lord of the flies book review quiz

Lord of the Flies

What kind of group were the boys a part of originally?

• B A tour group
• D A juvenile detension block

How do the boys end up on the island?

• A A plane crash
• B A shipwreck
• C A field trip
• D A teleporter

What do Ralph and Piggy find on the beach right after they arrive?

• A A conch shell
• C A magazine

Which of the boys is elected chief soon after they arrive?

What are the three main poilicies set forth at the first meeting.

• A Have fun, survive, and maintain a smoke signal
• B Stay alive, find treasure, build a boat
• C Eat, pray, love
• D Learn how to swim, build shelters, build a radio

What are the older boys called?

What group does jack lead.

• A The hunters
• B The fishers
• C The lookouts
• D The builders

What are the many of boys afraid of?

• A The plague
• B The "monster"
• C The "beast"
• D The "animal"

How does the dead man end up on the island?

• A He was marooned there during WWII
• B He was a sailor who washed up on the beach
• C He was a fighter pilot who ejected from his plane
• D He was carried there by a hurricane

Where do Jack and his tribe go after they split off?

• A Castle rock
• B The Forbidden jungle
• C Cathedral cave
• D The White cliffs

Who do the boys mistakenly beat to death?

What do jack and his tribe steal when they raid ralph's camp.

• B Piggy's glasses
• C The conch
• D The radio

Who kills Piggy? With what?

• B Jack, with a spear
• C Roger, with a boulder
• D Eric, with a club

Who find the boys?

• A The Britsh Navy
• B A fishing vessel
• C The German Navy

What is the "beast?"

• B The dead man

What is the "Lord of the Flies?"

• A A pig's head on a stake
• D The "beast"

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Lord of the Flies Quiz

Test your understanding of human nature and survival with our " Lord of the Flies " Trivia Quiz! Do you have the insight and knowledge to navigate the complex dynamics and symbolism of William Golding's masterpiece? Accept the challenge now and prove your mastery over the gripping and thought-provoking world of " Lord of the Flies "!

1) What role does Roger play in the novel?

2) What event causes the boys to be stranded on the island?

3) What is Ralph's main concern throughout the novel?

4) Who leads the boys in the brutal killing of Simon?

5) How are the boys finally rescued?

6) How does Piggy die?

7) What theme does "Lord of the Flies" primarily explore?

8) Who is the last boy to remain loyal to Ralph?

9) What object is used to symbolize authority and order?

10) What does the "Lord of the Flies" symbolize?

11) What do the boys use to start a fire?

12) Which character represents the voice of reason and intelligence?

13) Who is responsible for maintaining the signal fire?

14) What is the "Lord of the Flies"?

15) What do the boys chant during their tribal rituals?

16) What is the significance of the beast in the novel?

17) How does the naval officer react when he sees the boys?

18) Why do Jack and his hunters attack Ralph's camp?

19) Who is elected leader of the boys at the beginning of the novel?

20) What does Ralph cry for at the end of the novel?

21) What happens to the conch shell?

22) Who is the author of "Lord of the Flies"?

23) Who discovers the true nature of the "beast"?

24) Who is the first boy to suggest the existence of a "beast" on the island?

25) What tragic event occurs when the boys reenact the hunt?

26) What do the boys call the younger children on the island?

27) What is the main source of conflict between Ralph and Jack?

28) What does the face paint symbolize for Jack's tribe?

29) What is Jack's main priority on the island?

30) What happens to the boy with the mulberry-colored birthmark?

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Lord of the Flies

46 pages • 1 hour read

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-2

Chapters 3-5

Chapters 6-7

Chapters 8-9

Chapters 10-11

Character Analysis

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Discussion Questions

This flexible-use quiz is designed for reading comprehension assessment and activity needs in classroom, home-schooling and other settings. Questions connect to the text’s plot, characters, and themes — and align with the content and chapter organization in the rest of this study guide. Use quizzes as pre-reading hooks, reading checks, discussion starters, entrance/exit “tickets,” small group activities, writing activities, and lessons on finding evidence and support in a text.

