This A Tree Grows in Brooklyn whole-novel test works for independent reading, summer reading assessment, or as part of a unit evaluation. 51 multiple-choice questions, 2 short-answer prompts, and 1 extended response. Comprehension questions only. Cut and paste questions from the list, or download the free PDF. DOCX format and the answer key available for purchase.
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A Tree Grows in Brooklyn Test / Quiz PDF
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Note: This test covers comprehension only. It does not assess literary elements. Remove pages 5 and 6 for a multiple-choice-only version.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn Test: All 51 Multiple-Choice Questions
- What do Francie and Neeley do together as little kids to make spending money?
- A. Sing songs on the street corner
- B. Collect materials for recycling
- C. Take care of people’s yards
- D. Make deliveries for the grocery store
- What sight terrifies young Francie?
- A. A dog chewing on a bone
- B. A dress flapping on a tree branch
- C. A workshop full of gears and spare parts
- D. An old man waiting in a bakery
- The narrator explains that the tree of the title likes…
- A. Poor people.
- B. High, dry places.
- C. Blood and smoke.
- D. Laughter, singing, and babies.
- Most of Book One centers on a special day called…
- A. St. Crispin’s Day.
- B. Yom Kippur.
- C. Mischief Day.
- D. Saturday.
- To make her way in Brooklyn, young Francie must master…
- A. Being invisible.
- B. The art of insult.
- C. Street fighting.
- D. Transactions / making deals.
- Mary Rommely tells her daughter that if she wants the children to have a better life, she must…
- A. Show them discipline rather than love.
- B. Leave Johnny.
- C. Move to “the old country” (Europe).
- D. Get them to read.
- Who is narrating (telling) the novel?
- A. Johnny Nolan (the father)
- B. Francie Nolan (as a little girl)
- C. Francie Nolan (as an adult)
- D. Unknown being (not participating)
- In relation to Book One, Book Two…
- A. Goes back in time.
- B. Jumps forward in time.
- C. Happens at the same time.
- D. Is narrated from a different point of view.
- In order to date Johnny, Katie must…
- A. Leave her husband.
- B. Change her church.
- C. Betray her best friend.
- D. Lie about her age.
- Francie’s favorite thing to do is…
- A. Make costumes.
- B. Read.
- C. Help elderly people.
- D. Paint / draw.
- In what way is Johnny talented?
- A. Carving wood
- B. Playing poker
- C. Writing poetry
- D. Singing and dancing
- What does Francie’s father do for a living?
- A. Truck driver
- B. Police officer
- C. Waiter
- D. Trick question! He does not work.
- Katie is _______________ whereas Johnny is _______________.
- A. Catholic / Jewish
- B. Jewish / Catholic
- C. Tough and practical / a dreamer
- D. A dreamer / tough and practical
- Why does the family decide to move for the second time?
- A. Johnny has found a new job opportunity.
- B. They move to escape their shame.
- C. They fail to pay rent and are evicted.
- D. Katie wants to be close to her mother.
- In seventh grade Francie is honored when…
- A. The principal asks her to deliver a speech.
- B. She is selected for the lead role in a play.
- C. Her story is published in a magazine.
- D. The class elects her as president.
- What kind of lessons do Katie, Francie, and Neeley take together?
- A. Martial Arts
- B. Speech
- C. Cooking
- D. Piano
- The family is terrified when the kids must…
- A. Meet with the school principal.
- B. Get shots from a doctor.
- C. Testify in a court case.
- D. Read from the Bible aloud in church.
- Which character struggles with alcoholism?
- A. Katie Nolan (mom)
- B. Johnny Nolan (dad)
- C. Neeley Nolan (brother)
- D. Sissy Rommely (aunt)
- Francie and her father devise a plan to…
- A. Steal food from a restaurant.
- B. Get a young man to do Katie’s work.
- C. Adopt a puppy.
- D. Transfer Francie to a different school.
- Francie and Neeley show their courage when they stand up to a…
- A. Flying Christmas tree.
- B. Flock of angry chickens.
- C. Woman with a water hose.
- D. Dancing horse.
- It turns into a complete disaster when Johnny decides to…
- A. Run for public office (assemblyman).
- B. Start an illegal gambling business.
- C. Start a furniture moving business.
- D. Take the kids fishing.
