Christmasville Trivia
A game of memory and merriment, designed to challenge all gamely readers in the expanding universe of Christmasville
Based on the novel, Christmasville, by Michael Dutton (Book I in the Christmasville Trilogy)
Questions
1. Throughout the story of Christmasville, four dogs are mentioned by name. What are the names of the dogs? (1 point for each) What kind of dogs are they? (2 points for each) Who owns each of the dogs? (3 points for each) Bonus Question: What kind of dog does Mr. MacGregor, the owner of the Christmas tree farm, own? (5 points) [Total points available: 29]
2. As Madeleine’s father moves about in the attic, he refers to the collection of things as “a calendar that documents the seasons of his life.” Discounting the plant stand, what six pieces of furniture does he enumerate? (1 point for each) Besides Christmas decorations he notes ten different kinds of items in the storage boxes that he moves about. What are they? (2 points for each) [Total points available: 26]
3. In the attic Madeleine’s father knocks a plant stand over. Something on top of it punctures the ceiling of the room below. What is it that punctures the ceiling? (1 point) How much does it weigh? (2 points) What room is revealed below? (3 points) Bonus Question: What flavor is Madeleine’s lollipop? (5 points) [Total points available: 11]
4. Twenty-two boxes of Christmas decorations and toy trains are carried down from the attic. What four kinds of boxes are they? (1 point for each) What is in one of the boxes that Madeleine’s father made? (2 points) Which figurine from the nativity set has a broken hand? (3 points) What color is the robe of the Virgin Mary? (4 points) In what three places does Madeleine arrange the nativity set until “she had found the perfect spot?” (5 points for each) [Total points available: 28]
5. In the beginning of the novel Mary Jane reveals some of the features and changes that occur each year in Christmasville. What is the first thing that Mary Jane does on December 1st? (1 point) What used to be in front of the bank? (2 points) What are the three biggest buildings in town? (3 points for each) Bonus Question: When Mary Jane tells Mr. Cauldwell about some of the changes that occur annually in Christmasville, what food item is he stamping with his price gun? (5 points) Extra Bonus Question: After Mary Jane discusses the same topic with Mr. Mason, he speaks with Mary Jane’s father. What term is used to describe her condition? (10 points) [Total points available: 27]
6. Mary Jane refers to a section of Maple Street as “dead man’s curve.” What plummeted off its steep embankment in a snowstorm? (1 point) What happened to the driver? (2 points) What was it that actually died? (3 points) What does Mary Jane suggest that the curve be called? (4 points) [Total points available: 10]
7. Tommy Burks gets into trouble because he wrote something nasty on at least a dozen buildings, sidewalks and bridge throughout Christmasville. What did Tommy write? (1 point) What was the color of the paint he used? (2 points) What was his punishment? (3 points) What was Mary Jane’s “sentence” as a result of Tommy’s mischief? (4 points) [Total points available: 10]
8. In Union Train Station Mary Jane explains to Mr. Bachmann that she’s “purchasing” tickets for Emily and herself to visit her sick grandmother. In what town does grandma live? (1 point) What did Mary Jane put in the vial of medicine? (2 points) What did Mary Jane type on the label of the medicine? (3 points) Aside from her cold, what other medical condition does grandma have? (4 points) On the way to the train station what makes Emily “too frightened to move?” (5 points) Bonus Question: Doris Caterson is a waitress in the diner. Her boyfriend, Joe Caterson, picks her up every night after closing. What is the big secret about Doris and Joe that “everyone in town knows about?” (10 points) [Total points available: 25]
9. Mary Jane compares the town of Christmasville to a checkerboard in which all of the homes and buildings are, like checkers, transplanted to another location at the start of each year. In the new configuration of Christmasville what ten buildings make up “the bustling shopping district” of Maple Street? (1 point for each) What three buildings in town are never moved from their original locations? (2 points for each) All of the streets remain in the same location, but one – which one is it? (3 points) What is the strangest building in all of Christmasville? (4 points) Bonus Question: What building is located at “the far southern corner of town?” (5 points) Extra Bonus Question: What does Mary Jane want to be when, if ever, she grows up? (10 points) [Total points available: 38]
10. Three churches are mentioned in Christmasville, their towering steeples, fingers “that point toward the heavens, reminding us always of grace and goodness and things far more lasting than the memory of Christmas gifts.” What are the names of the churches? (1 point for each) In which church does Mary Jane offer confession? (2 points) What is the name of the priest? (3 points) Which church does Mary Jane like best? (4 points) [Total points available: 12]