Depth of Knowledge Levels: Questions require respondents to demonstrate ability to: 

• Recall and Understand Content (e.g., who, what, where, when) 
• Apply and Analyze Ideas (e.g., how and why)

1. The stranded boys discover they’re marooned in what type of geographical location?

A) a coral reef

B) a peninsula

C) an island

D) an isthmus

2. Piggy can’t swim because of what condition?

A) asthma

B) diabetes

C) obesity

D) phobia

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3. Piggy isn’t chosen as leader despite what positive trait?

A) He’s very strong.

B) He’s very calm.

C) He’s very intuitive.

D) He’s very smart.

4. The conch becomes a symbol of what?

A) fun

B) alarm

C) power

D) fear

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5. Aside from a piglet, who becomes entangled in jungle vines?

A) Simon

B) Jack

C) Roger

D) Piggy

6. What does Jack want to prove about himself to the other boys?

A) that he is willing to kill

B) that he is ready for fun

C) that he is the smartest among them

D) that his physical strength is the greatest 

7. Roger is chosen as leader even though Jack has more of what type of knowledge? ( short answer )

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'Lord of the Flies' Quiz

Check Your Knowledge

• B.A., English, Rutgers University
• The boys went hunting with Jack and abandoned the task of maintaining the fire.
• Jack poured water onto the fire in a fit of jealous rage.
• The boys abandoned the fire after being startled by the Beast.
• The boys fell asleep and forgot to do their job of maintaining the fire.

As rumors of a monster on the island spread, Jack boosts his popularity by recruiting boys to join him in hunting and killing the monster. Going on the hunting expedition takes the boys charged with maintaining the signal fire away from their post, and the fire goes out. A boat passes the island shortly after, but the boys are not spotted due to the lack of fire.

• Allegorical
• Biographical

Lord of the Flies is an allegorical novel. The entire novel serves as an allegory for human civilization. Each character represents a particular aspect of, or approach to, society.

Ralph represents order and civilization. He organizes the boys by setting up a system of government. He waits for democratic approval before assuming the role of Chief, and he attempts to establish order through rules and routine.

• They attack him.
• They burst into tears.
• They do not notice him.

As soon as the naval officer arrives, the children's violent conflicts abruptly end and they all begin to cry, collapsing in exhausted grief.

• The boys are not alone on the island.
• The British navy is about to rescue the boys.
• The Beast does not exist.
• The boys will never be rescued.

When Simon sees the body of the dead pilot, he realizes that the boys must have mistaken the corpse for a monster, and that the Beast never existed: "The beast was harmless and horrible; and the news must reach the others as soon as possible." (Chapter 9)

Great work! You clearly understand the plot, characters, and key themes of Lord of the Flies . Congratulations on finishing this lesson. 

Nice try! Review these resources to improve your score: 

• Lord of the Flies Summary
• Lord of the Flies Characters
• Lord of the Flies Themes, Symbols, and Literary Devices
• 'Lord of the Flies' Summary
• 'Lord of the Flies' Themes, Symbols, and Literary Devices
• 'Lord of the Flies' Characters: Descriptions and Significance
• 'Lord of the Flies' Overview
• 'Lord of the Flies' Quotes Explained
• Lord of the Flies: A Critical History
• Memorable Quotes From 'Lord of the Flies'
• Lord of the Flies Book Profile
• 'Lord of the Flies' Questions for Study and Discussion
• 'Lord of the Flies' Vocabulary
• Why Is 'Lord of the Flies' Challenged and Banned?
• 9 Must-Read Books If You Like 'Lord of the Flies'
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Lord Of The Flies Quiz Test Questions And Answers

Have you read the novel Lord of the Flies? How much do you remember? This Lord of the Flies quiz provides a comprehension test for this novel by William Golding. Choose the answers that best complete the statements or answer the question. Make sure that you attempt all of the questions, as that will be of paramount importance in helping us assess your results accurately. Don't forget to share this Lord of the Flies test with your fellow fans of the book!

Lord Of The Flies Questions and Answers

At the beginning of the novel, jack appears to be the leader/ruler of _____..

A flock of birds

A ring of snakes

A group of girls

A choir of boys

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What was the first meal that the boys had on the island?