- The same day that Francie has her first period, she witnesses…
- A. A baby being thrown from a burning building.
- B. A sick man dying in his sleep.
- C. An old horse being butchered for meat.
- D. A woman being beaten with rocks.
- How does Uncle Willie end up in the hospital?
- A. The cops beat him with clubs.
- B. A horse kicks him in the head.
- C. His wife (Aunt Evy) poisons him.
- D. He suffers a heart attack while shoveling.
- Chapter 32 begins with excerpts (selected readings) from a(n)…
- A. Diary.
- B. Set of letters.
- C. Encyclopedia.
- D. Police report.
- How does Francie escape from the rapist?
- A. She breaks a lamp on his head.
- B. She sets off the fire alarm.
- C. Her mom shoots him.
- D. Trick question! She does not escape.
- How does Aunt Sissy convince her husband “John” to adopt a baby?
- A. She threatens to leave him.
- B. She promises to change the child’s first name.
- C. She agrees to adopt a boy.
- D. Trick question! She lies and says it is his baby.
- The bar owner, Mr. McGarrity, has a problem. What is it?
- A. The cops are on to his scheme.
- B. He owes money to the wrong people.
- C. His wife is forcing him to change his “evil ways.”
- D. He is lonely and has no one to talk to.
- The English teacher is disappointed in Francie because…
- A. Her writing is not realistic.
- B. Her writing is too realistic.
- C. She would rather be a writer than a wife.
- D. She would rather be a wife than a writer.
- What game does Katie play with the kids when times are hard?
- A. “The King and I”
- B. “Arctic Explorers”
- C. “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn”
- D. “The Queen’s Carnival”
- Francie observes that Aunt Sissy’s personality has changed since…
- A. Katie died.
- B. Her husband left her.
- C. She became a mom.
- D. She lost all her money.
- From whom does Francie receive flowers on her graduation day?
- A. Her father
- B. Her mother
- C. Her teacher, Mrs. Johnston
- D. Mr. McGarrity
- When Francie’s play is performed at graduation, it is…
- A. A complete success.
- B. A complete disaster.
- C. A success for the wrong reasons.
- D. Trick question! Her play is not performed.
- How does Katie come to own a piece of land?
- A. She inherits her father’s house.
- B. The city gives her a vacant (empty) lot.
- C. She buys a burial spot.
- D. She buys a house.
- What is Francie’s first real job?
- A. Lifeguarding at a pool
- B. Taking tickets on a trolley car
- C. Selling doughnuts in a baseball park
- D. Assembling in a factory
- What finally kills Johnny Nolan?
- A. He is shot by a police officer.
- B. He gets sick (pneumonia).
- C. He dies in a fire.
- D. He dies in a fall (possibly suicide).
- Francie’s second real job pays better and involves…
- A. Newspapers.
- B. Animals.
- C. Sick people.
- D. Dead people.
- Why does Katie decide that Neeley will return to school rather than Francie?
- A. Neeley gets better grades.
- B. Neeley is older and he is a boy.
- C. Neeley does not want to go to school.
- D. Francie would rather work.
- What does Francie buy herself for Christmas?
- A. Art supplies
- B. Underwear
- C. A tea set
- D. A ticket to a play
- What current event is everyone talking about in Book Four?
- A. World War I
- B. The invention of the atomic bomb
- C. The Moon Mission
- D. The 1930 World’s Fair
- Francie starts spending time in the big city and finds it to be…
- A. More magical than Brooklyn.
- B. Disappointing.
- C. Shocking and terrifying.
- D. Trick question! She has yet to leave Brooklyn.
- Which choice describes the relationship between Francie and Neeley as teenagers?
- A. They completely ignore one another.
- B. They despise one another and fight constantly.
- C. They are close and share their thoughts.
- D. Neeley has become the father figure.
- Who falls in love and “gets widowed, divorced, married, and pregnant — all in ten days’ time”?
- A. Katie Nolan
- B. Gertrude McFarlane
- C. Aunt Sissy
- D. Francie Nolan
- Francie tells her mother that her new plan for her education is to…
- A. Skip high school and go straight to college.
- B. Complete high school in one year.
- C. Forget schooling and travel the world.
- D. Sneak into classes and learn for free.
- The 11th time Aunt Sissy gives birth is different because…
- A. She gives birth in a hospital.