11. The “Snowman from China” makes two appearances in Christmasville. By what building does he make his first appearance? (1 point) What algebraic formula does Mary Jane devise to explain the sudden appearance, and disappearance, of the snowman? (2 points) By what building does he make his second appearance? (3 points) What are the two distinguishing features of the snowman? (4 points for each) Ultimately what happens to the “Snowman from China?” (5 points) [Total points available: 19)
12. There are fourteen food items, particularly on the menu in the diner, which suggest to Mary Jane that there are places outside of Christmasville. What are they? (2 points for each) [Total points available: 28]
13. Throughout the story of Christmasville, various occupations of the characters are revealed. What are the occupations for: Wally? (1 point) Mr. Mason? (2 points) Mr. Gabriel? (3 points) Miss Perkins? (4 points) Tom Higgins? (5 points) Evelyn Higgins? (6 points) Mrs. Kelly? (7 points) Mrs. Morrison? (8 points) Mrs. Franklin? (9 points) Lucy White? (10 points) Mrs. Thompson? (11 points) Marco (Magician)? (12 points) [Total points available: 78]
14. In the snowman contest in front of the school: Which team won first prize? (1 point) Second prize was a tie between which snowmen/women? (2 points for each) Why is Emily shocked by one snowman in particular? (3 points) What does Emily think that the “Snowman from China” is? (4 points) [Total points available: 12]
15. In the Christmas pageant at school, Mary Jane’s brothers –the twins, Roger and Todd – burst into tears on stage. Mary Jane lets out a “big belly laugh that shreds the curtain of silence that has fallen over the audience.” Why are the twins crying? (1 point) What parts do the twins play in the pageant? (2 points) What punishment is issued to Mary Jane by her mother? (3 points) Bonus Question: What “forceful” and “powerful” part does Mary Jane imagine herself playing in a school play? (5 points) [Total points available: 11]
16. In the church where Mary Jane offers her confession, Mr. Gabriel, Lucy White and Brett Tolliver are decorating the Christmas tree on the altar. Throughout Mary Jane’s digressions: What happened to Mr. Gabriel’s wife and daughter? (1 point) What disability do both wife and daughter share? (2 points) What is the name of Mr. Gabriel’s daughter? (3 points) What happened to Brett the first time he served as an altar boy? (4 points) Bonus Question: What fell on Brett’s head? (5 points) [Total points available: 15]
17. Match Test: Fourteen people sit in the church pews beside, and ahead of, Mary Jane as she awaits her turn for confession. Match the people with the “sins” that Mary Jane imagines each of them perpetrated. (5 points for each) Mrs. Clark Jealousy Mr. Grubbs Intemperance / Snobbery / Pride Mr. and Mrs. Rausch Sloth Mrs. Morrison Compulsive Gossiping Mrs. Marshfield and Mrs. Sperry Crying over spilled milk Mrs. Jenkins Gluttony Old Mrs. Phelps Something done by accident Mrs. Watts None specified Rebecca Mason Greed Mr. Evans Listening to / Encouraging Gossip Mr. and Mrs. Mason Difficult to imagine because she’s so kind Bonus Question: Who enters the church after Mary Jane and sits beside her? (10 points) [Total points available: 65]
18. In the church Mary Jane studies three saints depicted in the stained-glass windows around her. What are the names of the saints? (1 point for each) How does she describe each of their demeanors? (2 points for each) Bonus Question: When Mary Jane’s mother insisted that she confess her sins when she was a child, what three fabrications of “sins” did she confess? (5 points for each) [Total points available: 24]
19. When Mary Jane finally enters the confessional, she reveals her sins to the good Father. What five sins does she confess? (3 points for each) Bonus Question: When Mr. Gabriel drives Mary Jane home after confession, what does she see affixed to the dashboard of his truck? (5 points) [Total points available: 20]
20. Mary Jane associates different foods with different days of the week. What three flavors does she associate with Saturday? (1 point for each) What two smells? (2 points for each) Sunday has the “heavy smell” of what? (3 points) What cookie does she associate with Sunday? (4 points) What four foods remind her of Monday through Thursday? (5 points each) Bonus Question: How would you complete the following? – “Sunday is like baked _____ with too much _____ or the time that mom slipped up and put _____ instead of _____ in with the apple pie. (5 points each) [Total points available: 54]
21. After Mary Jane carries their Christmas tree into the garage with her father, she gets her sled and makes her way to the sledding hill. What two words does Mary Jane use to describe the hill? (1 point for each) In what activity do the older boys participate on their three-man sleds? (2 points) How many sledding trails are “etched into the hillside?” (3 points) Bonus Question: How would you complete the following? – “Or it would be that time just before _____, the word whispered by an amber _____ that rose after the bark of a faraway dog, the word echoed in the lazy _____ that drifted from _____; in the tracks of a single _____ that had pranced, maybe moments ago, in the snows ...” (5 points for each) Extra Bonus Question: What device does Mary Jane imagine for carrying people up the steep incline of Jenkins’ Hill? (10 points) [Total points available: 42]