Fruit from the trees.

A pig was roasting on a fire.

Strange mulberries were found in an overgrown bush.

Lettuce leaves.

Which of the following is one of the rules that Ralph established at the beginning of the novel? Why was this rule made?

The only way someone may speak as if they are holding the conch; is to establish order.

The only people who may start fires are Jack and Simon; to keep from harming the littluns.

The fire is to be kept on the beach and made with Piggy's glasses; The fire should be close by and made orderly so as not to get out of control.

No littluns may leave the campfire after 7:00; to protect the littluns and make them feel safe.

Roger kicks over several sand castles and throws rocks at _______.

When jack and ralph go to the mountaintop to see the beast, jack _______.

Is petrified with fear

Slays the beast

Hides behind a bush until the beast flies into the air and makes a horrible cry

Realizes that the beast is nothing more than a casualty of war

_____ tries to speak by grabbing the conch shell right before the conch shell is destroyed.

Why was the severed sow's head (and the title of the book) called the lord of the flies.

The pig was called by this name because flies literally swarmed around its head. However, symbolically, it was used to symbolize Satan, whose nickname is Lord of the Flies.

Simon was smelly and attracted flies to himself and to the pig's head, thus garnering the name.

The term refers theologically to the angels, who represent the humanity and beauty of the island.

The pig represented two of Jack's desires: to murder and to play with bugs. This shows the fulfillment of Jack's longing and, thus, his happiness.

Who is Samneric?

A set of twins who speak in nearly perfect unison.

A littlun who ends up betraying Jack at the end of the novel.

A friend of Simon who is eventually killed by a fire that gets out of control

A child who has been on the island for over twenty-two days without food.

Which of the following is a tactic employed by Jack in order to try to kill Ralph?

The use of spies told Jack everything that Ralph had planned.

The use of camouflage prevented Ralph from seeing Jack.

Jack stalked Ralph during the night when it was hard to see.

Jack used fire to try to smoke Ralph out of his hiding place.

How does Piggy die?

Ralph kills him with a vine.

Roger kills him with a stone.

Jack kills him with a knife.

He dies when he and Ralph both try to use the conch shell at once.

At the beginning of the book, a ______ was found that was later used to summon the littluns.

Conch shell

Ceramic bottle

Model ship with a noisy sail

_____ says that shelters, not fires, are the most important things that need to be made.

All the boys except Jack.

In the novel, Ralph most frequently shows  _____.

The most intelligent of any of the boys on the island.

Moral responsibility, common sense, and kindness.

The violent, sociopathic tendencies of murderers.

A hatred of the world for its horrible condition.

In the novel, Piggy most frequently shows _____.

Knowledge, wisdom, and physical vulnerability.

Poor planning, cruelty, and impulsive actions.

Anger and short-tempered behavior.

Elitist mentality and pompous behavior.

What event triggers the destruction of the conch and the death of Piggy in the novel?

An air battle near the island

Ralph confronting Jack about the smoke signal

Simon's mistaken identity as the beast

Roger triggering a trap

Near the end of the novel, Ralph decides not to sleep by himself in an empty shelter. When he makes this decision, where does he go to sleep?

Castle Rock

One of the huts that were made.

The underwater shelter is made from rocks and seaweed.

How many shelters are made in total?

Ralph and jack both want to fire for different reasons. ralph wants fire because _______..

It will signal for help, and it symbolizes hope.

Fire causes smoke, which causes less fumigation of the island.

Fire is one of Ralph's secret obsessions.

Ralph desires the ability to cook food via the use of fire.

What is Simon's nickname for the plants of the forest?

Relic weeds

Candle buds

Violet sprouts

Still lives

Which character is the first to be introduced in the novel?

Which of the following was not killed by (or as a result of) jack's actions.

A sow that was nursing her piglets

The Lord of the Flies

The conch was destroyed with  a _________.

How was the simon killed.

It was roasted.

He was beaten to death by the other boys on the island.

It died in the fire.

It was crushed by a rock.

Who is Merridew?

Which of the following characters frequently shows brute force and wavering loyalty.

