Curated set · answers marked
Which student dies in the cafeteria at the start of One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus, kicking off the main mystery of the novel?
ABronwyn Rojas
BSimon Kelleher✓
CAddy Prentiss
DNate Macauley
At the beginning of the novel, five students find themselves in detention, but only four make it out alive. Which student dies during detention, and what seems to be the cause of death?
ASimon Kelleher; an allergic reaction to peanut oil✓
BBronwyn Rojas; a peanut allergy attack
CCooper Clay; a severe asthma attack
DAddy Prentiss; an allergic reaction to peanut oil
Rationale
Simon Kelleher, who runs a gossip app called About That, dies in detention after experiencing an anaphylactic reaction to peanut oil in his drink. His death later raises suspicions, making the four students who survive — Bronwyn, Cooper, Addy, and Nate — key suspects in a murder investigation.
In One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus, what best explains Simon Kelleher's death in the detention room?
AHe accidentally consumes peanut oil from a tampered EpiPen, with his real EpiPen swapped out — a situation he created himself as part of a plan that ultimately went tragically wrong.✓
BOne of the other four students in detention poisons him by putting peanut oil in his drink.
CHe experiences a random allergic reaction after eating a snack brought by another student.
DHe intentionally takes his own life to frame the other four students for murder.
Rationale
Simon set this situation up himself — he tampered with his EpiPen and arranged for peanut oil to be added — aiming to frame the others. However, this backfired, leading to his actual death, which can be seen as an accidental suicide rather than a murder by the other students.