Quiz The Summer Pact Emily Giffin

The Summer Pact: 20-Question Quiz on Plot, Characters & Themes

This quiz spans the entire novel, from the prologue through the "One Year Later" chapter. Questions are grouped by type: plot/sequence, character motivation, theme/symbol, and synthesis. Use the answer key at the bottom to check your responses. For more details, see the full book summary, questions and answers, and the ending explained.

Questions

Plot and Sequence (8 questions)

  1. What event triggers Hannah’s emotional journey at the beginning of the novel?

    • A) She fails an important exam.
    • B) She catches her fiancé Grady cheating with an influencer.
    • C) She loses her job as an interior designer.
    • D) Her mother disowns her.

  2. Where do the three surviving friends first reunite one year after Summer’s death to sign the Summer Pact?

    • A) Capri, Italy
    • B) Encinitas, California
    • C) Paris, France
    • D) Atlanta, Georgia

  3. (Short answer) What career opportunity does Lainey receive while the group is in Capri?

  4. How does Hannah discover her own sexuality during the trip?

    • A) She kisses a Scottish man named Archie.
    • B) She kisses Lainey’s stepsister, Olivia.
    • C) She flirts with a female bartender at a piano bar.
    • D) She has a dream about Summer.

  5. What happens to Lainey after she storms off following the confrontation about Olivia?

    • A) She goes to a fancy dinner alone.
    • B) She joins a yacht party and drinks heavily.
    • C) She returns to the hotel and sleeps.
    • D) She calls her mother to reconcile.

  6. (Short answer) What physical injuries does Lainey sustain during her night out?

  7. How does the novel end one year later?

    • A) The three friends return to Capri.
    • B) The trio trains for the Chicago Marathon, and Tyson proposes to Lainey.
    • C) Hannah marries Olivia in Paris.
    • D) Lainey gets married to a film director.

  8. (Short answer) Who helps Tyson search for Lainey when she goes missing in Capri?

Character Motivation (5 questions)

  1. Why does Lainey initially refuse the lead role in the indie film "The Pigeon Girl"?

    • A) She does not like the script.
    • B) She wants to stay with her friends on their trip.
    • C) She is injured and cannot film.
    • D) She does not want to travel to Buenos Aires.

  2. Why does Tyson keep his romantic relationship with Summer a secret while she was alive?

    • A) He is embarrassed of her.
    • B) He fears it will change the group’s friendship.
    • C) He is secretly dating someone else.
    • D) Summer asked him to never tell anyone.

  3. What motivates Lainey’s scheme to blackmail Grady and his mistress Berlin?

    • A) She wants to embarrass Berlin publicly.
    • B) She wants to recover the money Hannah spent on shared purchases.
    • C) She wants Grady to confess to Hannah.
    • D) She wants to ruin Grady’s reputation.

  4. (Short answer) Why does Hannah secretly contact Olivia Sheffield before telling Lainey?

  5. Why does Hannah’s mother side with Grady after the breakup?

    • A) She believes Grady’s version of events.
    • B) She is controlling and values social status over truth.
    • C) She has always disliked Hannah.
    • D) She wants Hannah to stay with Grady for financial reasons.

Theme and Symbol (4 questions)

  1. What does the Summer Pact primarily symbolize in the novel?

    • A) A promise to never drink alcohol.
    • B) A commitment to reach out to one another in crisis before making permanent decisions.
    • C) A plan to travel together every summer.
    • D) A pledge to never fall in love again.

  2. The character of Summer serves as a symbol of:

    • A) Unrestrained ambition.
    • B) The tragic consequences of perfectionism and pressure.
    • C) The ideal romantic partner.
    • D) Athletic excellence.

  3. (Short answer) What does the island of Capri represent for the friends during their journey?

  4. The David Foster Wallace quote about “jumping from a burning building” is used to illustrate what theme?

    • A) The desire for fame.
    • B) The desperation that can lead to suicide.
    • C) The heat of passionate love.
    • D) The destruction of friendships.

Synthesis (3 questions)

  1. (Short answer) How do the three friends ultimately find healing by the end of the novel?

  2. (Short answer) Compare Tyson’s and Lainey’s coping mechanisms after Summer’s death.

  3. (Short answer) What role does social media play in the story? Provide one example.

Answer Key

  1. B – Hannah discovers Grady with Berlin in Chapter 1. This betrayal sets the story in motion.

  2. B – The prologue takes place in Encinitas, where the friends reunite and sign the pact.

  3. Lead role in the indie film "The Pigeon Girl" – Lainey receives the offer in Chapter 18; she initially declines but her friends insist she accept.

  4. B – In Chapter 26, Hannah and Olivia kiss, marking a turning point in Hannah’s self‑discovery.

  5. B – In Chapter 30, Lainey crashes a yacht party and drinks heavily, leading to her hospitalization.

  6. A fractured arm and ribs – She suffers these injuries from a fall on the yacht (Chapter 33).

  7. B – The epilogue shows the trio training for the Chicago Marathon and Tyson proposing to Lainey.

  8. The concierge Alessandro – He helps Tyson drive around Capri and eventually learns Lainey was taken to a hospital (Chapters 31–32).

  9. B – She wants to honor the pact and stay with Hannah and Tyson; they convince her to go.

  10. B – Tyson worried that a romance would ruin the four‑friend dynamic and distract Summer from her goals (Chapter 3, Tyson’s perspective).

  11. B – Lainey blackmails Grady into repaying Hannah for shared expenses (Chapter 6, Lainey’s narration).

  12. She feels guilty about the failed meeting with Ashley and wants to help Lainey reconnect with her half‑sister; later she develops romantic feelings for Olivia (Chapters 11 and 14).

  13. B – Hannah’s mother defends Grady and questions Hannah’s story, revealing her controlling nature (Chapter 6).

  14. B – The pact’s exact wording in the prologue centers on reaching out before taking drastic steps.

  15. B – Summer’s stress about exams, the honor code rumors, and her suicide illustrate perfectionism’s deadly pressure.

  16. A place for healing, soul‑searching, and escaping the past; also a setting tied to Summer’s love of The Odyssey (Chapter 16, Tyson’s reflections).

  17. B – The quote appears in the prologue as a way to explain the desperation of someone considering suicide.

  18. By honoring the pact, supporting one another through crises, facing personal issues (Lainey’s sobriety, Hannah’s family, Tyson’s grief), and opening themselves to love and forgiveness (Epilogue).

  19. Tyson becomes more driven and restrained, keeping his grief private; Lainey becomes reckless, using alcohol and casual sex to numb pain. (Evident throughout their respective chapters.)

  20. It is used for manipulation (Lainey posts an Instagram story to make Grady jealous) and to contrast illusion with reality (Berlin’s influencer persona vs. her actions). (Chapters 1 and 12.)