CliffsNotes on

The Bean Trees

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About the Author

About the Novel

Introduction to the Novel
A Brief Synoposis
List of Characters

Summaries and Commentaries

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapters 5 & 6
Chapters 7 & 8
Chapters 9 & 10
Chapters 11 & 12
Chapter 13
Chapters 14 & 15
Chapters 16 & 17

Critical Essays

Kingsolver’s Style
Literary Tools
Major Themes in the Novel
Kingsolver’s Women
A Note about Feminism

Study Help

Quiz
Review Questions and Essay Topics

Cite this Literature Note

Would you rather . . . ?

Have a third arm.
Have hair down to your toes.
Have no nose.

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Study Help

Quiz

1:  From what point of view does author Barbara Kingsolver allow her story to unfold?

a. First person point of view

b. Omniscient point of view

c. Limited third person point of view

d. Shifting points of view (both first and limited third person)
2:  Why does Taylor name the little girl “Turtle?”

a. Because she is very shy.

b. Because the child holds onto Taylor’s clothing with a fiercely determined grip, which reminds Taylor of a mud turtle that won’t let go of what it has in its mouth.

c. Because the child seems to be withdrawn into her own little shell, not speaking or moving.

d. Because Taylor misses Kentucky and the mud turtles she remembers from her childhood home.
3:  What does Marietta Greer do to reward herself for leaving Kentucky?

a. When her car runs out of gas in Taylorville, Illinois, she renames herself “Taylor.”

b. She adopts Turtle.

c. She buys a 1955 Volkswagen Beetle.

d. She finds a new home in Tucson, Arizona.
4:  What happens when Taylor and Turtle are in Mattie’s garden planting seeds?

a. They see lightning that looks like “white ribbons.”

b. Turtle says her first word, “bean.”

c. Estevan tells them the story of his daughter Ismene.

d. Jessie comes by to see if they have anything for her still-life paintings in the garden.
5:  Why does Edna Poppy appear to look over the person she’s talking to and always wear red?

a. Because she is old fashioned and extremely formal.

b. Edna Poppy is blind and has been for years.

c. She is very shy, and red has been her favorite color since she was a little girl.

d. After many years, Edna has developed rude habits and is very opinionated about what she wears.
6:  According to Taylor, who is: “somebody I just go stuck with”?

a. Mattie

b. Lou Ann

c. Turtle

d. Estevan and Esperanza
7:  What type of “sanctuary” does Mattie have?

a. A safe haven for people escaping persecution in South America

b. A valuable bird sanctuary

c. A church sanctuary with the help of the blue-jeaned priest

d. A place for single mothers
8:  Who said the following: “I found my head rights, Mama. They’re coming with me.”

a. Taylor

b. Lou Ann Ruiz

c. Turtle

d. Esperanza
9:  Who said the following: “Some people never have anybody to lose, and . . . that’s got to be so much worse.”

a. Lou Ann

b. Mattie

c. Father William

d. Taylor
10:  Who said the following: “You already know there’s no such thing as promises. But I’ll try as hard as I can to stay with you.”

a. Estevan

b. Angel Ruiz

c. Taylor

d. Lou Ann
11:  Who said the following: “That’s the cycle of life...the old has to pass on before the new can come around.”

a. Father William

b. Mattie

c. Edna Poppy

d. Granny Logan
12:  Who said the following: “Trading Foster for [you] was the best deal this side of the Jackson Purchase.”

a. Taylor Greer (Marietta)

b. Turtle

c. Harland Elleston

d. Taylor’s Mother (Alice Jean Stamper Greer)



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