1 What do the chapter titles refer to? names of random saints people in the Bible Feast Days historical figures from the Discalced Order of the Carmelites. 2 What is Sister John's birth name? Teresa Helen Miriam Mary Joseph 3 Who is John of the Cross? the person who made Jesus' cross John the Baptist, one of Jesus' disciples founder of the Discalced Order of the Carmelites famous for writing a poem called "The Dark Night of the Soul." the priest who gives the sacraments to the nuns 4 What is the reason for Sister John's visions? poison epileptic seizures snakebite drug overdoses 5 What is the name of Sister John's doctor? Patricia Father Aaron Dr. Sheppard Mr. Yoshinobu 6 Who is the famous novelist who had the same kind of epilepsy Sister John does? Dostoevsky Dickens Tolstoy Faulkner 7 Why does Sister John's mother come see her in the monastery? to apologize for how she treated Sister John to sever ties with Sister John to tell her about her half-siblings to ask Sister John to leave the monastery 8 When does Helen first start realizing she wants to become a nun? when her grandmother died after Christmas Mass, when she talks to Sister Priscilla when she was watching the moon landings when Sister Priscilla made her run the lap around the school a second time 9 Why does Sister John ultimately decide to go through with the surgery? because she does not want to be a burden to her sisters because the pain is too severe because she doesn't want the visions anymore because she is afraid of death 10 Why does Sister Miriam's father want her to leave the monastery? because he wants her to get married because he thinks it's a cult because he thinks she is seeking attention because he is controlling 11 Why is the diagnosis of epilepsy so severe for contemplatives? because it prohibits them from fulfilling their duties because you can't cure it because epilepsy can cause seizures that seem like visions from God because epilepsy is a curse 12 Why does Sister John keep vigil? to decide whether or not to do the surgery to pray all night with her sisters to see if she can have another vision to see if God will speak to her 13 What is Sister John's book based on? life in the monastery Her visions different saints St. Teresa 14 What do the proceeds from Sister John's book go toward? a trip to Italy supporting her grandmother a selection of juices a new roof for the monastery 15 How does Father Aaron advise Sister John? Do the surgery. Your job is to be faithful at all times even if you feel like he is far away. Seek alternative methods. Make surgery your last option. You are probably closer to grace now than ever before because you are learning that loving God is about following Him, not the benefits you get out of it. Don't do the surgery. These visions are a gift from God and to get rid of them would be scorning God's plan for your life and for how he wants to use you. 16 Why does Mother Emmanuel want Sister John to be Claire Bours' novice mistress? because Sister John has a Master of Fine Arts like Claire does because Sister John and Claire are related because Sister John has not been anybody's novice mistress yet because Sister John knows what it's like to try to do God's will even when she doesn't know what it is 17 On what Feast Day does Sister John first come to the monastery? Triumph of the Cross Our Lady of Mount Carmel Beheading of John the Baptist, Martyr Holy Thursday 18 Who is Sister Teresa? Sister John's novice mistress Sister John's aunt the saint that Sister John was asked by the Vatican to write a poem on and present in person the prioress of the monastery 19 How does Helen's mother end all her letters? Write soon! Tell your grandparents hello for me! Come visit me! I love you! 20 What does Sister John see in her last vision? an ember carried upward by the heat of an invisible flame a hand trying to grasp itself the voices of the saints and contemplatives as a tapestry through time and space her mind becoming like broken glass 21 What is the Miserere? a solemn piece of music composed by Mozart depression an illness an ancient psalm of repentance that the sisters recite weekly, accompanied by flagellation 22 Where and when is Lying Awake set? The Vatican in Italy, 1984 A monastery in the heart of Carmel, 1969 A monastery in the heart of Los Angeles, 1997 A monastery in Rome, 1995 23 What does Helen daydream about doing for the chickens entrapped in the farm? Setting them free. Later they will worship her as a goddess. Cutting their nails, because they kept scratching her Giving them names. Eating them. Helen's favorite food is fried chicken. 24 What realization does Sister John have that breaks her out of her period of drought? God is present everywhere. Therefore he can never and has never been absent. that God will never stop loving her, even when she doesn't feel it. that her community provides all the grace she needs. that faith is the evidence of things hoped for, of things not yet seen. 25 Who shares Sister John's recovery room at the hospital? A teenage girl shot in the head Mother Emmanuel and Sister Mary Michael Sister Teresa, whose body is shutting down Dr. Sheppard