This Could Be Us: Book Quiz
Plot and Sequence Questions
1. What event triggers the FBI raid on Soledad’s home?
- A) Edward’s affair is exposed at a party
- B) Edward is arrested for embezzling six million dollars from CalPot
- C) Judah Cross files a lawsuit against Edward
- D) Soledad reports Edward to the police
2. In what order does Soledad discover Edward’s major betrayals? (Short answer)
3. Which item does Soledad use to destroy Edward’s man cave after learning he gave her an STI?
- A) A baseball bat
- B) A machete
- C) A hammer
- D) A crowbar
4. Where does Soledad first meet Judah Cross?
- A) At the Callahan Christmas party
- B) At a school carpool line
- C) At the Harvest Festival
- D) At the prison visitor center
5. When does Soledad find the flash drive that contains evidence of Edward’s theft?
- A) In Edward’s desk drawer
- B) While smashing his display case
- C) While cleaning out a kitchen drawer
- D) In Amber’s purse
6. What does Judah give Soledad at the Harvest Festival, and what does he say? (Short answer)
7. How does the epilogue resolve the threat posed by Edward?
- A) Edward is sent back to prison for life
- B) Edward flees the country with Amber and their baby
- C) Edward dies in a car accident
- D) Edward apologizes and Soledad forgives him
8. What role does Tremaine play in the initial custody arrangement for Adam and Aaron? (Short answer)
Character Motivation Questions
9. Why does Judah block the board’s attempt to cut Soledad’s benefits and squeeze her financially?
- A) He wants to protect the FBI investigation
- B) He feels a protective instinct toward Soledad
- C) He knows the board’s plan would hurt the case
- D) All of the above
10. What motivates Soledad to start her cooking business after the divorce?
- A) A desire to become famous
- B) Financial desperation after her assets are frozen
- C) Pressure from her friends
- D) To compete with Edward’s new girlfriend
11. Why does Judah agree to Soledad’s proposal for a one-time physical encounter on New Year’s Day? (Short answer)
12. Why does Inez initially oppose Judah’s relationship with Soledad?
- A) She thinks Judah is too old for her mother
- B) She blames Judah for putting Edward in prison
- C) She dislikes Judah’s sons
- D) She wants her parents to get back together
13. What drives Tremaine to co-parent effectively with Judah, even after their divorce? (Short answer)
Theme and Symbol Questions
14. What does the machete symbolize in Soledad’s journey?
- A) Domestic chores
- B) Her rage and reclamation of agency
- C) Her Puerto Rican heritage only
- D) Violence against Edward
15. How does the epigraph from Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God relate to the novel? (Short answer)
16. What does Soledad’s “Me List” represent?
- A) A shopping list for her business
- B) Her commitment to self-partnering and prioritizing her own desires
- C) A list of men she wants to date
- D) Goals for her daughters
17. How does the scar on Soledad’s palm function symbolically? (Short answer)
Synthesis Questions
18. Compare how Judah and Soledad each define “self-partnering.” (Short answer)
19. How does the novel challenge traditional marriage and relationship structures? (Short answer)
20. In what ways does Judah’s potential neurodivergence affect his relationship with Soledad? (Short answer)
Answer Key
1. B – Edward is arrested for embezzling six million dollars from CalPot, leading to the raid.
2. Soledad first learns of the embezzlement and the FBI investigation; then she discovers Edward gave her chlamydia; finally she sees Amber with Edward’s baby.
3. B – Soledad uses her family machete to destroy Edward’s possessions.
4. A – Soledad meets Judah at the Callahan Christmas party in Chapter One.
5. B – She finds the flash drive hidden in the collar of Edward’s signed Larry Bird jersey while smashing the display case.
6. Judah gives Soledad a handmade pressed-flower bookmark and says he wants to date her when she is ready.
7. B – Edward flees the country with Amber and their baby after violating probation.
8. Tremaine initially had weekday custody, but after Aaron uses his communication device to say “Stay with me,” she selflessly gives Judah primary custody.
9. D – All of the above: Judah protects the case, feels protective of Soledad, and knows the plan is flawed.
10. B – With her assets frozen and no income, Soledad faces financial desperation and turns to cooking as a business.
11. Because he recognizes her need to reclaim agency after Edward’s betrayal, and he wants to be close to her even without a commitment.
12. B – Inez blames Judah for putting her father in prison.
13. She wants what’s best for their sons and has moved on to a happy relationship with her new husband Kent.
14. B – The machete symbolizes Soledad’s rage and her reclamation of agency after betrayal.
15. It sets a theme of life’s cycles: years that ask questions (uncertainty) followed by years that answer (clarity and growth).
16. B – Her “Me List” represents her commitment to self-partnering and prioritizing her own desires and happiness.
17. It bisects her lifeline, symbolizing the split in her life between blind trust and full awareness after learning of Edward’s infidelity.
18. For Soledad, self-partnering means focusing on her own healing and not rushing into a relationship. For Judah, it means respecting her journey while finding ways to be near her, playing the “begin game” rather than pushing for a commitment.
19. The novel proposes that commitment can exist without marriage (as Judah says he doesn’t need marriage, only a life with Soledad) and that self-love is a prerequisite to loving another fully. It also shows a blended, unconventional family structure as valid and fulfilling.
20. Judah’s potential neurodivergence explains his hyperfocus on Soledad, his celibacy, and his careful, logical approach to emotions. It helps Soledad understand his deep loyalty and patience, and it parallels the challenges of raising his autistic sons, deepening their bond.