A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (novel) - Quiz
  • 1. Who is the author of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn?
A) Francie Nolan
B) Betty Smith
C) Cornelius Nolan
D) Harper & Brothers
  • 2. In what year was A Tree Grows in Brooklyn published?
A) 1940
B) 2012
C) 1943
D) 1912
  • 3. What was the original non-fiction title of the manuscript?
A) A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
B) The Nolan Family Story
C) Growing Up in Williamsburg
D) They Lived in Brooklyn
  • 4. Which publisher held the contest that led to the book's publication?
A) Williamsburg Publishing
B) Brooklyn Press
C) Library of Congress
D) Harper & Brothers
  • 5. What is the main metaphor of the novel?
A) The junk business
B) The tree of heaven
C) The tenement buildings
D) The singing waiter
  • 6. What is the scientific name of the tree mentioned in the book?
A) Ailanthus altissima
B) Quercus robur
C) Pinus sylvestris
D) Acer saccharum
  • 7. In 2012, which organization listed the book as one that shaped America?
A) The Armed Services Committee
B) Harper & Brothers
C) Library of Congress
D) The Brooklyn Historical Society
  • 8. How many books is the novel divided into?
A) Five
B) Four
C) Six
D) Three
  • 9. In what year does Book One open?
A) 1942
B) 1940
C) 1943
D) 1912
  • 10. How old is Francie Nolan at the beginning of the novel?
A) 11
B) 12
C) 10
D) 9
  • 11. What is Francie's brother's nickname?
A) Frank
B) Neeley
C) Corn
D) Johnny
  • 12. What is Johnny Nolan's profession?
A) Building cleaner
B) Junk dealer
C) Librarian
D) Singing waiter
  • 13. What is the primary cause of Johnny Nolan's inability to hold a steady job?
A) Lack of talent
B) Laziness
C) Alcoholism
D) Health issues
  • 14. What is Katie Nolan's primary occupation?
A) Junk selling
B) Cleaning apartment buildings
C) Writer
D) Singing waiter
  • 15. What does Francie use to escape from the poverty of her daily existence?
A) Working odd jobs
B) Imagination and reading
C) Selling junk
D) Singing songs
  • 16. Why was the book released in an Armed Services Edition?
A) To be sold at military bases
B) To teach soldiers about Brooklyn
C) To serve as a training manual
D) To fit in a uniform pocket
  • 17. What specific personality traits does Francie admire in her father?
A) Angry, distant, and powerful
B) Wealthy, educated, and generous
C) Strict, hardworking, and stoic
D) Handsome, talented, imaginative, and sentimental
  • 18. What is the nationality of Katie's parents?
A) Italy
B) Ireland
C) Austria
D) Germany
  • 19. Who are the parents of Johnny and Katie?
A) Native-born Americans
B) Second-generation citizens
C) Expatriates
D) Immigrants
  • 20. Why does Johnny begin drinking heavily?
A) He panics about Katie's pregnancies
B) He is grieving his parents
C) He loses his job
D) He hates living in Williamsburg
  • 21. Which child does Katie resent in Book Two?
A) Neeley
B) Annie Laurie
C) Sissy
D) Francie
  • 22. What does Katie resolve to give her children?
A) A fortune
B) A musical education
C) A better life
D) A house in the country
  • 23. What is the main reason the Nolans move twice in their first seven years?
A) Public disgraces
B) Landlord disputes
C) Lack of money
D) Fire hazards
  • 24. Whose babysitting efforts cause a public disgrace for the Nolans?
A) Johnny
B) Katie
C) A neighbor
D) Aunt Sissy
  • 25. How old is Francie when she attends the school next door in Book Three?
A) Eight
B) Seven
C) Nine
D) Six
  • 26. Who supports Francie's transfer to a better school district?
A) Johnny
B) Miss Garnder
C) Katie
D) Aunt Sissy
  • 27. How does Katie save Francie's life?
A) She finds her when she is lost
B) She pulls her from a fire
C) She shoots a child-rapist/murderer
D) She nurses her through a plague
  • 28. On what holiday does Johnny die?
A) Christmas Day
B) Easter
C) New Year's Day
D) Thanksgiving
  • 29. What is the cause of Johnny's death?
A) A workplace accident
B) Alcoholism-induced pneumonia
C) Heart failure
D) Influenza
  • 30. What does Katie do with the life insurance money?
A) Buys a new home
B) Pays for a respectable burial
C) Invests in a business
D) Pays for Francie's schooling
  • 31. What action does Katie take to reduce family expenses after Johnny's death?
A) Cancels the children's life insurance
B) Sells the furniture
C) Stops buying meat
D) Moves to a cheaper apartment
  • 32. What is the name of the new baby born in May 1916?
A) Annie Laurie
B) Rose
C) Mary
D) Sissy
  • 33. What does Francie write for graduation that gets rejected?
A) A play
B) A short story
C) An essay
D) A poem
  • 34. When does Francie graduate from grade school?
A) December
B) May
C) June
D) July
  • 35. What does graduation allow Francie to come to terms with?
A) Her mother's preference for Neeley
B) Her poverty
C) Her lack of talent
D) Her father's death
  • 36. What was the nationality of Johnny's parents?
A) Ireland
B) England
C) Scotland
D) Austria
  • 37. What is Francie's first job?
