Name: _______________________________ Period: ___ The Bean Trees study guide questionsChapter 1

1. Describe Missy's mom.

2. Where does Missy work and what does she do? How did she get the job?

3. What do you think happened between Jolene and Newt?

4. What were the two promises Missy made when she drove over the Pittman line?

5. What happens to Missy’s car in Oklahoma?

6. What does Missy get to eat while waiting?

7. What unusual/special event happened in Oklahoma?

8. Why did she name the baby Turtle?

Name: _______________________________ Period: ___ The Bean Trees study guide questions

Chapter 21. Where is Lou Ann from originally?

2. After being on the bus, explain why Lou Ann wouldn't mind living a life as a pregnant lady.

3. What part of Angel would remain with Lou Ann?

4. What are the pamphlets Lou Ann got from the doctor about?

5. How does Lou Ann’s mom feel about Angel?

6. What were the two buildings Lou Ann walked by after she got off the bus?

7. How did Angel get the name Dusty while in the rodeo?

8. What does Lou Ann discover when she gets home from the doctor’s office?

9. What did Lou Ann give kids for Halloween?

Name: _______________________________ Period: ___ The Bean Trees study guide questions10. What was Lou Ann trying to save up for with pennies?

11. What is unusual about how Lou Ann goes to bed that night?

Name: _______________________________ Period: ___ The Bean Trees study guide questions12.

Chapter 31. How does Marietta become Missy then become Taylor? (You should have

figured out by now that they are all the same girl—her name just changes).

2. Why did Taylor decide to live in Arizona?

3. What happens to Taylor's car as she pulls under shelter?

4. Describe the two men that stop by JESUS IS LORD USED TIRES.

5. Who is Mattie? Where is she from?

6. What job skills can Taylor list on her resume?

7. Who is Sandi? What's her boy's name? Describe her.

8. Why is Arizona so different to Taylor than home?

Name: _______________________________ Period: ___ The Bean Trees study guide questions

Name: _______________________________ Period: ___ The Bean Trees study guide questions

Chapter 41. Describe Lou Ann's Grandmother Logan.

2. How does Lou Ann communicate her relationship with her husband to her mother and grandmother?

3. Why does Angel return?

4. What is the baby's name and when was he born?

5. When Angel came to pack his shaving stuff what else was he looking for?

6. What does Angel do with the water from Tug Fork?

Name: _______________________________ Period: ___ The Bean Trees study guide questions

Chapter 51. Describe how Taylor was awakened each morning?

2. Explain Sandi's situation? (Why did she end up with the baby?)

3. Why did Taylor lose her job at the Burger Derby?

4. How did Fei, Timothy, and La-Isha act, in general and toward Taylor and Turtle?

5. What is the expectation of anyone who lives in the house with Fei and crew (diet and chores)?

6. What similarities did Taylor and Lou Ann discover about their lives?

7. How did Taylor and Lou Ann get along together when they met?

At the end of the chapter Lou Ann tells Taylor that she wasn't sure if Taylor wanted to move in and they have a short conversation about this. What does the conversation reveal about Lou Ann's personality?

Name: _______________________________ Period: ___ The Bean Trees study guide questionsChapter 6

1. In what ways was working for Mattie better than the job at Derby Burger?

2. What did Mattie do to Taylor to get her over her fear of exploding tires?

3. When Taylor went downtown, what did she buy?

4. What does Lou Ann’s cat do that could be considered strange?

5. Why was Taylor mad at Lou Ann when she came back; what does Taylor claim not to want?

6. What does Lou Ann buy at the grocery check out for Taylor and Turtle?

7. Why did Taylor offer Lou Ann a beer?

Name: _______________________________ Period: ___ The Bean Trees study guide questions

Chapter 71. Lou Ann takes them Taylor, Mattie, the children and friends to a special

picnic spot that she used to go to with Angel. What does she tell her friends they considered doing there?

2. When Lou Ann said "…if that had been Angel, he would’ve given himself 2 points for everyone he could hit," (129) what does she mean, and how does it describe Angel’s character?

3. What words did Turtle always seem to say? What does that suggest about her future?

4. When Estevan greeted Edna and Mrs. Parsons, what names did he use instead of their real names? Do you think these were "official" names for them (for the US), or just names made up so they wouldn’t seem like foreigners?

5. What do Taylor and Lou Ann ask Mrs. Parsons and Edna Poppy to bring over when they’re planning to watch Mattie on television?

6. When Mrs. Parsons commented about America "jibbering and jabbering till we won’t know it’s America" after Estevan told her he had worked in a Chinese restaurant, how did her statement show how she really was?

Name: _______________________________ Period: ___ The Bean Trees study guide questions7. Lou Ann asked Edna and Mrs. Parsons if they wanted anything, Edna replied

no, and stated "you children have made a delightful meal." Does she really mean children, and what does this show about her view on Taylor and Lou Ann?

8. What is Edna Poppy’s favorite color?

9. When Estevan tells the story of the Hell, why are the people starving?

10. According to Estevan how is Heaven different, why?

Name: _______________________________ Period: ___ The Bean Trees study guide questions

Chapter 81. Who does Mama marry?

