The Bean Trees: A Novel
Home : The Bean Trees : Study Guide : Test Yourself! - Quiz 1

The Bean Trees Quizzes

by Barbara Kingsolver

The Bean Trees Quiz 1

1. Of what does Taylor Greer have an unnatural fear?

  • childbirth
  • wisteria vines
  • blood
  • tires

2. Which character is not matched with another name that they use during the novel?

  • Turtle: Ismene
  • Taylor Greer: Marietta Greer
  • Mama Greer: Alice Elleston
  • Esperanza: Hope

3. Which of the following is not true about Hughes Walter?

  • He resembles a blond Paul McCartney
  • He is a northerner.
  • He questions Marietta about why she wants the job at the hospital.
  • He is a senior science teacher.

4. Which of the promises that Marietta makes does she not keep?

  • She keeps both promises.
  • She promises to go west until her car stops running.
  • She breaks both promises.
  • She promises to choose a new name.

5. What is one of the objections that Taylor raises to taking the Indian child?

  • She doesn't know how to raise a child.
  • She believes that the child needs medical attention first.
  • She doesn't want to be a mother.
  • She doesn't have any legal papers or claim to Taylor.

6. On what day does Angel Ruiz leave his wife?

  • Halloween
  • Christmas
  • Good Friday
  • New Year's

7. Why does Lou Ann decide to give Dwayne Ray a Catholic baptism?

  • She would rather anger her mother, who lives far away, than her mother-in-law, who lives nearby.
  • She cedes to Angel's wishes, believing that he might stay with her if she does not argue with him.
  • She has converted to Catholicism since moving to Tucson.
  • She adheres to an angel's prophecy in a dream and believes that he must be raised Catholic.

8. What is Lee Sing's opinion about female children?

  • A baby girl is a drain on resources, for she cannot contribute to the household as a worker.
  • The work that a baby girl demands is worth it, for it is they who become the center of the family.
  • A baby girl will always be devoted to her mother, while a boy will want to venture out from his family.
  • In the end, the work that a mother puts into a baby girl simply goes to another family.

9. What is the reason that Angel Ruiz appears to be so bitter?

  • He married Lou Ann because she got pregnant and is now stuck in a loveless marriage.
  • Because of his race, he does not have the opportunity that white Americans have.
  • He lost his leg in an accident.
  • He cannot fulfill his dream to become a rodeo clown.

10. Which of the following characters is not a single mother?

  • Taylor
  • Esperanza
  • Sandi
  • Lou Ann

The Bean Trees Essays and Related Content