Jean Hegland's "Into the Forest" Quiz

Answer: Christmas

Her older sister Eva gives her a blank notebook. She writes early on that she believes the crises caused by war, oil shortages, government, ozone, and less food will end and their lives will resume as normal.

Answer: Music

Her father gets her a metronome so that she can keep count. Dancing is what first came between the sisters--they spent their time together when they were young until Eva started dancing. Whenever the electricity comes on, the first thing Eva always does is go into the studio and dance.

Answer: He falls on his chainsaw while cutting wood.

The girls stay with him until he dies at sunset. After they bury him, Nell gets nightmares, which don't stop until she visits his grave again and sees that it hasn't been disturbed.

Answer: Boston

Supposedly everything is back to normal in Boston, though Eva thinks it's just a rumor. However, Nell refuses to leave her sister and goes back to the house after starting out with Eli.

Answer: Nell and Eva bury their father

The stump is about the size of a shed and is where they'd play Pretend. When they were kids, they treated everything--stones, flowers, mushrooms--as if they were great gifts. By the end of the book, they'll realize that these things actually are great gifts needed for survival.

Answer: Chocolate kiss

Nell tries to compensate by giving Eva all of the gum she found. Nevertheless, Eva still feels stung that Nell didn't offer to share all of the candy.

Answer: Robert

They thought it would be a girl and planned to call her Gloria, after their mother, but Eva names him Robert, after their father. By using certain herbs, both sisters breastfeed him.

Answer: Pig

After she shoots it, she feels guilty, but then, remembering why she's hunting, she begs the sow to die. When it does, she honors it by immediately gutting it and smoking the meat.

Answer: Acorns

In the book "Native Plants of Northern California," she learns what all the plants, berries and herbs are used for and how to prepare them. She learns that they can keep alive easily on acorns.

Answer: Sets the house on fire

They finally accept that their lives will not return to normal and they must forge a new lifestyle. Eva uses the gas to burn the house because she doesn't want them to be able to come back to their old way of living (and a burnt-out shell will deter any roaming thieves). The forest will provide everything they need to live.