The Overstory Quizzes

The Overstory Quiz 1

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

Mimi

Olivia

Dorothy

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

A mulberry

A maple

A chestnut

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

diary entries

drawing

photography

letters
4 Nicholas Hoel is a/an

artist

engineer

lawyer

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

necklace

scroll

photograph

poem
6 Why does Mimi's father commit suicide?

His wife has died

He cannot invent the device he wants to

He has lost his job

He is distressed over the dying tree
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

economics

botany

psychology
9 What kind of lawyer is Ray Brinkman?

Corporate

Personal Injury

Constitutional

Intellectual Property
10 Ray and Dorothy's first date leads them into

painting

acting

sports

new jobs
11 In the Stanford Prison Experiment, Douglas

has a breakdown

keeps his cool

asks to leave

is a vicious guard
12 During the Vietnam War, all of the following happen to Douglas except

he flies planes

he wants to stay in Thailand

he relishes killing the Viet Cong

he is saved by a banyan tree
13 After the war, Douglas takes a job

for a logging company

as a scientist

in politics

planting seedlings
14 Why does Neelay get so angry at Ms. Gilpin?

She used a racial slur

She gives him a bad grade

She insults him

She takes his notebook
15 What does the oak tree do to Neelay?

Sing to him

Talk to him

Push him out

Save him
16 Neelay grows famous for designing

AIs

games

websites

applications
17 What literary work is so influential to Patricia?

The Iliad

The Odyssey

The Aneid

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

she drops out to pursue her own studies

she determines which gases the trees breathe out

her professors say old growth is bad

she believes that trees are social creatures
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 visits the old growth forests

She gets work with the Bureau of Land Management

She considers suicide

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

It has been harshly criticized

It has faded into oblivion

It has been validated

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

accidentally dies

commits suicide

connects with humanity

talks to the trees
23 The beings of light do all the following to/for Olivia except

move her to tears of joy

guide her to Solace

tell her to write about them

tell her she has a purpose
24 Why is Dorothy so depressed in her marriage?

She cannot have a child

Ray is cheating on her

They are poor

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.

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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