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Quiz about WhattheDickens by Gregory Maguire
Quiz about WhattheDickens by Gregory Maguire

'What-the-Dickens' by Gregory Maguire Quiz


'What-the-Dickens', a tooth fairy tale, might be classified as young adult fiction, but it certainly caught my interest. Let's explore this intriguing story.

A multiple-choice quiz by beergirllaura. Estimated time: 4 mins.
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Time
4 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
316,969
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Tough
Avg Score
5 / 10
Plays
161
- -
Question 1 of 10
1. With their parents mysteriously out of the picture, Dinah, Zeke and Rebecca Ruth are being watched over by their mother's cousin. What is his name? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. Discounting his meeting his own reflection inside the tin can, who did What-the-Dickens encounter first? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. What-the-Dickens had no idea that he was a tooth fairy until Pepper told him. She also told him the proper name of their race. What is that name? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. The rust-throated grisset, who first tried to feed What-the-Dickens to her nestlings, is particularly bad at which activity? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. After the tooth/money swap in the motel, Pepper takes What-the-Dickens to her colony. What is the nickname of her colony? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. Whose impressive tooth did What-the-Dickens deliver to Dr. Ill? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. After the deputies arrived, how did Dinah thwart their plans to evacuate the children? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. Who did What-the Dickens try to set free?

Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. By the end of the book, had the parents returned?


Question 10 of 10
10. Gregory Maguire wrote which of the following novels? Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. With their parents mysteriously out of the picture, Dinah, Zeke and Rebecca Ruth are being watched over by their mother's cousin. What is his name?

Answer: Gage

After dropping in for an unexpected visit, Gage, a rather young school teacher, is left in charge of the three children. Less than mechanically-inclined, hapless with a screwdriver and uneasy with diaper changes, Gage uses his talent as a storyteller to keep the children entertained.

In the process, he allays his own worries and finds a bit of confidence in his ability to deal with children.
2. Discounting his meeting his own reflection inside the tin can, who did What-the-Dickens encounter first?

Answer: McCavity

A rather fat white cat, McCavity inspires an instant and passionate reaction in What-the-Dickens. Naivete, a need for connection and a lack of world-weary cynicism lead What-the-Dickens to search for McCavity in the hope that he will have someone to belong to. With no further motivation than the desire to become McCavity's pet, What-the-Dickens embarks on a dangerous search that leads him into a world full of surprises.
3. What-the-Dickens had no idea that he was a tooth fairy until Pepper told him. She also told him the proper name of their race. What is that name?

Answer: skibberee

'Skibbereen can't be seen' to quote Pepper. But, throughout What-the-Dickens' story he is seen by many, both human and animal. His willingness to listen, his lack of censure and his good-hearted motives impart a strong moral lesson both to the children of the story and the reader.
4. The rust-throated grisset, who first tried to feed What-the-Dickens to her nestlings, is particularly bad at which activity?

Answer: singing

After adopting What-the-Dickens, the mama grisset saves him first from McCavity, and later from an owl. Again, it's What-the-Dickens' lack of prejudice and earnest desire for connection that enables these two very different species to interact. And while What-the-Dickens recognizes the grisset's lack of singing ability, his reaction is simple and analytical, and forgiving, rather than harsh or demeaning.
5. After the tooth/money swap in the motel, Pepper takes What-the-Dickens to her colony. What is the nickname of her colony?

Answer: Undertree Common

Led by Dr. Ill, Undertree Common is actually Northwest Sector, Division B., and is just one of many tooth fairy colonies. Yet instead of working together, the different colonies engage in behavior that parallels human behavior. Mistrust, skepticism, cold hostility and actual warfare between neighbors is accepted as normal by the other skibereen, yet baffles What-the-Dickens.
6. Whose impressive tooth did What-the-Dickens deliver to Dr. Ill?

Answer: Maharajah's

With a sense of duty and responsibility that is noticeably absent from many of the elder skibereen, What-the-Dickens is determined to bring Pepper, who he believes is dead, the name and glory he feels she deserves.
7. After the deputies arrived, how did Dinah thwart their plans to evacuate the children?

Answer: she hid behind the couch

Because of Zeke's attempt to find food at a neighbor's house, and his subsequent capture for 'breaking and entering' by the deputies, Dinah is forced to use her 'good mind' and figure out how to keep them all together and out of the shelter. While only a small part of the overall story, the scene imparts a subtle lesson on the strengths of teamwork, imagination and determination - all of which are also present in What-the Dickens' own story.
8. Who did What-the Dickens try to set free?

Answer: Muzzlemutt

What-the Dickens is appalled by the mouse's captivity, and dismayed that when given the opportunity to flee his cage, Muzzlemutt is too used to captivity to seize his freedom. After first criticizing Dr. Ill over the mouse's confinement, he learns the story of Dr. Ill's 'war wounds' which cost him the use of his legs, and has a clearer understanding of the leader's need for the mouse.
9. By the end of the book, had the parents returned?

Answer: No

The storm over, the electricity back on, if only briefly, the story ends without the parents' return, but with a growing assurance that they would return, safe and well. But, there is always that 'what if?' where life doesn't always tie itself up with a nice neat bow. The hope is there, but there is also a niggling uncertainty, which is deftly woven into the end of the novel.
10. Gregory Maguire wrote which of the following novels?

Answer: 'Lost'

He also wrote 'Wicked', "Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister' and 'Mirror Mirror' among others. Maguire's stories are more than simple updates or retellings of old fairy tales. They subtly urge the reader to remember that there is always more than one side to any story, more to be seen than just that which is on the surface, that myth does not equal truth and that politics, religious differences, jealousy and ignorance can influence even the simplest of motives.
Source: Author beergirllaura

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