The Overstory Quizzes

The Overstory Quiz 1

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

Dorothy

Olivia

Mimi
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.
drawing

diary entries

letters

photography
4 Nicholas Hoel is a/an
engineer

lawyer

activist

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

scroll

poem

photograph
6 Why does Mimi's father commit suicide?
He is distressed over the dying tree

He has lost his job

He cannot invent the device he wants to

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

interested in trees and insects

beloved by his parents and siblings

fond of his maple tree
8 Adam goes to college to study
economics

botany

engineering

psychology
9 What kind of lawyer is Ray Brinkman?
Intellectual Property

Personal Injury

Corporate

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

sports

new jobs

acting
11 In the Stanford Prison Experiment, Douglas
has a breakdown

is a vicious guard

asks to leave

keeps his cool
12 During the Vietnam War, all of the following happen to Douglas except
he relishes killing the Viet Cong

he is saved by a banyan tree

he flies planes

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

planting seedlings

as a scientist

in politics
14 Why does Neelay get so angry at Ms. Gilpin?
She insults him

She used a racial slur

She takes his notebook

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

Save him

Push him out

Talk to him
16 Neelay grows famous for designing
AIs

games

websites

applications
17 What literary work is so influential to Patricia?
The Iliad

The Metamorphoses

The Odyssey

The Aneid
18 All of the following are true about Patricia's time in college except
she believes that trees are social creatures

she determines which gases the trees breathe out

her professors say old growth is bad

she drops out to pursue her own studies
19 What happens after Patricia's paper is published?
She loses her lectureship

It is criticized by leading dendrologists

It is initially lauded

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 harshly criticized

It has faded into oblivion

It has been validated

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
guide her to Solace

move her to tears of joy

tell her she has a purpose

tell her to write about them
24 Why is Dorothy so depressed in her marriage?
She cannot have a child

They are poor

She is not a good actress

Ray is cheating on her
25 Who does Olivia meet on her initial westward drive?
Mimi

Patricia

Douglas

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