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