The Overstory Quizzes

The Overstory Quiz 1

1 Who is the woman sitting at the tree at the beginning of the story?
Mimi

Patricia

Dorothy

Olivia
2 What tree does Jorgen Hoel plant on his farm?
A chestnut

A mulberry

An aspen

A maple
3 The Hoel tree is captured via ___________ for more than a century.
photography

diary entries

letters

drawing
4 Nicholas Hoel is a/an
artist

lawyer

engineer

activist
5 Ma Sih Hsuin brings a precious ________ to America.
poem

scroll

necklace

photograph
6 Why does Mimi's father commit suicide?
He cannot invent the device he wants to

He has lost his job

He is distressed over the dying tree

His wife has died
7 As a child Adam is all of the following except
a little "socially retarded"

fond of his maple tree

interested in trees and insects

beloved by his parents and siblings
8 Adam goes to college to study
engineering

psychology

botany

economics
9 What kind of lawyer is Ray Brinkman?
Constitutional

Corporate

Intellectual Property

Personal Injury
10 Ray and Dorothy's first date leads them into
painting

sports

acting

new jobs
11 In the Stanford Prison Experiment, Douglas
is a vicious guard

has a breakdown

keeps his cool

asks to leave
12 During the Vietnam War, all of the following happen to Douglas except
he is saved by a banyan tree

he relishes killing the Viet Cong

he wants to stay in Thailand

he flies planes
13 After the war, Douglas takes a job
as a scientist

planting seedlings

in politics

for a logging company
14 Why does Neelay get so angry at Ms. Gilpin?
She takes his notebook

She used a racial slur

She insults him

She gives him a bad grade
15 What does the oak tree do to Neelay?
Sing to him

Talk to him

Save him

Push him out
16 Neelay grows famous for designing
applications

games

AIs

websites
17 What literary work is so influential to Patricia?
The Odyssey

The Aneid

The Iliad

The Metamorphoses
18 All of the following are true about Patricia's time in college except
she drops out to pursue her own studies

her professors say old growth is bad

she determines which gases the trees breathe out

she believes that trees are social creatures
19 What happens after Patricia's paper is published?
It is criticized by leading dendrologists

It is initially lauded

She loses her lectureship

All of these
20 How does Patricia deal with her losses?
She gets work with the Bureau of Land Management

She visits the old growth forests

She considers suicide

All of these
21 From two researchers in the forest, what does Patricia learn about her work?
It has been semi-validated

It has been harshly criticized

It has faded into oblivion

It has been validated
22 When Olivia gets high, she
talks to the trees

commits suicide

accidentally dies

connects with humanity
23 The beings of light do all the following to/for Olivia except
guide her to Solace

tell her she has a purpose

tell her to write about them

move her to tears of joy
24 Why is Dorothy so depressed in her marriage?
They are poor

She cannot have a child

Ray is cheating on her

She is not a good actress
25 Who does Olivia meet on her initial westward drive?
Nick

Douglas

Mimi

Patricia

Study Guide for The Overstory

The Overstory study guide contains a biography of Richard Powers, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

Read the Study Guide for The Overstory…

The Overstory

by Richard Powers

The Overstory Quiz 1

The Overstory Questions and Answers

Study Guide for The Overstory

Lesson Plan for The Overstory