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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What crops do Jorgen Hoel and his wife plant in their first season in Iowa?

2. By what month are Jorben Hoel and his wife U.S. citizens, according to the narrator in "Nicholas Hoel"?

3. Who proposes to Patricia Westerford?

4. Where does Jorgen Hoel's middle son become a banker?

5. In what year does John Hoel begin photographing the chestnut tree every month?

Short Essay Questions

1. Where do Ray Brinkman and Dorothy Cazaly go on their first date? Why?

2. How do the Hoel chestnut trees get planted? What happens to them?

3. What do The Sylvan Prophesies and Sempervirens refer to?

4. How does the relationship between Dorothy and Ray develop over time?

5. What was the Stanford Prison Experiment?

6. Who is Dennis Ward and what is his relationship to Patricia Westerford?

7. What is the event that gives Olivia focus on her destination and mission?

8. What is Olivia Vandergriff's life like prior to her electrocution?

9. What does Douglas do after his service in Vietnam?

10. Why does Ray's profession affect his relationship with Dorothy?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the themes of nonviolent protest, ecoterrorism, and police retaliation as seen in The Overstory. What happens to the people who protest in the novel? How do they protest? What are the outcomes of these protests?

Essay Topic 2

Analyze and discuss the character of Douglas Pavlicek in The Overstory. What is Douglas's backstory? How does he become involved in environmental activism? What happens to Douglas over the course of the novel?

Essay Topic 3

Describe and discuss the plot structure of The Overstory. What is the inciting incident in the novel? Where does the climax occur? What information is related in the falling action and denouement?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 611 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample