The Overstory Quizzes

The Overstory Quiz 1

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

Olivia

Dorothy

Patricia

Mimi
2 What tree does Jorgen Hoel plant on his farm?

A chestnut

A mulberry

A maple

An aspen
3 The Hoel tree is captured via ___________ for more than a century.

diary entries

drawing

letters

photography
4 Nicholas Hoel is a/an

activist

lawyer

engineer

artist
5 Ma Sih Hsuin brings a precious ________ to America.

photograph

necklace

scroll

poem
6 Why does Mimi's father commit suicide?

He cannot invent the device he wants to

His wife has died

He has lost his job

He is distressed over the dying tree
7 As a child Adam is all of the following except

beloved by his parents and siblings

a little "socially retarded"

fond of his maple tree

interested in trees and insects
8 Adam goes to college to study

botany

psychology

engineering

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

acting

new jobs

sports

painting
11 In the Stanford Prison Experiment, Douglas

keeps his cool

is a vicious guard

asks to leave

has a breakdown
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 flies planes

he wants to stay in Thailand
13 After the war, Douglas takes a job

planting seedlings

as a scientist

in politics

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

She used a racial slur

She insults him

She takes his notebook

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

Save him

Talk to him

Push him out

Sing to him
16 Neelay grows famous for designing

websites

applications

AIs

games
17 What literary work is so influential to Patricia?

The Odyssey

The Metamorphoses

The Aneid

The Iliad
18 All of the following are true about Patricia's time in college except

she drops out to pursue her own studies

she believes that trees are social creatures

her professors say old growth is bad

she determines which gases the trees breathe out
19 What happens after Patricia's paper is published?

She loses her lectureship

It is initially lauded

It is criticized by leading dendrologists

All of these
20 How does Patricia deal with her losses?

She considers suicide

She visits the old growth forests

She gets work with the Bureau of Land Management

All of these
21 From two researchers in the forest, what does Patricia learn about her work?

It has faded into oblivion

It has been validated

It has been harshly criticized

It has been semi-validated
22 When Olivia gets high, she

talks to the trees

connects with humanity

commits suicide

accidentally dies
23 The beings of light do all the following to/for Olivia except

tell her she has a purpose

move her to tears of joy

guide her to Solace

tell her to write about them
24 Why is Dorothy so depressed in her marriage?

Ray is cheating on her

They are poor

She cannot have a child

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

Douglas

Mimi

Patricia

Nick

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.

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The Overstory

by Richard Powers

The Overstory Quiz 1

The Overstory Questions and Answers

Study Guide for The Overstory

Lesson Plan for The Overstory