A) Teletype operator
B) Teacher's assistant
C) Artificial flower factory worker
D) Press clipping office clerk
  • 38. What job does Francie get after leaving the clipping office?
A) Secretary
B) Waitress
C) Teletype operator
D) Pianist
  • 39. Who helps Francie pass her college-level summer courses?
A) Ben Blake
B) Johnny Nolan
C) Michael McShane
D) Lee Rhynor
  • 40. Who proposes marriage to Katie in 1918?
A) Lee Rhynor
B) Michael McShane
C) Ben Blake
D) Johnny Nolan
  • 41. What was Michael McShane's original occupation?
A) Factory owner
B) Police officer
C) Teacher
D) Soldier
  • 42. How old is Francie at the start of Book Five?
A) 18
B) 14
C) Almost 17
D) 21
  • 43. Which young girl reminds Francie of her younger self?
A) Neeley
B) Katie
C) Florry
D) Lee
  • 44. What name does Sissy give to all her husbands and lovers before Steve?
A) William
B) James
C) Thomas
D) John
  • 45. How many stillborn children did Sissy have before having a healthy son?
A) Five
B) Zero
C) Ten
D) Two
  • 46. Which character becomes a nun?
A) Eliza
B) Sissy
C) Katie
D) Evy
  • 47. What is Willie's occupation before he leaves Evy?
A) Singing waiter
B) Construction worker
C) Policeman
D) Milk-wagon driver
  • 48. Which relative acts as a moral and practical guide for the Rommely daughters?
A) Thomas Rommely
B) Mary Rommely
C) Sissy
D) Evy
  • 49. Who is Francie's first real date?
A) Lee Rhynor
B) Ben Blake
C) Neeley
D) Steve
  • 50. What does Thomas Rommely forbid his family from speaking in the house?
A) Latin
B) German
C) English
D) Austrian
  • 51. How many children does Evy have?
A) Four
B) Three
C) Five
D) Two
  • 52. How does the text describe the book's relationship with naturalism?
A) It explicitly rejects all naturalistic themes.
B) It contains naturalistic elements but is not fundamentally naturalistic.
C) It is defined primarily as a naturalistic work.
D) It is a prime example of pure naturalism.
  • 53. What is suggested about traditional notions of right and wrong in the context of extreme poverty?
A) Poverty makes traditional notions of right and wrong irrelevant.
B) Extreme poverty changes the criteria by which these notions should be judged.
C) Poverty strengthens traditional moral standards.
D) Traditional notions should be upheld regardless of poverty.
  • 54. Why was the book significant during World War II?
A) It was a popular Armed Services Edition book.
B) It was used as a military training manual.
C) It was the only book allowed to be shipped overseas.
D) It was used to teach soldiers how to read.
  • 55. Who mentions finding inspiration in Francie Nolan in their 2005 memoir?
A) Betty Smith
B) Jeannette Walls
C) Anne Rice
D) Cindy Morgan
  • 56. According to the text, which of these is NOT an issue the book addresses?
A) Exploitation
B) The space race
C) Education
D) Coming of age
  • 57. Which rapper references the title of the book in the songs 'Some How, Some Way' and 'Interlude'?
A) Positive K
B) Snoop Dogg
C) Talib Kweli
D) Jay-Z
  • 58. Which artist refers to 'A Tree Grows in Brooklyn' in the Blackstar track 'Respiration'?
A) Drake
B) Jay-Z
C) Talib Kweli
D) Positive K
  • 59. Who recorded a song titled 'A Tree grows in Brooklyn' on a 2018 album?
A) Rosemary Rice
B) D'Arcy Carden
C) Olivia Chaney
D) Abbi Jacobson
  • 60. Which network aired the 'Studio One' adaptation of the book in 1947?
A) ABC
B) HBO
C) NBC
D) CBS
  • 61. Who starred as Francie in the 1947 CBS 'Studio One' production?
A) Olivia Chaney
B) Abbi Jacobson
C) Rosemary Rice
D) D'Arcy Carden
  • 62. In the HBO miniseries 'Band of Brothers', which character is seen reading the book?
A) Dan
B) Frank Perconte
C) Super Grover
D) Ricky
  • 63. The 'Batman' episode 'An Egg Grows in Gotham' features which villain?
A) The Penguin
B) Egghead
C) The Riddler
D) The Joker
  • 64. Which animated series features an episode titled 'A Tree Grows In Lawndale'?
A) Daria
B) Sesame Street
C) The Simpsons
D) Batman
  • 65. Which television show featured a Super Grover segment set 'where two trees grow in Brooklyn'?
A) Gossip Girl
B) Will and Grace
C) The Simpsons
D) Sesame Street
  • 66. Which season of 'The Simpsons' includes an episode called 'A Tree Grows in Springfield'?
A) Season 4
B) Season 1
C) Season 17
D) Season 24
  • 67. In which documentary series can a soldier be seen reading the book during D-Day preparations?
A) Studio One
B) The World at War
C) Morning Show
D) Band of Brothers
  • 68. In 'A League of Their Own' (2022), which character recommends the book to Carson Shaw?
A) Abbi Jacobson
B) Blair
C) Frank Perconte
D) Greta
  • 69. In 'Gossip Girl', which character tells Dan that they don't have to plant a tree just because one grows in Brooklyn?
A) Lucy
B) Blair
C) Carson Shaw
D) Grace
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