22. Determined to see the models of houses and furniture that Otis and Willy Wright made, Mary Jane sets off for the workshop behind the produce stand. What is written on the sign she sees through the window? (1 point) What two replies does Mary Jane offer when Otis asks her to speculate about the large contraption that he and Willy are building? (2 points for each) What kind of tree are the models made from? (3 points) What six ingredients does Otis cite in making his “homemade paint?” (4 points for each) What four ingredients does he cite in making his “stains?” (5 points for each) Bonus Question: What kind of model is an “exact replica of Mr. Caterson’s” and what color is it? (6 points for each) Extra Bonus Question: Why does Evelyn Higgins think the models of the houses are foolish? (10 points) [Total points available: 74]
23. In the hothouse Otis reveals to Mary Jane the experimental section. How did the tomato get its name? (1 point) What five plants were named for their color? (2 points for each) What three warnings does Otis impart to Mary Jane regarding the touching or ingesting of plants that are deemed “experimental?” (3 points for each) Bonus Question: How would you complete the following? – “It is so beautiful that it doesn’t look real at all. It looks like something spawned from a _____ dream, left behind well after the _____ had awoken and slipped away to do her _____ or her _____, whichever so inclined her.” (4 points for each) [Total points available: 36]
24. Mary Jane recalls only three instances in which the services of the hospital were facilitated. Why did Willy Wright have to go to the hospital? (1 point) Wally stayed in the hospital for three days. Why? (2 points) Mr. Mason had a “conniption” and stayed for a week. Why? (3 points) Bonus Question: When Mary Jane finds herself in the hospital for two nights, doctors and nurses have difficulty operating which machine? Why? (5 points for each) Extra Bonus Question: The nurse fails to understand the operation of what medical device? (10 points) [Total points available: 26]
25. When Mary Jane shows her parents the maple sapling that Otis Wright gave her, a discussion ensues between her and her father. In Christmasville what trees were destroyed by the blight? (1 point) Who told Mary Jane’s father about the blight? (2 points) What other organism was devastated by another blight? (3 points) Prior to the discussion Mary’s Jane’s mother had to leave the room. Why? (4 points) For what two reasons did Mary Jane’s mother become upset with the twins? (5 points for each) [Total points available: 20]
26. Using the map that she got from the gas station, Mary Jane completes her civics project: “The Plan – Making Christmasville A Better Place To Live.” In her plan she adds two more sledding hills. Where? (1 point for each) What solution did she devise that enabled sledders on the first hill to get from the bottom to the top? (2 points) What did Mary Jane do with the Beech Boulevard project? (3 points) What did she put in its place? (4 points) How did she change Wakefield Lake? (5 points) What four stores did she install on the first floor of the hospital because “hardly anybody ever used it?" (6 points for each) Bonus Question: Whose house did Mary Jane move to the far side of the Consolidated Plastic Works? (10 points) [Total points available: 50]
27. When Emily visits Mary Jane in her room after the incident on the sledding hill, Mary Jane tells her about the fish in the pond behind the Wright’s hothouse. Where did Willy Wright get the fish? (1 point) What is the fish waiting for? (2 points) According to Mary Jane’s canard some of the fish are big enough to eat a whole what? (3 points) Bonus Question: After stringing Emily along for a bit, Mary Jane divulges that the large fish would never really attack a skater on thin ice. Why? (5 points) [Total points available: 11]
28. After the train platform is brought in from the garage and wired, Mary Jane and Emily set the locomotive and train cars on the track. What color is the locomotive? (1 point) What sound does the coal tender make? (2 points) What must be snapped into place on the flatcar? (3 points) What color is the boxcar? (4 points) The gondola? (5 points) Aside from the locomotive and the coal tender, how many cars make up the train set? (6 points) Bonus Question: After Mary Jane, Emily and Otis bring the wooden models of buildings to the Higgins’ household, Roger points to a red house, saying: “Look inside the window!” What does he say is inside? (10 points) [Total points available: 31]
29. While the twins – Roger and Todd – play with the trains on the platform, an argument occurs between Mary Jane and her mother. Why is Mary Jane upset with her mother? (1 point) What does her mother accuse Mary Jane of? (2 points) What is the twins’ reaction? (3 points) Bonus Question: How would you complete the following? – “I’ve never fainted before but the sensation begins to blossom – a dark _____ unfolding itself inside me.” (5 points) [Total points available: 11]
30. In her bedroom Mary Jane tries to home in on WHYY with the tuner of the radio. But, because of the static, only parts of things can be heard. The broken lines of what three songs can be heard? (1 point for each) What product is announced on the commercial? (2 points) On what street are “John F. Kenn, Caroline and the children?” (3 points) At the time what is the weather condition in New York City? (4 points) [Total points available: 12]
