Tourist Season Quiz: 20 Questions on Plot, Characters & Themes
How well do you know Tourist Season?
Welcome to the Tourist Season quiz. Test your recall of plot details, character motivations, symbols, and overarching themes across Enid Shomer's linked story collection. There are 20 questions in four sections—mix of multiple-choice and short-answer. After you finish, check the Answer Key for explanations tied to the book.
📖 Plot & Sequence (8 Questions)
1. Multiple choice – In Chosen, who visits Iris Hornstein to declare her the reincarnation of Saint Amar-jampa?
- A) Two Tibetan monks (Lu and Wangrit)
- B) The Dalai Lama
- C) A Buddhist scholar from New York
- D) Her Great Aunt Tanta
2. Short answer – In The Other Mother, where does Sheila learn that Win kidnapped their adopted daughter Royal?
3. Multiple choice – What does Garland McKenney steal in Fill In the Blank?
- A) Wallets and a strongbox containing $2,200
- B) A car and jewelry
- C) A laptop from a café
- D) Prescription drugs from a pharmacy
4. Short answer – In Tourist Season (Chapter 4), what does Frieda discover when she retrieves Irv Snyder's Polaroid photos?
5. Multiple choice – In Rapture, what substance intensifies Janet's euphoria during her scuba dive?
- A) Klonopin
- B) Alcohol
- C) Marijuana
- D) Oxygen toxicity
6. Short answer – In The Hottest Spot on Earth, where are Jill, Patricia, and Zen Frank arrested?
7. Multiple choice – In Sweethearts, what does Garland do after Clarence brings another woman to the fish camp?
- A) She sets the camp on fire
- B) She drives off in his truck
- C) She calls the sheriff's department
- D) She agrees to the threesome
8. Short answer – In Crash Course, what code does the young drug dealer give Abby Presner on his pager?
💡 Character Motivation (5 Questions)
9. Multiple choice – Why does Iris Hornstein eventually agree to be a bridge between cultures in Chosen?
- A) She feels a spiritual calling after meeting the Dalai Lama
- B) She wants to escape her mundane job
- C) She is coerced by Lu and Wangrit
- D) She hopes to gain fame
10. Short answer – What drives Sheila to consider returning to Mobile in The Other Mother?
11. Multiple choice – Why does Garland McKenney take the personality test in Fill In the Blank?
- A) It reveals her hunger for risk and ties to her dead mother
- B) She needs it for a job application
- C) Her therapist requires it
- D) She is curious about her IQ
12. Short answer – What motivates Frieda to volunteer at the hospital in Tourist Season?
13. Multiple choice – Why does Janet in Rapture continue descending during her scuba dive even after separation?
- A) She experiences euphoria and disorientation from the Klonopin
- B) She wants to prove her diving skills
- C) She is trying to rescue something
- D) She is unaware of the danger
🔍 Theme & Symbol (4 Questions)
14. Multiple choice – In Laws of Nature, Helen's reverse aging symbolizes:
- A) The desire to escape loss and invisibility in old age
- B) A literal medical miracle
- C) The power of positive thinking
- D) A punishment for past sins
15. Short answer – In Sweethearts, what does the fire at the fish camp symbolize?
16. Multiple choice – The Polaroid camera in Chapter 4's Tourist Season primarily represents:
- A) The desire to capture and reclaim a fading past
- B) A tourist's superficiality
- C) Technology's intrusion on nature
- D) Irv's senility
17. Short answer – In The Summer of Questions, what does David's knowing the truth about Riva's father symbolize?
🔗 Synthesis (3 Questions)
18. Multiple choice – Across the collection, many characters are described as tourists in their own lives. This metaphor primarily suggests:
- A) They experience their own lives with detachment or surprise
- B) They enjoy traveling frequently
- C) They are insincere in their relationships
- D) They are always on vacation
19. Short answer – How do the themes of aging in Tourist Season (Frieda's story) and Laws of Nature (Helen's story) offer contrasting perspectives?
20. Multiple choice – The author Enid Shomer has said that some stories like Crash Course are autobiographical. Which element of that story most likely comes from her own experience?
- A) The encounter with a young drug dealer in Brooklyn
- B) The character of Esther
- C) The car crash itself
- D) The pager number 666
✅ Answer Key
Plot & Sequence
1. A) Two Tibetan monks, Lu and Wangrit, visit Iris to tell her she is the reincarnation of Saint Amar-jampa. (Chapter 1 outline)
2. A Memphis airport restroom. The kidnapping is revealed in Chapter 2.
3. A) Garland and her roommate steal wallets and a strongbox with $2,200 in Chapter 3.
4. Explicit images of his wife, Belle, taken to please her impotent husband. (Chapter 4 outline)
5. A) Janet takes Klonopin, which intensifies with depth, causing euphoria. (Chapter 5 outline)
6. At the Nevada Nuclear Test Site (Nevada Test Site). (Chapter 6 outline)
7. A) Feeling betrayed, Garland grabs Clarence's revolver, forces them to leave, and sets the camp on fire. (Chapter 7 outline)
8. 666. (Chapter 8 outline)
Character Motivation
9. A) After meeting the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala, Iris agrees to serve as a cultural bridge. (Chapter 1 outline)
10. Guilt over the secret of the kidnapping and a desire to protect her daughter Royal. (Chapter 2 outline)
11. A) The test reveals her hunger for risk and connects to her dead mother. (Chapter 3 outline)
12. She feels stifled by retired husband Milt and seeks purpose; volunteering at the hospital gives her a role. (Chapter 4 outline)
13. A) The Klonopin combined with depth causes euphoria and disorientation, leading her to continue descending. (Chapter 5 outline)
Theme & Symbol
14. A) Helen's transformation reverses her invisibility and loss, representing a flight from the burdens of aging. (Chapter 10 outline)
15. It symbolizes Garland's rebellion against betrayal, her desire to cleanse the past and start anew. (Chapter 7 outline)
16. A) The Polaroid allows Irv (and later Frieda and Milt) to capture moments of desire and memory, reclaiming a fading past. (Chapter 4 evidence and outline)
17. It symbolizes the shattering of family illusions and the hidden power of secrets. David's knowledge exposes Riva's father's theft. (Chapter 9 outline)
Synthesis
18. A) The reading-group guide in Chapter 13 asks how characters are all tourists in their own lives, implying detachment and surprise.
19. Frieda confronts aging as a loss of purpose and works toward a new understanding with Milt, while Helen literally reverses aging to escape invisibility and loss, embracing an animal transformation. (Compare Chapters 4 and 10 outlines)
20. A) In the interview (Chapter 12), Shomer reveals that Crash Course is autobiographical; the encounter with the young drug dealer is the most distinct personal experience.
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