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This test consists of 5 short answer questions and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Winter had come to the land and Father Olguin was home in the ___________, alone and busy.

2. Ben remembered a girl who used to laugh the way Milly laughed. He met her at a squaw dance at ___________.

3. Abel offered an old man a lift, but the horse gave up halfway through the water and decided to ____________ in the river.

4. Ben tried to share his __________ with Abel, but Abel would not take it.

5. Who is the old man in the sentence - Abel could not understand the old man's random words.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

While the title of this book refers to a specific location, it seems to also refer to other themes which are addressed in the book.

Part 1: How does the idea of 'dawn' relate to the events which take place in this story?

Part 2: How does the idea of 'dawn' relate to Abel's life and experiences in the story?

Part 3: Why do you think M. Scott Momaday chose the title he did?

Essay Topic 2

While it's never implicitly stated, Martinez obviously has a problem with Native Americans.

Part 1: List at least three examples of how Martinez displays his problem with Native Americans.

Part 2: Why do you think Momaday doesn't seem to create a more intense character of Martinez? Wouldn't it be easier to show Martinez as a prejudiced jerk?

Part 3: What does Martinez bring to the novel? What does his presence create in the book?

Essay Topic 3

Abel makes the decision to go off to war, even though he'd never been in an automobile before or seen the world.

Part 1: Why do you think Abel decided to go off to war?

Part 2: What were some of the positive outcomes of Abel's tour in the foreign war?

Part 3: How might Abel's life have been different had he not gone off to fight in the war?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 333 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample