The Sirens Quiz – 20 Questions to Test Your Knowledge
How well do you know The Sirens?
This quiz covers the entire book, from the convict ship Naiad to the present-day mysteries of Comber Bay. Mixing multiple‑choice and short‑answer formats, it will challenge your memory of plot twists, character motivations, symbols, and the novel’s deeper themes.
Part 1: Plot and Sequence (8 Questions)
1. (Multiple choice) What event forces Lucy to flee to her sister Jess’s house in Comber Bay?
A. She gets evicted from her dormitory
B. She sleepwalks and strangles her boyfriend Ben
C. Her car breaks down near the coast
D. She receives a threatening letter from a stranger
2. (Short answer) In the prologue, an unnamed woman gives birth in a seaside cave. What physical feature is described on the newborn?
3. (Multiple choice) What is the name of the convict ship that Mary and Eliza are transported on?
A. The Hannah
B. The Naiad
C. The Endeavour
D. The Supply
4. (Short answer) What discovery does Lucy make in Jess’s diary that reveals Jess was pregnant during her teenage years?
5. (Multiple choice) Where does Jess hide Cameron after he arrives at Cliff House?
A. In the basement of Cliff House
B. In a rental car headed to Sydney
C. In a remote sea cave
D. In Melody’s garden shed
6. (Short answer) How does Aoife die on the convict ship?
7. (Multiple choice) What happens to Lucy’s father when he goes out on his boat during the storm?
A. He drowns at sea
B. He suffers a traumatic brain injury after hitting a reef
C. He rescues Jess from the cave
D. He abandons the boat and swims to shore
8. (Short answer) What is the name of the figurehead on the Naiad that Eliza identifies as a merrow?
Part 2: Character Motivation (5 Questions)
9. (Multiple choice) Why does Jess decide to hide the truth about Lucy’s adoption from her?
A. She fears Lucy will hate her
B. She wants to protect Lucy’s journalism dreams
C. She promised her parents never to tell
D. She thinks Lucy is not ready to know
10. (Short answer) What drives Mary to swim back into the sinking Naiad after she has transformed?
11. (Multiple choice) Why does Ryan’s father Bernard Smith become obsessed with the Naiad memorial?
A. He was a descendant of a survivor
B. He wants to appease the drowned women after his son Danny’s disappearance
C. He is a famous historian
D. He hopes tourists will visit Comber Bay
12. (Short answer) What motivates Melody to keep quiet about the night Danny Smith disappeared?
13. (Multiple choice) Why does Jess stay calm when Cameron tries to attack her in the cave?
A. She has a knife hidden in her pocket
B. She knows the police are on their way
C. She hears the siren song coming from within herself
D. She hopes the tide will rescue her
Part 3: Theme and Symbol (4 Questions)
14. (Multiple choice) The repeated motif of shedding skin in the novel most directly represents:
A. Deception and lying
B. Transformation, identity, and the characters’ connection to the sea
C. The passing of time
D. Physical illness
15. (Short answer) The figure of the merrow and the tír fo thuinn (land beneath the waves) symbolize what kind of belonging?
16. (Multiple choice) The “song” that Mary and the other women sing on the ship—about a maiden who robs a sea‑captain—symbolizes:
A. The women’s submission to authority
B. Female resistance, solidarity, and reclaiming power
C. Irish patriotism
D. The captain’s greed
17. (Short answer) What does the cave at Devil’s Lookout come to represent for Jess and Lucy?
Part 4: Synthesis Questions (3 Questions)
18. (Short answer) How does the novel connect the historical exploitation of convict women on the Naiad to contemporary issues faced by Lucy and Jess?
19. (Multiple choice) Which of the following best explains the shared dreams and physical transformations (webbed skin, gills) of Lucy, Jess, Mary, and Eliza?
A. A curse placed on the family by a witch
B. Genetic memory passed down from merrow ancestors
C. A coincidence caused by their sleepwalking disorder
D. A virus spread by seawater
20. (Short answer) In the epilogue, Robert Wilson finds a baby in the cave with webbed fingers and shimmering skin. How does this scene alter our understanding of Jess’s origin and the theme of “family”?
Answer Key
1. B – Lucy sleepwalks and strangles Ben, then flees to Cliff House. (Chapter 1)
2. A bloodied caul. (Prologue)
3. B – The Naiad is the convict ship that sinks off New South Wales. (Chapters 10, 44)
4. An ultrasound photograph dated 20 April 1999 with Jess’s name. (Chapter 32)
5. C – Jess leads Cameron to a remote sea cave and traps him there. (Chapter 39)
6. She is flogged to death by the captain after confessing to stealing rum. (Chapters 38, 40)
7. B – He hits a reef and suffers a traumatic brain injury. (Chapter 48)
8. A mermaid (described as a merrow) with a fish tail. (Chapter 3)
9. B – Jess fears the truth would destroy Lucy’s ambition to become a journalist. (Chapter 35)
10. She wants to rescue her friends Bridie, Sarah, and Annie trapped in an air pocket. (Chapter 44)
11. B – Bernard seeks to appease the drowned women after his son Danny’s disappearance. (Chapter 28)
12. She believes the sea protected her from Danny’s assault and fears being blamed. (Chapter 28)
13. C – She hears the siren song rising from within herself, giving her the strength to fight back. (Chapter 47)
14. B – Shedding skin symbolizes transformation, identity, and the characters’ growing connection to the sea. (Chapters 22, 29, 45)
15. A belonging that is feminine, oceanic, and free from colonial violence. (Chapters 18, 46)
16. B – The song represents female resistance, solidarity, and reclaiming power. (Chapter 31)
17. The cave becomes a site of birth, transformation, and maternal protection. (Prologue, Chapters 39, 45)
18. Lucy’s experience of image‑based abuse and the university’s inaction mirrors the historical commodification of women’s bodies on the Naiad. The novel draws a parallel through shared trauma. (Chapters 2, 13, 17)
19. B – Genetic memory passed down from merrow ancestors (Mary and Eliza) explains the shared dreams and physical changes. (Chapters 19, 45)
20. The discovery reveals that Jess is not Lucy’s biological sister but her daughter, redefining “family” as a bond of love and choice rather than blood. (Epilogue, Chapter 45)