Tom Lake Quiz: Test Your Knowledge of Ann Patchett’s Novel
Welcome to the Tom Lake quiz. This 20-question challenge spans the entire novel, from Lara’s summer stock days to life on the cherry farm. Whether you are brushing up for a book club or just love the story, each question is designed to make you think deeper about the characters, themes, and symbols. The answer key follows all questions. Good luck!
🎭 Plot and Sequence (Questions 1–8)
1. (Multiple Choice) What is the name of the community theater production that Lara auditions for in her New Hampshire high school?
- A. Our Town
- B. Fool for Love
- C. The Cherry Orchard
- D. The Promised Man
2. (Short Answer) What part does Lara win in the Tom Lake summer stock production?
3. (Multiple Choice) Why does the original Emily leave Tom Lake before rehearsals finish?
- A. She is fired for drunkenness.
- B. She gets a big film role.
- C. She has a family emergency.
- D. She elopes with the Stage Manager.
4. (Short Answer) What injury ends Lara’s acting career?
5. (Multiple Choice) During which play’s rehearsal does Uncle Wallace collapse onstage?
- A. Our Town
- B. Fool for Love
- C. King Lear
- D. Singularity
6. (Short Answer) What job does Joe take to save the financially troubled cherry farm?
7. (Multiple Choice) In what year does Peter Duke visit the Nelson farm, telling Lara it is his “mental happy place”?
- A. 1997
- B. 2001
- C. 1994
- D. 2005
8. (Multiple Choice) What happens to Duke’s ashes at the end of the novel?
- A. They are scattered in Tom Lake.
- B. They are buried under a red oak in the Nelson cemetery.
- C. They are kept in a box in Lara’s closet.
- D. They are thrown from the roof of the farmhouse.
❤️ Character Motivation (Questions 9–13)
9. (Multiple Choice) Why does Lara change her name from Laura to Lara when she auditions for Our Town in high school?
- A. She wants to sound more professional.
- B. She is embarrassed by her real name.
- C. A friend suggests it to avoid confusion with another Laura.
- D. She does it on a whim after watching the auditions grow boring.
10. (Short Answer) What motivates Joe to stay in the cast of Our Town after Uncle Wallace’s collapse?
11. (Multiple Choice) Why does Emily declare she will not have children when she announces her engagement to Benny?
- A. She does not like children.
- B. She wants to focus on her career as a veterinarian.
- C. She fears the farm’s vulnerability to climate change.
- D. She knows she is infertile.
12. (Multiple Choice) What is Pallace’s primary motivation in the summer stock story?
- A. To become an understudy for Emily
- B. To win Duke’s affection
- C. To escape a troubled home life
- D. To learn directing from Nelson
13. (Short Answer) Why does Lara decide to quit acting for good after leaving Tom Lake?
🌲 Theme and Symbol (Questions 14–17)
14. (Multiple Choice) The boxes of bees that Lara sees in the cherry orchards are meant to symbolize which aspect of summer stock theater?
- A. The temporary nature of artistic work
- B. The sweetness of youthful romance
- C. The sting of betrayal
- D. The hard labor of farm life
15. (Multiple Choice) The quilt that Lara’s grandmother begins sewing for future grandchildren symbolizes:
- A. Family legacy and hope
- B. The comfort of home
- C. The art of mending relationships
- D. Lara’s sewing career
16. (Short Answer) The lake’s origin story—that it is called Tom Lake because a boy believed his nanny named it after him—reflects what theme in the novel?
17. (Multiple Choice) The repeated motif of swimming in the novel primarily represents:
- A. Escape from responsibility
- B. A reset or fresh start
- C. Physical fitness
- D. Danger and risk
🔍 Synthesis (Questions 18–20)
18. (Multiple Choice) How does the framing narrative of Lara telling her daughters the story in 2020 affect the reader’s understanding of the past events?
- A. It proves that memory is always accurate.
- B. It reveals that the daughters are unreliable narrators.
- C. It shows how memory is shaped by the present and by family relationships.
- D. It makes the story more dramatic by adding a secret pregnancy.
19. (Short Answer) After the cherry harvest ends, Sebastian Duke appears on the farm porch. What secret does he reveal that changes how the family sees Duke’s legacy?
20. (Multiple Choice) The last chapter (Author’s Note) states that the novel’s goal is to direct readers back to which play by Thornton Wilder?
