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