The Way of Kings Quiz: Test Your Knowledge

Welcome to the ultimate quiz on The Way of Kings, the first book in Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive. These 20 questions span the entire novel—from the immortal prologue to the shocking epilogue. You’ll be tested on major plot points, character motivations, rich themes, and overarching connections. Whether you’re a first-time reader or a seasoned fan, this quiz will challenge your recall and deepen your appreciation for the story. For more detailed discussions, check out our general questions and answers and the ending explained. Good luck—and remember, journey before destination!

Quiz Questions

Plot & Sequence

1. Multiple Choice
What event directly triggers the Vengeance Pact and the Alethi war on the Shattered Plains?
A) The Parshendi breaking the trade treaty
B) Szeth’s assassination of King Gavilar
C) The theft of a massive emerald gemheart
D) The discovery that the Parshendi are Voidbringers

2. Multiple Choice
During the battle on the Tower plateau, which highprince betrays Dalinar by withdrawing his bridges, leaving Dalinar’s army trapped?
A) Highprince Aladar
B) Highprince Roion
C) Highprince Sadeas
D) Highprince Vamah

3. Short Answer
Why is Kaladin assigned to Bridge Four in Sadeas’s army?

4. Multiple Choice
What item does Shallan secretly plan to steal from Jasnah Kholin?
A) A priceless Shardblade
B) Jasnah’s annotated copy of The Way of Kings
C) A working Soulcaster
D) Jasnah’s personal spanreed

5. Short Answer
With his dying breath, King Gavilar tells Szeth to deliver a message to his brother. What are the words Gavilar wants Dalinar to hear?

6. Multiple Choice
How does Kaladin survive being tied to the barracks roof during a highstorm?
A) He breaks the ropes with a surge of Stormlight.
B) Teft and Rock cut him down at the last moment.
C) He endures the storm’s fury and is found battered but alive.
D) A passing Windrunner rescues him.

7. Short Answer
In Dalinar’s vision of Feverstone Keep, what two groups does he witness, and what are they doing?

8. Multiple Choice
Who is revealed to be Szeth’s hidden master, the one who gives him the list of new assassination targets?
A) Highprince Sadeas
B) King Taravangian
C) Highprince Dalinar
D) Jasnah Kholin

Character Motivation

9. Short Answer
After defeating the Shardbearer, Kaladin refuses to take the Shardblade for himself. What reasons drive his decision?

10. Multiple Choice
At the Tower, Adolin finally stops arguing with his father and supports Dalinar’s command. What changes Adolin’s attitude?
A) Fear of dying without a fight
B) His growing love for Navani
C) Realizing that the Codes of War and his father’s honor were right
D) A desire to prove himself a better duelist than Sadeas

11. Short Answer
Why does Shallan persist in becoming Jasnah’s ward despite being rejected multiple times?

12. Multiple Choice
When Moash joins Kaladin’s efforts to train Bridge Four, he reveals a personal reason for fighting. What is it?
A) He wants to protect the weaker bridgemen.
B) He hopes to buy his freedom with wages.
C) He seeks vengeance against lighteyes for wrongs done to him.
D) He dreams of becoming a Knight Radiant.

13. Short Answer
Szeth abhors killing, yet he obeys every order his master gives. Why does he feel compelled to obey?

Theme & Symbol

14. Multiple Choice
What are the words of the First Ideal of the Knights Radiant?
A) “Unite them.”
B) “Life before death. Strength before weakness. Journey before destination.”
C) “The end justifies the means.”
D) “Honor is dead.”

15. Short Answer
Throughout the novel, highstorms are more than just weather. What do they symbolize in Kaladin’s journey?

16. Multiple Choice
Why is the ancient book The Way of Kings so important to Dalinar?
A) It gives him secret battle tactics against the Parshendi.
B) It inspires his code of honor and reinforces his visions of a united Alethkar.
C) It contains exact directions to the lost city of Urithiru.
D) It proves that the Voidbringers are just a myth.

17. Short Answer
In Dalinar’s visions, a voice repeatedly commands “Unite them.” What does this command mean?

Synthesis

18. Multiple Choice
How does the Prelude, featuring the Heralds abandoning the Oathpact, connect to the main plot?
A) It introduces the magic of Surgebinding.
B) It shows that humanity’s false victory sets the stage for the current Desolation.
C) It explains how Shardblades are forged.
D) It provides a lighter moment before the serious chapters.

19. Short Answer
Both Kaladin and Dalinar strive to live by the Ideal “journey before destination.” Compare how each leader embodies this principle.