- A. The Skin of Our Teeth
- B. Our Town
- C. The Matchmaker
- D. Our Town and all of Wilder’s work
✅ Answer Key
1. A. Our Town — The high school production is the first play Lara auditions for. She changes her name to Lara and gets the part of Emily Webb. (Source: Chapter 1 and 2 outline.)
2. Emily Webb — Lara is hired as the replacement Emily for the Tom Lake summer stock production of Our Town. (Source: Chapters 5–6 outline.)
3. B. She gets a big film role — Eric tells Lara that the previous Emily left because her agent called with a film offer and the studio paid the cancellation fee. (Source: Chapter 6 outline.)
4. A ruptured Achilles tendon — Lara tears her Achilles during a tennis match with Sebastian Duke, ending her acting career. (Source: Chapter 15 outline.)
5. A. Our Town — Uncle Wallace collapses while playing the Stage Manager in Our Town, vomiting blood into Lara’s lap. (Source: Chapter 13 outline.)
6. Directing peanut butter commercials — Joe’s lucrative commercial directing work saves the farm from financial trouble. (Source: Chapter 19 outline.)
7. A. 1997 — Duke visits the Nelson farm in October 1997, meeting Lara’s daughters and Joe. (Source: Chapter 19 outline.)
8. B. They are buried under a red oak in the Nelson cemetery — Sebastian reveals that Duke bought a plot in the cemetery years ago, and the family buries his ashes there. (Source: Chapter 21 outline.)
9. D. She does it on a whim after watching the auditions grow boring — Laura changes her name to Lara on the registration form because she finds the other auditioners inauthentic. (Source: Chapter 1 outline.)
10. Joe stays in the cast because he loved being onstage with Lara. — After Uncle Wallace’s death, understudy Lee refuses to perform, so Joe steps in as Stage Manager for the remainder of the run. He later admits he stayed because of his feelings for Lara. (Source: Chapters 13–14 outline.)
11. C. She fears the farm’s vulnerability to climate change — Emily’s decision is driven by climate anxiety and her pragmatic love for the orchard. (Source: Chapter 10 outline.)
12. A. To become an understudy for Emily — Pallace is the understudy for Emily in Our Town and later replaces Lara in Fool for Love after Lara’s injury. (Source: Chapters 8, 15 outline.)
13. She leaves acting because she no longer wants to live a life full of pretense and publicity, choosing instead a quiet life. — After Ripley retrieves her from Michigan, she does press for her film, quits smoking, and decides to give up acting permanently. (Source: Chapter 18 outline.)
14. A. The temporary nature of artistic work — The beehive boxes are rented for a short pollination season, just as actors come to Tom Lake for a summer stock season. (Source: Chapter 6 outline: “Summer stock,” Lara says when Eric explains the bees.)
15. A. Family legacy and hope — The quilt is a symbol of Lara’s hope for grandchildren and her connection to her grandmother. (Source: Chapter 10 outline: the quilt motif.)
16. The lake’s origin story reflects the theme of storytelling and illusion versus reality. — Duke’s fabricated tale highlights how stories shape our understanding of place. (Source: Chapter 6 outline and evidence: Duke tells a made-up story, later admits it isn’t true.)
17. B. A reset or fresh start — Pallace says “Swimming is the reset button,” and Lara often swims to clear her mind. (Source: Chapter 11 evidence: “Swimming starts the day again.”)
18. C. It shows how memory is shaped by the present and by family relationships. — The daughters’ questions, their reactions (e.g., Nell’s envy, Emily’s belief that Duke is her father), and Lara’s selective retelling all demonstrate that family memory is contested. (Source: Chapters 2–3 outline: “the daughters’ reactions show how family memory is always contested.”)
19. Sebastian reveals that Duke secretly bought a plot in the Nelson cemetery years ago, and the money from that purchase saved the farm when it was in financial trouble. — This changes the family’s view of Duke from a selfish actor to someone who quietly helped them. (Source: Chapter 21 outline.)
20. D. Our Town and all of Wilder’s work — The Author’s Note explicitly states the novel’s goal is to direct readers back to Our Town and to all of Thornton Wilder’s work. (Source: Chapter 22 outline: “The novel’s goal is to direct readers back to Our Town and to all of Wilder’s work.”)