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Our quizzes are rigorously reviewed, monitored and continuously updated by our expert board to maintain accuracy, relevance, and timeliness.

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• Jun 17, 2024 Quiz Edited by ProProfs Editorial Team
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Lord of the Flies Quiz

Take our free Lord of the Flies quiz below, with 25 multiple choice questions that help you test your knowledge. Determine which chapters, themes and styles you already know and what you need to study for your upcoming essay, midterm, or final exam. Take the free quiz now!

Directions: Click on the correct answer.

Questions 1-5 of 25:

Why do Ralph, Piggy, and Samneric go to Jack’s camp in Chapter 11?

Who goes with ralph to explore the island, who is mistaken for the beast and killed in chapter 9, what is a signal fire, who sees the beast first in chapter 6.

FOLLOW BOOKRAGS:

Lord of the Flies

By william golding, lord of the flies quiz 1.

• 1 Ralph uses what to summon the other boys? a fire a bell a conch shell a whistle
• 2 Piggy suffers from what? diabetes asthma blindness insomnia
• 3 Jack and his "hunters" are actually what type of group? military school cadets football team juvenile delinquents choir
• 4 The boys are stranded on an island where? the Indian Ocean the North Atlantic the Pacific Ocean the Caribbean Sea
• 5 Who identifies the island as part of a Coral Reef? Ralph Simon Jack Piggy
• 6 "Samneric" refers to what or whom? the youngest boys the island the Lord of the Flies the twins
• 7 "Creepers" refers to what? snakes worms vines insects
• 8 Ralph's father is what? a cartographer for the Scottish coast guard a pilot in the English air force an advisor to Queen Elizabeth an officer in the English navy
• 9 Piggy's real name is actually what? Percival Gerald Leslie none of the above
• 10 Why do Jack and his hunters attack Ralph and Piggy? They want to steal the conch. They want to take control over the fire. They want to steal Piggy's glasses. They want to intimidate them into joining their tribe.
• 11 What is referred to in the line, "There was lightning and thunder and rain. We was scared!" Finding the beast Simon's murder Jack and his hunters The first day on the island
• 12 Which character pretends to be a pig during the chant? Roger Maurice Eric Simon
• 13 According to Eric, what would be preferable to capture by Jack and his tribe? facing the beast capture by the Reds never leaving the jungle starvation
• 14 Which character repeats the saying, "Sucks to your ass-mar"? Ralph Jack Roger Simon
• 15 Who worries that the other boys think that he is insane? Jack Percival Piggy Simon
• 16 Who hesitates when the boys vote for chief, unsure whether to support Ralph? Jack Piggy Roger Simon
• 17 Ralph considers ______ the most important thing on the island. the conch avoiding the beast food the fire
• 18 Which of the following characters is not held as a prisoner by Jack and his hunters? Eric Sam Wilfred Piggy
• 19 All of the following are locations on the island except which? the volcano Castle Rock the lagoon the scar
• 20 Jack jokes that they could actually kill _____ in place of a pig during their dance. Simon Ralph a "littlun" Piggy
• 21 The conch shell can symbolize all of the following except: order democracy authority authoritarianism
• 22 Which of the following characters has the strongest religious sensibility? Piggy Jack Samneric Simon
• 23 Which of the following is a direct Satanic symbol? Percival The pig's head The spear sharpened at both ends The pilot
• 24 Which event in human history does not have a direct parallel in Lord of the Flies? the discovery of fire the move away from hunter-gatherer societies the development of government the development of private property
• 25 Ralph best represents which aspect of human nature? spirituality intellect moral choice instinct

Lord of the Flies Questions and Answers

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

Where had Simon fainted before?

From the text:

“He's always throwing a faint,”said Merridew. “He did in Gib.; and Addis; and at matins over the precentor.”

Quote Analysis. "There was a throb..."

At this point Ralph is once again challenging Jack's authority, Unfortunately all the cards are stacked against Ralph. A storm is brewing and to deflect the boys' fears, Jack orders them to dance around the fire. This communal spectacle of...

How do the boys respond to Jack's call for Ralph's removal as chief? How does Jack react? Respond with evidence from the text.