31. Commencing the annual parade on “The Eve of St. Nick,” city officials give speeches as the school band and chorus perform a number of yuletide songs. Who is the director of the band? (1 point) Who leads the chorus in song? (2 points) What did Emily tell Mary Jane that her father wanted to be? (3 points) Bonus Question: What does Mary Jane suggest that explains the same carefree behavior of Mayor Thompson and Santa Claus? (5 points) [Total points available: 11]
32. When the Christmasville parade begins: What organization sponsors the first float? (1 point) What does the nurse find in the barrel of “Sour Pickles?” (2 points) What three books are represented on the Department of Education’s float? (3 points for each) What does the sign read above the books? (4 points) [Total points available: 16]
33. On the “First Bank of Christmasville” float: What two items does Mary Jane propose the “thin and sickly looking” Santa Claus eat? (1 point for each) What is the bank president showing Santa Claus? (2 points) Why are the elves waiting their turns in a bank teller’s window? (3 points) What is Mary Jane’s reaction to the bank float? (4 points) What does Mary Jane propose that Santa Claus and his elves do? (5 points) [Total points available: 16]
34. During the parade Mary Jane and Emily go to Link’s Pharmacy to get a “black cow.” What two ingredients make up a “black cow?” (1 point for each) Through the window of the pharmacy, they see Wally on a float, pulling snowballs from a barrel and passing them to someone. Who is it? (2 points) What business sponsors the float? (3 points) Bonus Question: As Mary Jane is about to leave the pharmacy, she is greeted by two men. Who are they? (5 points for each) Extra Bonus Question: What advice does each man offer Mary Jane? (10 points for each) [Total points available: 37]
35. Throughout the parade: What happens to the “L” in “Public Library?” (1 point) A newspaper delivery boy shouts, “Read all about it! Read all about it! – Santa Claus is coming to town!” What does Mary Jane shout in reply? (2 points) What clan is “a pack of a pickled pagans?” (3 points) Upon which float does the Robinson family “act out different parts, like in a play?” (4 points) What single word appears at the top of the float? (5 points) What three clergymen appear on the “United Houses of Worship” float? (6 points for each) What is the last float in the parade? (7 points) No one but Mary Jane sees the sign attached on the back of the last float. What does it say? (8 points) [Total points available: 48]
36. At the conclusion of the parade, Mary Jane and her family return to their home for their Christmas Eve house party. When the Caterson’s arrive, what kind of pie do they bring? (1 point) By tradition, what two items does Mr. Cauldwell deliver to his employees on Christmas Eve? (2 points for each) The twins have ornaments for Mary Jane’s decorated maple tree. What are they? (3 points) Otis Wright is late delivering the rose bush. Why? (4 points) [Total points available: 12]
37. To reinforce Mary Jane’s request that the twins keep the rose bush a secret, she tells them the story of Santa Claus’ evil twin – the dark Santa Claus. What color is his beard? (1 point) His suit isn’t red and white, but what? (2 points) Instead of reindeer, what pulls the dark Santa in his black sleigh? (3 points) How many of them pull the sleigh? (4 points) Bonus Question: When the evil elves report back to the dark Santa Claus, what does he do? (10 points) [Total points available: 20]
38. As is the tradition throughout most of the households in which Christmas is celebrated, gifts are given and received. Aside from the rose bush that Mary Jane presented her parents: What did Mary Jane give her father? (1 point) Her mother? (2 points) What did Emily give her father? (3 points) What two presents did the twins give their mother? (4 points for each) What three items did Mr. Higgins give Mrs. Higgins? (5 points for each) What two items did Mr. Thompson give Mrs. Thompson? (6 points for each) Bonus Question: What three items did Mary Jane receive for Christmas? (10 points for each) [Total points available: 71]
39. On “First Night” Mary Jane and her family have dinner at the Thompson’s. What three things are served for dinner? (1 point for each) What four things are offered for dessert? (2 points for each) What does it say on Mrs. Thompson’s apron? (3 points) [Total points available: 14]
40. At the Thompson household there is a discussion regarding New Years’ resolutions. Betty Thompson offers what would be a beneficial resolution for her husband, the mayor. What is it? (1 point) What is the mayor’s response? (2 points) What is Emily Thompson’s resolution? (3 points) What is Mrs. Thompson’s response? (4 points) What is Evelyn Higgins resolution for the New Year? (5 points) Later, what resolution does Mary Jane reveal to Emily? (6 points) [Total points available: 21]
41. As the Higgins and Thompson families prepare for the activities of “First Night,” everyone reveals their list of what they want to see or do. What two things do Tom Higgins and Mayor Thompson want to see? (1 point for each) What two things do Evelyn Higgins and Betty Thompson want to see? (2 points for each) What four things do the twins, Roger and Todd, want to do or see? (3 points for each) What is the only thing that Mary Jane wants to do? (4 points) [Total points available: 22]
