The House in the Cerulean Sea

Multiple Choice and Long Answer questions create ideal opportunities for whole-text review, unit exam, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. Which is the most accurate description of how Linus changes during the novel?

A) He learns to value the opinions of people outside of DICOMY.

B) He learns to be more accepting of children with magical abilities.

C) He becomes less dependent on following rules to feel secure.

D) He becomes more interested in political activism.

2. Which element of Linus’s environment is most clearly an example of foreshadowing?

A) His neighbor

B) His house

C) His cat

D) His mousepad

3. Which of the following does Linus most clearly fear?

A) Magic

B) Ambiguity

C) Solitude

D) Mockery

4. Which most accurately describes Arthur’s attitude toward Linus?

A) Arthur is initially hostile to Linus but gradually warms up to him.

B) Arthur has faith in Linus’s goodness from the beginning.

C) Arthur is intrigued by Linus at first but eventually grows bored with him.

D) Arthur feels a mixture of pity and fondness for Linus throughout the story.

5. Which child’s story most clearly supports the novel’s contention that life experiences can overcome inborn traits?

A) Lucy’s

B) Talia’s

C) Chauncey’s

D) Theodore’s

6. Which of the following statements do the events of the narrative most support?

A) A truly good person will find a way to make a positive contribution to the world regardless of the family they are born into.

B) Some people are born to do bad things, and all society can do is try to curtail their ability to harm others.

C) There is no such thing as innate evil, but evil can be created by persecution and discrimination.

D) Everyone has the capacity for good, but people can struggle to express their goodness under adverse circumstances.

7. What is ironic about the time Linus spends on the island?

A) He has spent his whole career working on behalf of children, but the children he meets on the island are the first ones he actually likes.

B) He has spent his life in the city carefully cultivating solitude, but once he is on the island, he finds that he can no longer tolerate being alone.

C) He has worked for DICOMY for a very long time, but his short time on the island is the first time he has really understood the discrimination magical people face.

D) He has lived to be middle-aged without realizing that he is attracted to men, but once he is on the island, he almost instantly realizes that he is romantically interested in Arthur.

8. What is the most likely reason that it takes the children so long to learn to trust Linus?

A) They have been repeatedly mistreated, often by people in positions of power like Linus.

B) Linus is a reserved person who has trouble opening himself up to new people and experiences.

C) Linus sends the children mixed signals about his intentions toward the orphanage.

D) Zoe’s mistrust of Linus sends a message to the children that they should be wary of him.

9. In what sense is Arthur’s attitude toward Linus similar to his attitude toward the children?

A) Arthur believes that Linus is naive and needs to be protected.

B) Arthur can see something special in Linus that others overlook.

C) Arthur hopes to use his authority to convince Linus to do what is right.

D) Arthur worries about how outsiders will treat Linus.

10. Which of the following characters is the most manipulative?

A) Zoe

B) Linus

C) Werner

D) Arthur

11. Which of the following statements do the events of the novel most clearly support?

A) Objectivity is often the enemy of empathy.

B) Empathy is really just a form of pity.

C) Sympathy is more effective than empathy.

D) Empathy prevents fair and equal treatment.

12. Which earlier element of the novel do Linus’s actions to expose DICOMY ironically echo?

A) Ms. Jenkins’s system of demerits

B) Extremely Upper Management’s directions regarding the investigation

C) The mousepad on Linus’s desk at DICOMY

D) The DICOMY posters in the town near the orphanage

13. Which character most clearly functions as a foil for Linus?

A) Mrs. Klapper

B) Werner

C) Helen

D) Ms. Jenkins

14. Which of the following statements do the events of the narrative most clearly support?

A) When one person changes for the better, they have the chance to spread positive change around them.

B) Since large-scale changes are rare, people should be satisfied with positive changes in their immediate surroundings.

C) People must change their own lives for the better, because other people cannot do this for them.

D) Small-scale changes are largely ineffective at improving people’s quality of life.

15. Which detail early in the narrative foreshadows the changes that Arthur Parnassus will inspire in Linus’s life?

A) Mrs. Klapper’s desire to set Linus up with her grandson

B) The sunflowers outside Linus’s house

C) Linus’s report on Daisy

D) The stain on Linus’s shirt

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating text details to support your response.

1. How does Klune use color to indicate the differing impacts the city and the seaside have on Linus?

2. In what sense are the magical and non-magical characters in this novel meant to be allegorical?