20. Multiple Choice
What narrative purpose do the “Death wears white” interlude chapters serve?
A) They follow Szeth’s evolution from a reluctant killer into a willing assassin, setting up his eventual arrival on the Shattered Plains as a threat to Dalinar.
B) They reveal the origin of the Parshendi race.
C) They give a detailed history of the Heraldic Epochs.
D) They introduce the political system of Jah Keved.

Answer Key & Explanations

  1. B – In the Prologue, Szeth assassinates King Gavilar at the Parshendi’s order. Alethi honor demands revenge, leading directly to the Vengeance Pact and the war on the Shattered Plains (chapters 1–2).

  2. C – Highprince Sadeas deliberately pulls back his bridges, trapping Dalinar’s army on the Tower plateau (chapters 65–66).

  3. Short Answer – After being betrayed by Amaram and branded a slave, Kaladin is sold multiple times and eventually purchased to work in Sadeas’s bridge crews. He is assigned to Bridge Four because it is the most expendable group (chapters 4, 6, 8).

  4. C – Shallan’s secret mission is to steal Jasnah’s Soulcaster to replace her family’s broken one, hoping to use it to save House Davar from financial ruin (chapters 3, 5, 7).

  5. Short Answer – Gavilar’s final words to Szeth are: “Tell my brother … he must find the most important words a man can say.” (Prologue, chapter 15).

  6. C – Kaladin is left tied to the roof by order of Lamaril. He survives the highstorm through sheer endurance, and is found barely alive. The sphere he held goes dun, hinting he unconsciously drew Stormlight (chapters 34–35).

  7. Short Answer – Dalinar sees hundreds of Knights Radiant abandoning their Shardblades and Plate (the Day of Recreance), followed by ordinary soldiers rushing to claim the discarded weapons (chapter 52).

  8. B – King Taravangian reveals himself as the mastermind behind the list of assassinations. He holds Szeth’s Oathstone and commands him to kill Dalinar next (chapter 71).

  9. Short Answer – Kaladin refuses the Shardblade because he associates Shards with lighteyed oppression and is horrified by the slaughter of his squadmates. He feels unworthy of the weapon and is sickened by its history of killing (chapter 47).

  10. C – As defeat looks certain, Adolin tells Dalinar, “You were right to follow the Codes. You were right to try to unite Alethkar.” He finally accepts that honor matters more than victory (chapter 66).

  11. Short Answer – Shallan’s family estate is bankrupt, and dangerous creditors are closing in. She must swap Jasnah’s functional Soulcaster for her broken one and return home with a way to create wealth (chapters 3, 7, 36).

  12. C – Moash tells Kaladin he fights for vengeance: “I don’t want to protect people. I want to kill lighteyes.” (chapter 62).

  13. Short Answer – Szeth is bound by the Shin belief that he is Truthless—the lowest of criminals—and must obey whoever holds his Oathstone without question, even if it means killing (Prologue, chapters 16, 62).

  14. B – Teft teaches Kaladin the First Ideal: “Life before death. Strength before weakness. Journey before destination.” (chapter 59).

  15. Short Answer – Highstorms symbolize both destruction and renewal. For Kaladin, they mark moments of despair (surviving the storm tied to the roof), sources of Stormlight, and a dream-vision of his destiny as “Child of Tanavast” (chapters 34–35, 46).

  16. B – Dalinar returns again and again to Nohadon’s book for its parables on leadership and honor. It shapes his decision to embrace the Codes and pursue unity among the highprinces (chapters 15, 58, 69).

  17. Short Answer – “Unite them” is a directive from the Almighty (Honor) for Dalinar to unify the warring highprinces and, eventually, all the kingdoms of Roshar against the True Desolation (chapters 12, 75).

  18. B – The Prelude shows the Heralds abandoning the Oathpact and lying about a final victory, which allows humanity to forget the Desolations. This directly sets up the plot because in the Epilogue, Talenel returns and announces the Desolation has come again (Prelude, Epilogue).

  19. Short Answer – Kaladin focuses on protecting each individual bridgeman, taking slow, methodical steps—training, feeding, healing—to build a team capable of surviving and escaping. Dalinar focuses on uniting Alethkar through honor and the Codes, even when it seems politically foolish. Both value the process (the journey) over the final goal (destination), trusting that right actions lead to right outcomes (chapters 43, 49, 66, 73).

  20. A – Szeth’s interludes show him being passed from master to master, each one ordering increasingly catastrophic assassinations (like King Hanavanar). This establishes Szeth’s overwhelming power, his tragic obedience, and foreshadows his coming to the Shattered Plains to kill Dalinar (chapters 16, 62, 71).

Ready for more? Dive deeper into character arcs, unresolved mysteries, and thematic analysis on our main book page or join the conversation on questions and answers. If the ending left you reeling, visit the ending explained guide.