42. Mary Jane tricks the twins into entering the jail cell by telling them that Pinky Pigface – one of their favorite comic book villains – had once been incarcerated there. What was the name of Pinky’s first gang? (1 point) Who was Pinky’s right-hand pig before he double-crossed him? (2 points) What was the name of Pinky’s old girlfriend? (3 points) Who did she run off with? (4 points) What happened to Pinky’s old girlfriend and the pig she ran off with? (5 points) [Total points available: 15]
43. To assist Mary Jane in breaking the twins out of jail, she and Emily create a diversion. What is Sergeant Myers doing at the desk? (1 point) What kind of collection does Emily describe in detail for the sergeant? (2 points) She tells the sergeant about her Teddy bear. What’s his name? (3 points) What color is his fur? (4 points) What is the name of the officer who is on patrol “out in the field?” (5 points) [Total points available: 15]
44. At Clauson’s department store, Marco, the magician, begins his magic act. How is the magician related to Mr. Clauson? (1 point) What is the name of the magician’s lovely assistant? (2 points) How much is Mary Jane willing to pay to have Marco make the twins disappear? (3 points) Bonus Question: Aside from appearing in a puff of smoke, the magician performs four tricks prior to Mary Jane’s departure. What are they? (5 points for each) [Total points available: 26]
45. In the library Mary Jane waits for the fortuneteller to arrive. How would you complete the following? – “I [Mary Jane] know it sounds crazy but I imagine the _____ in the _____– whispering to each other at first – but then suddenly coming to life, stepping from their _____ into the ones next to them and kind of interacting with the other _____ to create entirely different _____, with completely different _____, like a _____ within a _____ that nobody could ever read about because ...” (1 point for each) Why is Mary Jane surprised to discover that Esmeralda is a fortuneteller? (2 points) Where does Esmeralda live? (3 points) What happened to her crystal ball? (4 points) Bonus Question: Part of the deck of tarot cards reminds Mary Jane of Mr. Marshfield. Why? (10 points) [Total points available: 27]
46. Match Test: In the reading that Esmeralda conducts for Mary Jane, ten cards are drawn from the deck of tarot. For each card listed below, match it with the image or the meaning with which it is associated. (5 points for each) The Moon Suggests stasis, inactivity, a failure to act The Queen of Swords Depicts a prince in armor, with crown and scepter The Ten of Batons The first card drawn – represents Mary Jane The Five of Swords Depicts a woman, who represents Mother Nature The Goddess Suggests alienation and polarization The Six of Cups Represents a powerful figure, similar to the Magician The Chariot Suggests a journey The High Priestess Depicts a young man w/guitar, a woman, a snake The Three of Batons Depicts a woman pouring water into a river The World Suggests a “home life steeped in warmth and love” [Total points available: 50 points)
47. Throughout Esmeralda’s reading of the cards, she reveals to Mary Jane images, visions and portents, some of which are favorable, some not. For each of the three journeys that Mary Jane will embark upon, what three “peculiar brands of danger” await her? (1 point for each) Of what metals are the two “giant figures in a strange place” associated? (2 points for each) One figure shoulders an enormous weight. What is in the hand of the other? (3 points) The ribbons of the “colossal tree” are of what two colors? (4 points for each) Which card of the tarot represents someone whom Mary Jane has met before, but whom has been “transformed” ... “reborn” ... “resurrected?” (5 points) Who is it? (6 points) Which card provides “a gift that is so simple yet so precious that, without it, we would be hard-pressed to continue on our way?” (7 points) Bonus Question: What symbol on the card represents the gift? (10 points) Extra Bonus Question: What is the gift? (15 points) [Total points available: 61]
48. As Mary Jane initiates the first of her journeys into the wilderness, she encounters an odd tree. What kind of tree is it? (1 point) Beneath the tree she spots animal tracks in the snow and becomes frightened. What four kinds of animals does she suggest made the tracks? (2 points for each) Ultimately she resolves that what animal made the tracks? (3 points) [Total points available: 12]
49. Mary Jane finds respite in a hunter’s cabin. What is the first thing she looks for? (1 point) What is the name on the label of the bottle? (2 points) What does Mary Jane have for lunch? (3 points) What two items does Mary Jane decide to leave behind when she leaves the cabin? (4 points for each) [Total points available: 14]
50. As Mary Jane prepares to leave the hunter’s cabin, she discovers that Brett Tolliver is following her. What color is Brett’s coat? (1 point) How did Brett find out that Mary Jane was to cross the train tracks? (2 points) Who had been sledding with Brett on the hillside? (3 points) As Mary Jane and Brett approach the train tracks, what do they see on the other side that makes it look "primitive?" (4 points) Bonus Question: How would you complete the following? – “It makes you feel bad, doesn’t it, Mary Jane? – Like we’re _____. Like when you swipe a _____ _____ from the _____ store without paying for it." (3 x 5 points each) [Total points available: 25]