There is a lot of immaturity here. The other boys refuse to vote Ralph out of power. Enraged, Jack has a tantrum and runs away from the group, saying that he is leaving and that anyone who likes is welcome to join him.The boys don't like the open...

Study Guide for Lord of the Flies

Lord of the Flies study guide contains a biography of William Golding, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About Lord of the Flies
• Lord of the Flies Summary
• Lord of the Flies Video
• Character List

Essays for Lord of the Flies

Lord of the Flies essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Lord of the Flies by William Golding.

• Two Faces of Man
• The Relationship Between Symbolism and Theme in Lord of the Flies
• A Tainted View of Society
• Death and Social Collapse in Lord of the Flies
• Lumination: The Conquest of Mankind's Darkness

Lesson Plan for Lord of the Flies

• About the Author
• Study Objectives
• Common Core Standards
• Introduction to Lord of the Flies
• Relationship to Other Books
• Bringing in Technology
• Notes to the Teacher
• Related Links
• Lord of the Flies Bibliography

Wikipedia Entries for Lord of the Flies

• Introduction

‘Bridgerton’ Season 3 Boss Breaks Down Polin’s Happy Ending, Those Shocking Plot Twists and Lady Whistledown’s Triumph

By Jennifer Maas

Jennifer Maas

TV Business Writer

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SPOILER ALERT:  This interview contains spoilers from Season 3 of “ Bridgerton ,” now streaming on Netflix.

In the Season 3 finale of “Bridgerton,” when Lady Whistledown steps into the light of her true identity — Penelope Bridgerton (Nicola Coughlan) — her husband, Colin (Luke Newton), learns not only to accept, but to applaud her for who she is. After that, Whisteldown imposter Cressida Cowper (Jessica Madsen) is shunned from London, the ton rejoices in the birth of a “Polin” baby (a boy, making them the new Lord Featherington) and delightedly theorizes about which Bridgerton sibling will take the lead next.

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Francesca marries John Stirling (Victor Alli) and is happy to be moving away from loud London to his quiet Scotland estate. But just before they head out on their happy honeymoon, Francesca begins experiencing butterflies while meeting John’s charming cousin Michaela Stirling (Masali Baduza), who fans of the “Bridgerton” book series will note is a gender-flipped version of the same cousin character, Michael Stirling.

And for Eloise, she’s made up with Pen, she’s happy for Colin, she’s over her friendship with Cressida — and she’s ready to get out of Dodge. She ends up accompanying Francesca, John and Michaela on their journey to Scotland, where she intends to live with them through the end of the year, promising Benedict she will return home to play with him in time for her mother Violet’s famed masquerade ball.

What was your approach to what Colin’s reaction would be to learning that Penelope is Lady Whistledown just before their wedding, after they had sex for the first time?

We felt like Colin is definitely a gentleman, and because Penelope and Colin shared intimate moments, we knew that he was someone who’s going to follow through. Personally, I think deep down Colin knows he loves Penelope despite the fact that he’s so upset at her in that moment. And he’s working through some issues with envy and insecurity that — while he may not be aware of right away on the surface — they’re very much a factor in his reaction.

And that is really something we took from the book. I thought it was a beautiful nuance in “Romancing Mr. Bridgerton” that you have a character who has to square with the fact that his wife is really successful at this thing that he wants to do himself. That’s a very modern tale, and not something you often get to tell in a Regency-period drama.

How did you work through what Colin and Penelope’s first sex scene would look like — and when it would happen — compared to previous “Bridgerton” couples?

They’re the first friends-to-lovers story that we’ve told, and so their first intimacy stands out because there is that depth and that familiarity. And we knew that we wanted there to be laughter in the scenes. We knew that we wanted Colin to be a real caretaker of Penelope in that moment. And the main concern, I would say, was about what story we were telling in the scene, and making sure there are moments of character growth.

So for Penelope — whose arc in many ways is about needing to allow herself to be seen — the mirror scene is the moment where literally and metaphorically, she allows herself to be seen by Colin. And for Colin, it’s a moment where we get to see his sensitivity shine. And that’s something that he’s learning how to step into more, as well. So for both of the characters, it’s a big growth scene.

