm—inform his understanding of the cult’s methods? (Short answer)

  19. In what ways does Robin’s undercover identity “Rowena Ellis” both reflect and conceal her true self? (Short answer)

  20. Based on the novel’s events and epigraphs, what does the story suggest about how evil thrives in organised groups? (Short answer)

Answer Key

  1. Universal Humanitarian Church (UHC) – Will joins this cult after leaving university.
  2. 2016 – The christening where the case is first discussed takes place in February 2016.
  3. A – Robin, disguised as Rowena, attends a service at the temple in Rupert Court.
  4. A – She collects a pebble from beside the Drowned Prophet’s pool to count days.
  5. Abigail Glover – Jonathan Wace’s daughter from a previous relationship; she also killed Daiyu.
  6. A – Robin identifies the trick as Pepper’s ghost, using a glass screen and hidden side room.
  7. A – She finds a biscuit tin containing Polaroids of four naked people in pig masks.
  8. He cuts through barbed wire with wire cutters, pulls Robin over the wall, and drives away after hitting Taio.
  9. She wants to help extract Will, believes in the case, and also welcomes the emotional escape from her unacknowledged feelings for Strike.
  10. To warn Wace that he will “burn the church down” if Robin or Rosie Fernsby is harmed.
  11. He feels overwhelming guilt over his mother’s death, which he believes he could have prevented, and thinks he deserves prison.
  12. A – Her suicide note accused Strike of loving Robin and blamed him for not answering her calls, mixing jealousy and spite.
  13. As a humiliating and dehumanising punishment for transgressions, echoing the “pig demon” belief used to control members.
  14. It symbolises the inescapable force of time and consequences, foreshadowing how small oversights lead to catastrophic outcomes.
  15. A – Mazu uses hexagrams like “The Abyss” to brand people as pigs and to predict doom, maintaining control through fear.
  16. It represents dehumanisation, sexual exploitation, and the cult’s darkest hidden crimes, such as the sexual acts recorded in the Polaroids.
  17. Phillipa Graves refuses to investigate Daiyu’s death to protect her family’s peace, while Strike insists on uncovering the truth despite the cost.
  18. He recognises the same techniques of isolation, deprivation, and trauma suppression that he experienced as a child, giving him insight into how the cult operates.
  19. Rowena is a wealthy, heartbroken woman seeking purpose, which lets Robin express her genuine caring side and need for meaning, but she must hide her detective skills and independence.
  20. Evil thrives when early signs are ignored and when charismatic leaders exploit followers’ need for belonging, using secrecy, legal threats, and fabricated miracles to maintain power.