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Quiz about A Separate Peace by John Knowles
Quiz about A Separate Peace by John Knowles

'A Separate Peace', by John Knowles Quiz


This is a regular quiz about John Knowles' WWII novel, A Separate Peace. It covers a 16-year-old boy's experiences as the war systematically breaks his "separate peaces". Beware! This gives away the ending!

A multiple-choice quiz by Quinze. Estimated time: 3 mins.
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Author
Quinze
Time
3 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
93,602
Updated
Jul 23 22
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
8 / 10
Plays
911
- -
Question 1 of 10
1. Who are the two main characters in "A Separate Peace" the book? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. One of the characters lives in Boston, one lives in Vermont, and others come from various places. Who comes from the South? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. What do the boys like to do as a school tradition? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. Who twice suffers a broken leg in the book? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. From whom does Gene receive a telegram? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. In what season do the boys have a festival? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. What work do the boys from Devon have to spend a day doing? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. When the trial is being held in the auditorium (with poor acoustics), who storms out of the room? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. At what time of day does the trial take place? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. Who dies at the end of the story? Hint



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Most Recent Scores
Feb 28 2024 : Guest 199: 9/10
Feb 23 2024 : Guest 76: 9/10

Score Distribution

quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Who are the two main characters in "A Separate Peace" the book?

Answer: Gene and Finny

Gene and Finny are best friends in the book. They both attend Devon school in 1942 New Hampshire. Gene is the main main character, and the book is written from his first-person perspective. He is paranoid, excels academically, and has no distinct personality.

His actions seem to always build around those of others. Finny, on the other hand, also known as Phineas, is outgoing, athletic, and has a distinct personality. He is one to think of new ideas, but always includes Gene and/or the other boys at school.
2. One of the characters lives in Boston, one lives in Vermont, and others come from various places. Who comes from the South?

Answer: Gene

Gene travels to his home in the South when there is a break in school. Finny, on the other hand, lives in Boston. Leper lives in the hills of Vermont. I don't think any of the other characters' homes are mentioned, but it is clear that they mostly seem to come from afar.
3. What do the boys like to do as a school tradition?

Answer: Jump from a big oak tree into the river

There is a large oak tree with rungs up the trunk from which the boys often jump. At first, Finny is willing to jump but Gene is not sure. Eventually, Gene jumps while the other boys watch. At a later time, Gene and Finny go to the tree alone and plan to set a precedent by jumping off of the limb into the river at the same time.

However, when they are standing on the limb, Gene supposedly "subconsciously" jounces the limb, causing Finny to fall on the bank of the river. Finny suffers a broken leg, and through the rest of the book, Gene is faced with the fact that he has broken Finny's leg and ruined his prestigious sports career.

However, it is not made clear that Gene deliberately knocks Finny off, and the reader must decide for himself/herself whether or not Gene is at fault!
4. Who twice suffers a broken leg in the book?

Answer: Finny

Finny breaks his leg when Gene supposedly knocks him out of the tree, you know the story. Towards the end of the book, Finny rebreaks his leg after a fight with Gene. When Dr. Stanpole tries to replace the bone, a small amount of marrow escapes into Finny's bloodstream and stops his heart, thus taking his life.
5. From whom does Gene receive a telegram?

Answer: Leper

The telegram from Leper says something like "Gene, I've escaped. Come visit me at Christmas retreat. Urgent" (I don't remember the exact wording, but he is trying to say that he's quit the ski patrol of the army and gone to his home in Vermont, where he usually goes on Christmas break from school). Gene goes to visit him to find that he has gone mad.
6. In what season do the boys have a festival?

Answer: Winter

Finny and Gene plan a winter festival with music, hard cider, games, and prizes. My opinion is that Finny thinks of the idea so his best friend Gene can take his place by winning the athletic games. However, Gene is interrupted by the telegram from Leper.
7. What work do the boys from Devon have to spend a day doing?

Answer: Shoveling snow from the railroad tracks

When snow blocks the nearest train tracks, a train carrying army recruits cannot continue on its way. The Devon boys shovel the snow away so the train can proceed. It's one of many instances in which the war breaks a "separate peace".
8. When the trial is being held in the auditorium (with poor acoustics), who storms out of the room?

Answer: Finny

Finny's reason for storming out of the room is not clearly stated by the author. My opinion is that when it's suggested that Gene is responsible for Finny's injury, and Finny denies it (Gene is his best friend), he really feels that it IS Gene's fault, and so, can no longer contain his anger.
9. At what time of day does the trial take place?

Answer: Late at night

It is clear that the trial takes place late at night because the other boys have to take Gene and Finny from their dormitory to the auditorium after everyone is supposed to be asleep.
10. Who dies at the end of the story?

Answer: Finny

As I said above, Finny dies when Dr. Stanpole is resetting his broken bone, and some marrow escapes into his bloodstream, stopping his heart. It is a disheartening ending to a morally depressing book (in my opinion, of course!). Well, I hope you enjoyed this quiz. Thanks for playing!
Source: Author Quinze

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor magpie8 before going online.
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