2. How does Taylor feel about this?

3. How does Lou-Ann's family differ from Taylor’s?

4. What does Taylor think about guys in general and why?

5. How did Lou-Ann meet Angel?

6. How old does Dr. P. tell Taylor he believes Turtle to be?

7. What does Lou Ann do every time she looks in the mirror?

8. What is Turtle’s legal first name?

9. What is the Miracle of DogDoo Park?

Name: _______________________________ Period: ___ The Bean Trees study guide questions

Chapter 91. How did Esperanza attempt to commit suicide?

2. How does Taylor learn of Esperanza’s suicide attempt?

3. Why does Taylor feel ashamed (there is more than one answer)?

4. How are "Nutters" and "Untouchables" related to each other?

5. Who is Ismene? (In what relation to Estavan and Esperanza?)

6. What happens to her?

7. What would have been the consequences if Ismene’s parents had tried to get her back?

8. Who were the "Family of Dolls" from Taylor's point of view?

Name: _______________________________ Period: ___ The Bean Trees study guide questions

Chapter 101. In Chapter 10, why does Mattie call? How is Esperanza doing?

2. What conversation did Taylor have with Esperanza? (What was it about?)

3. What was Turtle calling 'Bean trees' and what did they look like?

4. How did Taylor figure out that Edna Poppy was blind? What was Lou Ann's reaction when Taylor told her?

5. Where did Lou Ann go for her job interview?

6. Describe the man Lou Ann meets at the interview and what Lou Ann wore.

7. What advice did Taylor give Lou Ann about Fanny Heaven?

Name: _______________________________ Period: ___ The Bean Trees study guide questions

Chapter 111. Where does Lou Ann get a job? What does she do there? Does she like it?

2. Which insect/animal made a sound annoying to Taylor?

3. When Lou Ann was little, what kind of box did she and her brother play with? What game did she play? How did she play differently than her brother?

4. What does Angel request Lou Ann to do in the package he sends her? What is her reaction?

5. Why doesn't Lou Ann feel good about her promotion at Red Hot Mama's?

Name: _______________________________ Period: ___ The Bean Trees study guide questions

Chapter 121. Why did Mattie say that July 12 was the New Year for the Indians who lived

in the Tucson Valley?

2. What did Taylor describe the ocotillo (ock-a-tee-o) plants as?

3. What happened to Turtle and Edna when they accidentally stayed out too late in Roosevelt Park?

4. How did Turtle react to the attack? What did she do afterwards?

5. Why was Lou Ann so furious with Taylor?

6. What did Lou Ann bring Taylor that made her burst into tears?

Name: _______________________________ Period: ___ The Bean Trees study guide questions

Chapter 131. What did Turtle do with the dolls?

2. What did Cynthia think this meant? What did Taylor say she was really doing?

3. What is the claim that Cynthia tells Taylor?

4. Who was Bonita Jenkenhorn? Describe her.

5. Mattie tells Taylor that most people become parents, because why?

6. What question is Taylor asking herself? What is the answer?

7. What question should she be asking?

8. What is a night-blooming cereus? What was it an omen for?

Name: _______________________________ Period: ___ The Bean Trees study guide questions

Chapter 141. Who stopped Taylor and why? Explain what happened.

2. What bothered Taylor?

3. What did Taylor find out about the Cherokee Nation?

4. What does Taylor decide to do after having no luck at the place she first met Turtle? The first time she was there it was a bar; it’s now what?

Name: _______________________________ Period: ___ The Bean Trees study guide questions

Chapter 151. What’s the name of the place where they go for their mini vacation; it has

two names?

2. In the beginning of the chapter what were Estevan and Esperanza compared to?

3. Why do you think Turtle likes Esperanza so much if she isn¹t her mother?

4. Does Esperanza know how to swim?

5. Estevan and Taylor do what after they picnic with Turtle and Esperanza?

6. Estevan asks Taylor which she likes better sunrise or sunset. She says she likes sunrise better, why?

7. When Taylor is first asked to wish on a penny does she think it is a good idea? What does she say?

8. What did Turtle bury and why?

Name: _______________________________ Period: ___ The Bean Trees study guide questions

Name: _______________________________ Period: ___ The Bean Trees study guide questions

Chapter 161. What is the significance of the name of the chapter?

2. Describe Mr. Armistead.

3. Why do you think Estevan and Esperanza agree to pretend to be Turtle’s parents for Taylor?

4. Do you think that Esperanza's tears were put out as just an act or that she really felt that Turtle was her child that she was giving away?

5. Did the adoption document seem official?

6. How do you think Turtle felt about all this?

Name: _______________________________ Period: ___ The Bean Trees study guide questions

Chapter 171. Why did the appearance of the church surprise Taylor?

2. Why was Taylor scared to call her mom at the Shell Station.

3. Why did Taylor call 1-800-THE-LORD and what happened?

4. What is the rhizobia and wisteria vines relationship and whom did Taylor compare it to?

5. Who is Cameron John? Describe him.