What about their other sex scene in the finale, when we see them only briefly and without nudity?

There’s less storytelling via sex once you get to the end of the season. Their characters have already gone through a major transformation, so we didn’t need to show as much. But I do think the image of Penelope on top is a perfect way to end her character, and it’s something that Nicola and Luke and I consulted on together and collaborated on.

How did you work through when and how to bring Eloise and Penelope back together after their huge fight at the end of Season 2, and their estrangement throughout much of Season 3?

So it was important for us to travel them on their arcs this season, allow them to mature separately, and then we knew that they needed to have a real reckoning where they were both totally honest about their vulnerabilities, their insecurities. For Eloise, that moment in Episode 6, where she tells Penelope, “Hey, I really need you to pick up your pen again and go write another Whistledown” — there’s a moment where Eloise admits, “I was partly at fault last season, I know that I was reckless last season.”

That was an important admission for Eloise to get to, and for Penelope to reach a place where she was being more honest with everyone around her. Now, they can meet each other on an equal ground. And the hope is that people feel the takeaway, which is that they are now closer than ever and less like friends of convenience and more really bonded as sisters and literally sisters-in-law.

How much of the story will be revolving around Lady Whistledown in future seasons, now that her identity has been exposed, and she’s seemingly been given a public stamp of approval to keep working from the Queen?

I don’t think we’re done with Lady Whistledown. I think there is more story to tell there, because now Penelope is a public gossip columnist who people are going to know is the writer when she writes about them. And certainly, as you referenced, she will have to contend with the Queen and the Queen’s demands, the Queen’s desires, the Queen’s scrutiny. So how Penelope balances that is fodder for Season 4.

Will Julie Andrews still do the narrator voice of Lady Whistledown moving forward? Or is Nicola Coughlan going to take it on full time after switching over to her in the finale?

That’s a really good question. And I’m gonna hold back on answering that for now, because I think I want people to experience it for themselves.

Did you put deliberate signs in the Season 3 finale as to who the focus of Season 4 will be?

OK, because it’s not immediately clear to me. At the end, Francesca has big stuff, Eloise has big stuff and Benedict has big stuff — but Eloise mentions she’ll be back from her journey to Scotland in time for her mother’s masquerade ball, which makes me think it will be Benedict’s love story — in the books, his story kicks off when he meets his love interest Sophie at a masquerade.

I think that’s a great theory. It’s an intriguing theory.

So for all three characters, we are setting certain pieces of their story in motion. Francesca’s story, for those who are familiar with her book, spans a longer period of time — and so that one, we absolutely needed to get going on. As far as gender-flipping Michaela, I have a lot I want to say about it, but I’m cautious about talking about it in detail now, because I want people to see how it’s going to play out. And I’m not trying to be withholding, it’s just difficult to talk about the thought and the research that went into it without talking about what’s to come. And I’m just trying to be protective of what story we want to tell for Season 4 and beyond.

I understand that. It seemed to me that Benedict’s storyline this season in exploring his sexuality was weaved in a little bit from the start of “Bridgerton.” Whereas with how little we’ve seen of Francesca — with the actress change as well — it could have been planned from the start, or as a new idea for this season. How did both come about?

I don’t want to speak for Chris Van Dusen — he was obviously in charge creatively in Seasons 1 and 2. I can say, as a member of the writers’ room, we definitely talked about Benedict’s possible queerness. But ultimately we landed with what you saw in Seasons 1 and 2. I was in a position when I stepped in as showrunner where, of course I want to bring my vision to the show, but it’s also my job to make sense of what is in Seasons 1 and 2, and build on that. I can’t just go in a completely different direction because I want to.

I knew that people out there had a feeling Benedict might be queer. And personally, it made sense to me. He’s not just open minded, it’s that he seems like the type of person who wouldn’t be as concerned with gender — someone who might be more fluid and pansexual. He’s really attracted to someone’s spirit. And so it felt like we should make sense of those pieces that were in Seasons 1 and 2. That was what we were attempting to do with his storyline.

