88 pages 2 hours read

Richard Powers

The Overstory

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2018

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.

Reading, Discussion & Quiz Questions

Chapters 1-5

READING CHECK

1. What sort of seeds do the Hoels bring with them to Iowa?

2. How does Nick Hoel’s family die?

3. Why does Sih Hsuin (“Winston”) Ma leave China for the U.S.?

4. What heirlooms from China does Winston Ma leave his daughters?

5. What book inspires Adam Appich to study psychology in college?

6. How do Ray Brinkman and Dorothy Cazaly meet?

7. What kind of law does Ray practice?

QUIZ

1. How does the novel’s short prologue relate to the work’s title?

A) It contextualizes human history within the full history of life on Earth.

B) It takes the reader on a tour of the component parts of a forest, from roots to canopy.

C) It provides an overview of the various ways the story’s narrative threads will intersect.

D) It suggests that there are multiple layers to stories, many of which humans aren’t aware.

2. How do the Hoels commemorate the chestnut tree they planted on their farm?

A) They collect chestnut shells.

B) They use its wood to build a table.

C) They photograph it every month.

D) They commission a portrait of it.

3. What does Winston Ma do when faced with a bear at Yellowstone?

A) He speaks to it in Chinese.

B) He weeps and screams.

C) He climbs a tree.

D) He throws a rock at it.

Related Titles

By Richard Powers

Study Guide

logo

Bewilderment

Richard Powers

Bewilderment

Richard Powers

Plot Summary

logo

Galatea 2.2

Richard Powers

Galatea 2.2

Richard Powers

Study Guide

logo

Playground

Richard Powers

Playground: A Novel

Richard Powers

Study Guide

logo

The Echo Maker

Richard Powers

The Echo Maker

Richard Powers

Plot Summary

logo

The Gold Bug Variations

Richard Powers

The Gold Bug Variations

Richard Powers

Plot Summary

logo

Three Farmers on Their Way to a Dance

Richard Powers

Three Farmers on Their Way to a Dance

Richard Powers