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