- B. She gives birth in a church.
- C. The baby dies.
- D. She finally has a girl.
- Francie regrets sleeping with Lee Rhynor because…
- A. He lied about his wife being dead.
- B. She realizes that she was not in love.
- C. She thinks that she is pregnant.
- D. Trick question! She did not sleep with him.
- Which words best describe Mr. McShane’s marriage proposal to Katie?
- A. Honest and serious
- B. Silly and childish
- C. Passionate and crazed
- D. Trick question! She proposes to him.
- Katie decides that she will not marry Mr. McShane because…
- A. He is broke and unreliable.
- B. He is not Catholic.
- C. She does not love him.
- D. Trick question! She will marry him.
- Who helps Francie survive her first college classes?
- A. Ben, a fellow student
- B. Ms. Hinkler, the librarian
- C. Mr. Kelley, a janitor
- D. Sister Theresa, a nun
- What does Francie do with her mementos (memory items)?
- A. She packs them away carefully.
- B. She throws them off the Williamsburg Bridge.
- C. She burns / melts them in the furnace.
- D. She buries them next to her favorite tree.
- The tree of the title dies when…
- A. A bulldozer runs it over.
- B. It is crushed under snow and ice.
- C. Some women chop it up for firewood.
- D. Trick question! It lives.
- The mood or feeling at the end of the novel is best described as…
- A. Angry and bitter.
- B. Optimistic and hopeful.
- C. Desperate and depressing.
- D. Romantic and passionate.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn Test: Short-Answer Questions
- Setting: Betty Smith sets her novel in 1910s Brooklyn — a setting she knows well. Describe this setting as imagined and remembered in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Use details from the novel to develop your description.
In A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Smith creates a setting of… - Theme: What is one message Betty Smith communicates through her novel A Tree Grows in Brooklyn? What does she want the reader to understand about life and/or human nature? Identify ONE message from the novel and explain how Smith relates it.
One important message developed in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is that…
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn Test: Extended Response
Francie’s personal relationships play a central role in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Identify THREE relationships that shape Francie’s personality and views. Describe each relationship using details from the novel and explain how each changes Francie. (Organizing tip: Write one body paragraph for each.)
Francie’s personal relationships shape her personality and views. Her relationships with ___________________, ___________________, and ___________________ influence her greatly.
Using This A Tree Grows in Brooklyn Test / Quiz in Your Classroom
Independent Reading Assessment
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn appears on independent reading lists at the secondary level for good reasons. Francie Nolan’s voice holds student readers — the novel’s LEXILE measure sits at 810, accessible for most high school students reading at or near grade level. The whole-novel test provides a clean, scorable accountability measure without requiring sustained in-class reading time. Note: the adult content (sexual trauma, alcoholism, mortality) makes this a high school assignment rather than a middle school one.
Summer Reading Assessment
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn appears on summer reading lists across the country. Smith’s fictionalized memoir of 1910s Brooklyn does not require a teacher’s constant guidance — students can and do read it on their own. The whole-novel test gives students a clear accountability target before the school year starts and gives teachers a first-day data point on who read.
Extra Credit
Long-form reading makes better extra credit than poster projects. Students who read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn for extra credit and sit for this test gain something real. The multiple-choice format scores quickly, and the short-answer and extended response questions give strong readers a chance to demonstrate genuine engagement with the text.
Why This Novel Works at the Secondary Level
Smith’s novel sits at the edge of genre. It reads like a memoir but carries the craft of literary fiction — distinctive point of view, masterful dialogue, layered symbolism, and a narrative structure that manipulates time without a singular central conflict. Students who read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn encounter a text that rewards analysis. Francie’s adolescent experience — poverty, family loyalty, the cost of a parent’s weakness, the question of what education actually buys — gives students something to argue about long after the test.
Get the Full Reading Test Resource
The free PDF and cut-and-paste questions above include all 51 multiple-choice questions, both short-answer prompts, and the extended response. Grades 8–12. The purchased version adds DOCX format for easy editing and a complete answer key.
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M. Towle is a veteran Language Arts and Social Studies teacher with fourteen years of classroom experience in urban schools in Los Angeles and Philadelphia. M. Towle holds an M.A. in Holocaust and Genocide Studies and is the founder of TeachNovels.com.