And for Francesca, because she was so rarely in Seasons 1 and 2, I did feel like we got to do a lot more invention and creation with her this season. It was exciting for me as a showrunner to almost get to start a character from scratch. And I hope that, if people watch what we set up with her from Episode 1 in Season 3, we’re planting the seeds of what we reveal at the end of Season 3 from the very beginning. We really got to set it up exactly as we would like to this season.

Does this mean that The Great Experiment inside the show will be expanded to sexuality, as well as race? Or will the show treat sexuality with the taboos of the time that we’ve seen in “Bridgerton” and “Queen Charlotte”?

When we started talking about queer representation on the show, we started with a discussion that this is a show about happily-ever-afters, and that we’re not interested in queer trauma — that we really want to see queer joy. And if we’re going to tell a queer story, we would like to find a way for there to be a happily ever after.

So we have done a lot of research to figure out how we can achieve that within the confines of our world. And after people see the next couple of seasons, I’ll be able to talk about that more.

Are you planning on potentially combining books in the coming season?

We’re not combining books for Season 4. We are doing one book for Season 4.

And are you going to be introducing the leading couple for Season 4 formally when Season 3 is over?

I’m not in charge of that! I think we’ve always announced — I could be wrong, but I believe we’ve always announced who the couple is going to be ahead of their season. The reason, when I’m asked about Season 4, why I’m so withholding is just because it’s not totally up to me when those things get announced. And we also really want to give Penelope and Colin their moment, the same way we wanted to give Kate and Anthony their moment. We didn’t announce Pen and Colin until after their season had finished airing. So we will certainly wait until after Pen and Colin have some time. But yes, I imagine we will announce the leads and their person opposite them.

How far are you in the writing process for Season 4 right now? Do you have a shoot date in mind?

We are deep in the writing process. Internally in the writers’ room, we have every episode outlined so we know exactly where we would like to go.

But there’s a process: We want to get creative input from Shondaland. We want to get creative input from Shonda herself, and from Netflix. But we have a very good sense of where we’re going. We do have a shoot date in mind, but I’m gonna hold that for now.

Have you decided on who the leads are for each season through the rest of the series?

I obviously know who Season 4 is. And Shonda and I have talked about who Season 5 is and who Season 6 is. We haven’t talked beyond that. If we are lucky enough to have a Season 6, we want to just have that plan, so we know where we’re headed. But Shonda and I haven’t necessarily shared those plans with anyone. So there’s always the chance that when we talk to our collaborators, we’ll decide to go a different way. But yes, we have a loose plan.

That’s true, that’s true. I can’t confirm any one season, but I can say it’s gonna be a while before Hyacinth is ready — that’s fair. It’s hard to answer that question without tipping my hand, in terms of which lead we’re going with for next season. But when the day comes, I’m very excited to do some Scotland shooting. Eloise will always have a major role to play.

Any chance we’ll get a romance for Eloise next season?

I’ve talked before about the fact that I don’t think that Eloise is that interested in romance at this stage in her life. Obviously, she did have a somewhat romantic affinity for Theo, but I personally feel like that was a meeting of the minds. Part of what she loved about him is the fact that he was involved with progressive causes, and was a little outside of her world.

In terms of her being ready for an actual romantic match that could be based on a certain amount of passion, I want to tell that story the right way, because I love her for the fact that she is a bit of a holdout, in terms of romance. And I think it’s a nice counterpoint on the show in terms of us sending a message that not everything always has to be about your boyfriend or girlfriend, or about marriage. So I’m hesitant to send her into the romance zone without really making sense of why she gets there. So we’ll take some time to tell that story in the proper way.

This season balanced Kate and Anthony in their newlywed bliss with the new focus on Colin and Penelope. Now, Kate and Anthony are having a baby, and they’re moving to India. So does that mean we’ll see them again? Or are they going to go the way of Daphne and Simon, and we may not see them again? He’s still Viscount, and that title doesn’t just go away.

I mean, we absolutely hope to see more of them. But it’ll be dependent on a lot of factors. It’ll be dependent on how much story the main couples take up, and whether there is story room. It will be dependent on whether the actors are available.

