The Tenant Quiz – Test Your Knowledge of Freida McFadden's Thriller

About This Quiz

This 20‑question quiz spans the entire novel The Tenant by Freida McFadden. Questions are divided into Plot & Sequence, Character Motivation, Theme & Symbol, and Synthesis. Each question is multiple‑choice except where noted. After you finish, check the answer key for brief explanations.

If you need a refresher, visit the book summary page or the questions and answers section. For a deep dive into the ending, see our ending explained.

Questions

Part 1: Plot & Sequence (Questions 1–8)

What event triggers Blake’s downward spiral at the beginning of the novel?
- A) His father’s illness
- B) He is fired from his VP job
- C) Krista leaves him
- D) Whitney moves in
What does Quillizabeth whisper to Krista during the apartment viewing?
- A) Blake is cheating
- B) Blake will kill Krista
- C) The house is haunted
- D) Whitney is dangerous
What object does Blake discover under the rug in his living room after tripping?
- A) A knife
- B) A bloodstain
- C) A phone
- D) A fish
What does Blake find inside a paper bag hidden on a high shelf in the kitchen?
- A) Rotten fruit with maggots
- B) Severed fingers
- C) Poison
- D) A suicide note
Who does Krista kill besides Mr. Zimmerly and Stacie?
- A) Elijah
- B) Blake
- C) Amanda
- D) Becky
What is the real name of the woman posing as Whitney Cross?
- A) Krista Marshall
- B) Amanda Lenhart
- C) Elizabeth
- D) Gwen
What does Blake eat that makes him vomit and suspect he has been poisoned?
- A) Snickerdoodles
- B) Rotting fruit
- C) Chinese food
- D) A halal wrap
Where does Blake go to start over at the end of the novel?
- A) New York
- B) Telmont
- C) Cleveland
- D) Boston

Part 2: Character Motivation (Questions 9–13)

Why does Krista first suggest taking in a tenant?
- A) She wants a friend
- B) To help with the mortgage
- C) To drive Blake away
- D) To frame Blake for murder
Why does the woman using the name “Whitney” really move into the brownstone?
- A) She needs cheap rent
- B) She is hired by Frank Gallo to kill Krista
- C) She is stalking Blake
- D) She is a friend of Krista’s
Why does Krista kill Mr. Zimmerly?
- A) He witnessed her affair
- B) He insulted her
- C) To frame Blake for murder
- D) He knew her secret
Why does Quillizabeth agree to help Krista with the fake psychic warning?
- A) She believes in the supernatural
- B) Krista pays her
- C) She is afraid of Krista
- D) She wants revenge on Blake
Why does Blake decide not to call the police after finding the severed fingers?
- A) He thinks the police won’t believe him
- B) He is afraid of being blamed for Mr. Zimmerly’s murder
- C) He wants to handle it himself
- D) He thinks Whitney is innocent

Part 3: Theme & Symbol (Questions 14–17)

What does the goldfish Goldy symbolize in the novel?
- A) Blake’s childhood
- B) Krista’s innocence
- C) The fragility of Blake and Krista’s relationship
- D) The danger of the tenant
What does Blake’s allergic reaction to limonene represent?
- A) His sensitivity to Whitney
- B) The toxicity of his home environment
- C) His physical weakness
- D) His love for Krista
What is the significance of the snickerdoodle cookies in the story?
- A) They are Krista’s signature dish
- B) They represent domestic comfort and manipulation
- C) They are Blake’s favorite snack
- D) They are accidentally poisoned
The brownstone itself can be seen as a symbol of what?
- A) Security and stability
- B) Entrapment and danger
- C) Freedom
- D) Wealth

Part 4: Synthesis (Questions 18–20)

Compare the motivations of Krista and Amanda. Which statement best describes their similarity?
- A) Both are driven by love
- B) Both are driven by revenge
- C) Both are driven by financial desperation
- D) Both are driven by jealousy
The psychic Quillizabeth’s prophecy that Blake will kill Krista turns out to be false. What purpose does this prophecy serve?
- A) It foreshadows the real murderer
- B) It misleads the reader and creates suspense
- C) It shows that psychics are real
- D) It makes Krista paranoid
Short‑answer: How does Amanda’s confession in the epilogue change the reader’s understanding of Blake’s survival?
(Write one or two sentences.)

Answer Key

B – Blake is fired by Wayne Vincent, which sets the entire plot in motion.
B – Quillizabeth warns Krista that Blake will stab her to death in the living room.
B – Blake finds a dark red stain that smells metallic under the rug.
B – Later, Blake opens a bag to find three severed fingers with pink nail polish.
A – Krista slits Elijah’s throat after sleeping with him.
B – Her real name is Amanda Lenhart; she stole the identity of the real Whitney Cross.
A – Krista’s snickerdoodle cookies are laced with tetrodotoxin.
C – Blake returns to Cleveland to take over his father’s hardware store.
B – Krista suggests a tenant to help pay the mortgage after Blake loses his job.
B – Frank Gallo offers to clear Amanda’s gambling debts if she kills Krista.
C – Krista murders Mr. Zimmerly and plants evidence to frame Blake.
B – Krista hires Quillizabeth to act out a scene and deliver a fabricated warning.
B – Blake fears he will be arrested for Mr. Zimmerly’s murder because of the bloodstain.
C – Goldy’s death marks the moment Krista’s trust in Blake breaks.
B – The rash is caused by Krista’s sabotage, reflecting the toxic environment she creates.
B – Krista uses baking as a way to appear caring while secretly manipulating Blake.
B – The brownstone becomes a trap for Blake, filled with danger and paranoia.
B – Krista seeks revenge on Blake and Amanda; Amanda kills Krista to escape debt.
B – The false prophecy leads the reader to suspect Blake, heightening tension.
Sample answer: It reveals Blake was never the target; Amanda killed Krista to save her own life, not Blake’s, showing his survival was accidental.

Final Notes

Think you aced the quiz? Join the discussion in our questions and answers section or read the ending explained. For a full overview, return to the main book page.