51. As Mary Jane and Brett make their way through the wilderness, they descend into a ravine. Along the one side of the ravine are caves of varying sizes. Outside of one cave how many sets of prints do they discover in the snow? (1 point) What distinguishes each set of prints from the other? (2 points) What do they find inside the cave? (3 points) Who does Brett suggest stayed in the cave? (4 points) Mary Jane suggests someone else. Who? (5 points) What does Mary Jane see in the thick fog on the ridge? (6 points) After discovering Brett with his broken leg, Mary Jane slides down the steep slope toward the abyss. What item is lost by the gash in her backpack? (7 points) Bonus Question: Which of Esmeralda’s prophecies is suggested when Mary Jane slides down the steep hillside? (10 points) [Total points available: 38]
52. After Mr. Gabriel saves Mary Jane and Brett from their plight in the wilderness, he brings them to the hospital. While Brett is isolated in the intensive care unit, Mary Jane is free to receive visitors. What reply does Mary Jane offer when Mrs. Tolliver asks: “What in the world were you and Brett doing out there?” (1 point) Besides books and magazines what does Mrs. Thompson bring to the hospital for Mary Jane? (2 points) What explanation does Mrs. Mason cite for Mr. Mason’s failure to visit Mary Jane in the hospital? (3 points) What is depicted in the “strangely curious” picture that Rebecca Mason draws and subsequently gives to Mary Jane? (4 points) After Mary Jane reveals to the Wright’s her discovery of a walnut tree, Otis tells her about his grandpa. What were his two occupations? (5 points for each) Bonus Question: What “bit of advice” do Otis and Willy offer Mary Jane before leaving? (10 points) [Total points available: 30]
53. As Brett recuperates from his broken leg, reporters from the Courier offer daily articles and interviews regarding his gradual return to good health. What two experiences does Brett cite that provided him with “the strength and the discipline to do what I had to do?” (1 point for each) What does Brett want to be when he grows up? (2 points) When Brett reveals his bout with the “wild beast” to the reporter, what two animals does he suggest it may have been? (3 points for each) When a reporter wants to photograph Mary Jane, she replies that she’s allergic to cameras, citing what two reactions? (4 points for each) Bonus Question: What two meanings does Mary Jane associate with “D-Day?” (5 points for each) [Total points available: 28]
54. One of the journeys that Mary Jane embarks upon is to follow the train tracks through the long tunnel of Jenkins’ Hill. At the onset what does she discover written on the wall of the tunnel? (1 point) With her flashlight she discovers what she thinks is a manhole cover. What is it? (2 points) What number is stamped on the copper disk? (3 points) What does Mary Jane think the number means? (4 points) Further along, Mary Jane discovers the name of a company stamped into the surface of the tunnel wall. What company is it? (5 points) What reason does she provide for not recognizing the name of the company? (6 points) Bonus Question: Which of Esmeralda’s prophecies is suggested when Mary Jane breaks her father’s flashlight? (10 points) [Total points available: 31]
55. After the flashlight breaks in the tunnel, Mary Jane finds the motivation to continue. What three courses of action does she propose? (1 point for each) When Mary Jane exits the tunnel, what causes her to deviate from the train tracks? (2 points) She encounters a grove of leafless trees. What kind of trees does she imagine they are? (3 points) Climbing a tree for a better view, she hears a “snorting” sound, seeing in the distance three riders. What does she think they are riding? (4 points) What color are the rider’s robes? (5 points for each) [Total points available: 27]
56. In Mary Jane’s passage through the train tunnel and out, she recalls two statements – one by Otis Wright and the other by Mr. Gabriel. How would you complete Otis’ statement? – “... Out there, _____seems to operate according to a different _____ of _____.” (5 point for each) How would you complete Mr. Gabriel’s statement? – “Believe me when I say this, Mary Jane, the ______ isn’t the strangest thing that I’ve seen in these here parts.” (10 points) Total points available: 25]
57. “Prince of the sleepy town, Stark is known by many things.” What four things is Stark known by? (1 point for each) What are the horse’s names that pull his hauling sleigh? (2 points for each) How did the horses get their names? (3 points for each) What is the color of each horse? (4 points for each) [Total points available: 22]
58. As Mary Jane embarks on her next journey, she takes an excursion to the coaling station. On its elevated platform, what smell does she imagine? (1 point) Who almost catches her, poking around in the station? (2 points) What two job functions does he perform? (3 points for each) After Mary Jane scrambles to hide, how does she prevent him from finding her? (4 points) [Total points available: 13]