As you can imagine, when you have an actor step into a lead role on the show and really lead the main story, it’s difficult to ask them to give up a lot of exciting opportunities to play as more of a side character. So we try to be very respectful of our actors in terms of letting them go off and do other things. And it works perfectly fine for us, because of the nature of the show shifting focus. We always want to give our main couple that screen time.

So we’ll see what happens. But I love those two, and I would always be happy to see more from them.

There was a version of the scripts this season where at Penelope and Colin’s wedding, we threw a line at the fact that like, “Oh, Daphne wishes she could be here — but she’s pregnant again,” or, “Daphne and Simon? I just saw them, they’re sitting over there.” But the truth of the matter is that it just gets a little wonky to bring them up, and then not see them.

But I firmly feel that in my brain, they are still a part of the universe. Obviously on the television show, you’re not seeing every part of these people’s lives. And so they are still going to see Daphne and Simon, Daphne and Simon are still coming over — just not at the time when the camera happens to show up, weirdly.

Off that, how much can we expect to see Colin and Penelope next season? Because they are still very much grounded in London, where Colin has his author career, Penelope has the new Lady Whistledown identity and they have their baby. By the way, was the baby named on the show? Because I didn’t catch it .

I don’t think we said the name of the baby — but obviously the baby is a boy, so that’s a departure from the books, in which the baby is called Agatha after Lady Danbury. But in our world, because we have set up the heir storyline with the Featheringtons, story-wise we were motivated to switch it out so that they could have the heir.

Lady Whistledown is the narrator of the show, and so I do think that there’s more story to tell there with her. Just as with Kate and Anthony this season, Colin and Penelope will take more of a backseat to next season’s leads. But because of Pen’s double identity, I think there’s a bit more meat to mine there.

Her story isn’t concluded with a happily-ever-after. Her career provides new obstacles next season, so we will be seeing more of her.

Can we always count on Violet, Lady Danbury and the Queen to be our constants throughout the “Bridgerton” universe ?

I hope so. The mamas are the keepers of our world, and I love all three of those characters. In reality, Queen Charlotte dies at a certain point that’s not far away. But we have sort of intentionally gone away from specifying what year we are in — even though it’s probably pretty easy to work out. But we just love Golda and Queen Charlotte so much that we’re trying to avoid time. And we’re in an alternate universe, in our universe, because of The Great Experiment. We’re just in a different dimension and maybe Queen Charlotte lives longer in that dimension.

And what’s next for Violet and Lady Danbury now that they have had a very open conversation about Danbury’s relationship with Violet’s father?

During one of Lady Danbury’s fights with her brother Lord Marcus Anderson, she chastises him for using her born name Soma to try to get sympathy from Agatha — something we know about only through her history revealed in “Queen Charlotte.” Where did that choice come from?

The spinoff established Lady Danbury’s backstory, and talked more about where she came from, so we were able to bring more of that depth in. But I’ll be honest, that was a suggestion that came from Adjoa [Andoh]. She had been filming the spinoff, and she talked about wanting to reference her born name in the series. I really loved that collaboration with the actors, and thought that it was a lovely suggestion —and so we we included it.

Do you think the Featherington family drama has mostly concluded? We have them in a better emotional place as a family than they’ve ever been. The heir situation is sorted out, and no one’s worried about their money being taken away. For once, are the Featheringtons in a stable place?

I think so; I think they are. And I’m really proud of the arcs that we portrayed for the Featheringtons this year. They’ve been played for comedy or hijinks a lot in Seasons 1 and 2, and with Penelope at the center of Season 3, I really wanted to give new depth and humanity to Portia, Prudence and Philippa.

And I love the place where they end up. I think some of the most moving scenes of the season are between Lady Featherington and Penelope, and I’m just really glad to have been able to paint her in a deeper way. So I’m happy for them, and I’m ready for them to enjoy their peace.

No more weird relatives coming out of the woodwork?

I can’t promise it, but currently, we’re not trying to torture the Featheringtons anymore. You never know in the future, though. Maybe in Season 21 of the show.

This interview has been edited and condensed.

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