The Vivisector Quizzes

The Vivisector Quiz 1

1 What object inspires Hurtle when he first visits the Courtneys house?
Chandelier

Urn

Mural

Diamond ring
2 What is Rhoda's fate as predicted by the Planchette?
Dancer

Novelist

Woman

Wife
3 What reason does Hurtle give Mrs. Courtney for his departure from their house and family as a teenager?
He's moving to Paris

He's returning to his biological family

He's leaving to become an artist

He's enlisting in the military
4 Where does Hurtle move when he first leaves the Courtneys?
New Zealand

Paris

Sydney

Melbourne
5 Who is the person behind Duffield's secret patroness?
Mrs. Courtney

Rhoda

Boo Hollingrake

Caldicott
6 Where was Boo Hollingrake living in the years before she returned to Australia?
London

New York

Tahiti

Peru
7 Where does Hero want to bring Hurtle?
Casablanca

Melbourne

Perialos

Turkey
8 Who is Kathy Volkov's favorite musician?
Bach

Rachmaninoff

Lizst

Mozart
9 What kind of aspiring artist does Hurtle encounter when he goes to Mumbelong with Mr. Courtney?
Musician

Sculptor

Playwright

Novelist
10 What do Mr. and Mrs. Courtney want Hurtle to call them?
Dad and Mother

Papa and Maman

Father and Mother Dear

Father and Maman
11 What job is Hurtle doing when he meets Nance Lightfoot?
Assisting a painter

Working in a department store

Landscaping

Dishwashing
12 What plant does Duffield continuously point out seeing in the novel?
Begonia

Lantana

Palm trees

Sunflowers
13 What does Boo Hollingrake say has always been Rhoda's virtue?
Secret creative genius

An ability to perceive everything around her

A clear vision of the future

An awareness of the reasons for her hysteria
14 How many children did the Duffields have?
3

7

5

1
15 Who is Soso?
Kathy Volkov's piano teacher

Hero and Cosma's quasi-adopted daughter

Rhoda's landlady

Hurtle's child
16 What is Rhoda yelling at when Hurtle encounters her after many years have passed?
Cars driving too fast

Kids playing ball

Cats

The moon
17 What does Rhoda say was the reason for Maman's death?
She felt she failed Hurtle and Rhoda

She couldn't face her failure to end vivisection

She felt it wasn't worth living without the inessentials

She couldn't carry on without relationships with her children
18 Where do the Courtneys have a memorable holiday?
St. Yves de Tregor

St. Sebastian

Tuscany

Monaco
19 Who was Hurtle and Rhoda's governess?
Miss Leighton

Miss Nixon

Miss Gibbons

Miss Tyndall
20 What is the name of Hurtle's painting of Rhoda?
Nance Spreadeagle

Girl in the Window

Pythoness at Tripod

Forms and Figures
21 What street does Duffield live most of his adult life on?
Chubb's Lane

Flint Street

Windsor Street

Prince Way
22 Who is Duffield's protégé?
Rhoda

Sam Weinstock

Don Lethbridge

Cecil Cutbush
23 What is Cecil Cutbush's former job?
Gardener

School headmaster

Bus driver

Local councilman
24 What does Nance say is true of all men?
They are interested in art

They're in love with themselves

They don't like talking about emotions

They're always thinking about the future
25 Why did Caldicott vouch so much for Duffield?
He faced financial pressures to find an ingenue

He couldn't find anyone else

He was in love with him

Someone told him he had to put his name behind him

The Vivisector Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for The Vivisector is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

Ask Your Own Question

Study Guide for The Vivisector

The Vivisector study guide contains a biography of Patrick White, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

Read the Study Guide for The Vivisector…