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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why does Chato often disappear at the beginning of the month?

2. What branch of the military did Jimmie go into?

3. At the beginning of the second section, what is the weather doing?

4. What does Ayah remember happening to Jimmie?

5. What kind of tree does Ayah sit under as she thinks about her life?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the importance of the lullaby at the end of the story?

2. Why didn't Ayah sleep after the children are taken from her?

3. Why did Ayah feel relieved that the wine and the government money were gone?

4. Why did Ayah not say good-bye to Danny and Ella during the last visit?

5. Why did the men in the bar remind Ayah of the first time white people brought Danny and Ella back?

6. Why was Ayah proud while amongst the men in the bar?

7. What do the scars on Chato's hands symbolize?

8. What is the significance of Ayah's tracks in the snow being filled by the falling snow until they're gone? How does this apply to Ayah's memories?

9. What did Ayah feel when she enters Azzie's Bar in search of Chato?

10. Why does Ayah point out that Chato speaks both English and Spanish during the scene with the Army official? Why is this important?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Chato spends much of their monthly welfare check on alcohol. Why does he do this? Why does Ayah believe he does this? How does this issue of shame play out in Chato's other actions? Use fact details from the text to support your answer.

Essay Topic 2

Ayah feels that she doesn't know Chato, that they become strangers. In what ways does the theme of alienation play out in the story? Use fact details from the text to support your answer.

Essay Topic 3

At the end of the story, Ayah sings a lullaby to Chato as he peacefully dies in his sleep during the bitter cold. How is the act representative of Ayah finding peace? In what ways does it support the Navajos' belief in the circle of life? What is the importance of song in Lullaby? How does the importance of oral tradition play into song and its usage in Lullaby? Use fact details from the text to support your answer.

(see the answer keys)

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