59. Traveling south, Mary Jane arrives at the dilapidated building of Christmasville Electric. What are in the crumbling boxes at the front door? (1 point) How many boxes are there? (2 points) A figure, etched into the bronze plaque by the front door, holds something in each of his hands. What’s in his one hand? In the other? (3 points for each) What watches Mary Jane as she leaves the electric plant? (4 points) Bonus Question: Which of Esmeralda’s prophecies is suggested at Christmasville Electric? (10 points) [Total points available: 23]
60. Continuing through the woods beyond Christmasville Electric, she incorrectly reads “Christmasville Cementary” upon the weathered sign. What does she think the tiny, square buildings might be? (1 point) What material are the buildings made of? (2 points) How many windows does each building have? (3 points) How many doors? (4 points) Although each building is nearly identical, what distinguishing characteristic does she note on each of the buildings? (5 points) What distraction causes Mary Jane to leave “Christmasville Cementary?” (6 points) [Total points available: 21]
61. Leaving “Christmasville Cementary,” Mary Jane changes her course and approaches Wakefield Lake. What scared “the living daylights” out of Mary Jane? (1 point) Part of the lake has clumps of wiry bushes that are frozen into finger islands. Whose “hairy knuckles” do they remind Mary Jane of? (2 points) On the lake a group of men are escorting a young man into town. Who is it? (3 points) What is he carrying on his shoulders? (4 points) Why are they bringing him back into town? (5 points) The group of men set out initially looking for something in the wilderness. What were they looking for? (6 points) [Total points available: 21]
62. On the lake Mary Jane has an enlightening conversation with Stark, the iceman. What kind of odd fish does Stark catch? (1 point) What does he call it? (2 point) For what two reasons does Stark return the fish to the Lake? (3 points for each) Who was the original owner of Stark’s “haulin’ sleigh?” (4 points) Bonus Question: How would you complete the following? – Stark: “But I wouldn’t take him home anyways because he might be the last of his kind. And it’s a _____ _____ if anybody was to end the last of a kind.” (2 x 5 points each) Extra Bonus Question: What valuable piece of information does Stark reveal to Mary Jane about the road behind Christmasville Electric? (10 points) [Total points available: 33]
63. The young man, brought into town by the group of men, creates quite a stir among the townspeople. Where do they house the boy and his lamb initially? (1 point) What causes the rift between the police chief and Sergeant Myers? (2 points) At a town meeting they decide to move the boy and his lamb to another location. Where? (3 points) Who is the only one at the meeting who objects? (4 points) Who is appointed “guardian” of the boy and his lamb? (5 points) What is the police chief’s first name? (6 points) Bonus Question: The police chief: “We’re crime fighters ... not baby sitters and ... and lamb tenders.” How would you complete the following response from someone in the crowd? – “And ya ain’t no _____ _____ or _____ __ _____ either.” (2 x 10 points each) [Total points available: 41]
64. As Mary Jane embarks on her final journey into the wilderness, she discovers someone following her as she moves through the snow behind Christmasville Electric. Who is it? (1 point) What color is his cap? (2 points) What two things happen when Mary Jane’s pursuer fires his shotgun the first time? (3 points for each) Later – as Mary Jane crosses the rock bridge - what happens when he fires his shotgun again? (4 points) When Mary Jane sees – in the distance – the clock tower for the first time, what does she think it might be? (5 points) [Total points available: 18]
65. In a conversation between Mary Jane, Mr. Lionel and Mr. Bachmann, the topic of the clock tower is discussed. Aside from its colossal size, what is its principal distinguishing characteristic? (1 point) What are the two primary functions of the clockworks? (2 points for each) What is its origin? (3 points) What is its source of power? (4 points) What is the purpose of the cable that runs from the clock tower to the top of Mr. Lionel’s cabin? (5 points) Whom does Mr. Lionel suggest erected the clock tower? (6 points) [Total points available: 23]
66. In the ongoing conversation between Mary Jane, Mr. Lionel and Mr. Bachmann the world, outside of Christmasville, is discussed. Besides New York what five cities in the outside world does Mr. Bachmann name? (1 point for each) What two geographical formations prevent the trains from moving beyond the boundaries of Christmasville? (2 points for each) What is Mr. Lionels’s first name? (3 points) Mr. Bachmann’s? (4 points) Mr. Lionel and Mr. Bachmann share the same vision of the outside world, its residents infected by the “same accursed blight.” In their eyes what does the “blight” suggest? (5 points) Mary Jane imagines a markedly different vision of the “blight.” How is her vision unlike that of Mr. Lionel and Mr. Bachmann’s? (10 points) Bonus Question: What promise do Mr. Lionel and Mr. Bachmann insist upon from Mary Jane? (15 points) [Total points available: 46]
67. After her excursion to “The House at the End of the World,” Mary Jane sneaks into her home by way of the laundry room. What “clumsiness” on her part announces her arrival? (1 point) For what two reasons are Mary Jane’s parents so upset? (2 points) What was “far worse than anything else he [Mary Jane’s father] could have said to me?” (3 points) What caused Mary Jane’s mother to become hysterical? (4 points) What punishment does Mary Jane’s parents assign when she refuses to explain the purpose of her trip into the wilderness? (5 points) [Total points available: 15]
68. On January 31st – in the afternoon – Mary Jane hurries along the second floor corridor of the school. Why is Mary Jane in a hurry? (1 point) She sees a girl in an empty classroom. Who is it? (2 points) What is the girl doing? (3 points) For a moment what does the design of the girl’s barrette remind Mary Jane of? (4 points) The glass bead in the barrette sparkles like what? (5 points) When Mary Jane rushes from the classroom, someone tries to stop her. Who is it? (6 points) Bonus Question: What is Mary Jane’s reply? (10 points) [Total points available: 31]
69. On the frozen lake Mary Jane sees the great blue balloon, which is strapped to the contraption that supports Otis and his truck. Two men run feverishly about, preventing Otis and his contraption from ascending. Who are they? (1 point for each) How do they prevent the contraption from rising? (2 points) What is the invention that enables Otis’ contraption – once airborne – to move forward? (3 points) As Mary Jane considers a way to access Otis’ truck, a man bursts from the crowd. Shouting as he runs in the wind toward her, what is the single word that Mary Jane recognizes? (4 points) Bonus Question: What was the original name for Otis’ flying contraption? (10 points) Extra Bonus Question: What name was it changed to? (15 points) Extra Extra Bonus Question: Why? (20 points) [Total points available: 56]
70. Inside the cab of the truck Otis is wearing the same two accessories that he wore when he stood defiantly on the float in the parade. What are they? (1 point for each) As Mary Jane ascends upwards what four observations does she note below? (2 points for each) Which three prophecies of Emeralda are realized as Mary Jane and Otis embark on their adventure? (3 points for each) Bonus Question: Otis “pushes a lever by the steering column, causing the flaps to drop. He turns the wheel slowly, aiming the float toward” ... what? (10 points) [Total points available: 29]
71. In the attic Madeleine’s father dozes off after rearranging the storage boxes and the furniture, the Christmas decorations and the toy trains. He has set aside a box of decorations, and furniture, that he intends to bring downstairs. What kind of decorations are they? (1 point) What kind of furniture? (2 points) Awaking, Madeleine’s father hears the conversation between his wife, Caroline, Mary Jane and Madeleine in the bedroom downstairs. What does the brooch look like that Caroline’s father gave her mother? (3 points) Where does Caroline say her father lives? (4 points) When Madeleine’s father peeks through the hole in the ceiling, he sees “a tiny village of sorts” arranged on the floor of the closet? What three groups of things make up the “village?” (5 points for each) [Total points available: 25]
72. In the attic – confounded by the revelations of Caroline and Mary Jane in the room below – Madeleine’s father continues to eavesdrop. When Caroline and her mother were lost in the snowstorm, how old was Mary Jane? (1 point) When Caroline asks Mary Jane about her ‘other uncle,’ whom is she referring to? (2 points) Where are Mary Jane and Otis going shopping? (3 points) Bonus Question: According to Madeleine, who is “Rockefella?” (10 points) [Total points available: 16]
Grand Total of Points Obtainable: 2,000
Grading Scale:
From 1,801 to 2,000 points – The Mary Jane Perfect Platinum Award From 1,601 to 1,800 points – The Esmeralda Gifted Gold Award From 1.401 to 1,600 points – The Stark the Iceman Sterling Silver Award From 1,201 to 1,400 points – The Otis Wright Maple Sapling Green Award From 1,001 to 1,200 points – The Mr. Lionel Holly Berry Red Award From 801 to 1,000 points – The Mr. Bachmann Pine Cone Brown Award From 601 to 800 points – The Mr. Mason Monday Asparagus Award From 401 to 600 points – The Mr. Gabriel Lima Beans Tuesday Award From 201 to 400 points – The Wally the Postman Pickled Beets Wednesday Award From 1 to 200 points – The Mr. Tolliver Sauerkraut Thursday Award [And for those who cheat: The Brett Tolliver Pilfered Clark Bar Award] [And for those who fib about cheating: The Father Conover Dark Gray Fib Award]
END NOTE: As always, I do thank my readers for your investment of “time – that most precious of commodities” – in your reading of Christmasville. And, hopefully, you’ve enjoyed the little game that I’ve concocted: “Christmasville Trivia.”
Do note that readers are always invited to submit inquiries or comments to the author at: michael@lindenparkpublishers.com. While I attempt to respond as timely as possible – do have patience, please – for another universe is on the cusp of unfolding: Finding Christmasville.
Comments posted by readers to any of the Internet merchants, such as www.amazon.com, www.barnes&noble.com and so forth, are much appreciated.