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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. Who is the main character in the story?
2. Why is the Spanish polka music the only sounds in the bar?
3. How did Jimmie actually die?
4. Ayah remembers what types of items in the black pot that are used for dying wool?
5. When Ayah looked at Chato's scarred hands and at his face, what did she think of him?
Short Essay Questions
1. Why does the death of Jimmie serve as an important memory for Ayah and for the reader?
2. What is the significance of Chato being able to go into Azzie's Bar, where once Navajos are thrown out?
3. What does Jimmie's true Navajo name being reduced to something as common as "Jimmie" in English say about the white man?
4. The opening line reads, "the sun goes down, but the snow in the wind give off its own light." How does this beginning statement serve as an introduction to the main protagonist, Ayah?
5. What is the significance of Ayah recognizing one of the white doctors who came to her home?
6. Although Ayah doesn't cry at first, she "hurts inside with anger". What does this mean and how does it fuel her anger toward the white man?
7. In what ways is the older Navajo men's warning about language--to learn their language or any of their ways endangers you--borne out throughout the story?
8. What did Ayah feel when she enters Azzie's Bar in search of Chato?
9. What is significant about Chato getting sick after the white rancher he works for fires him and evicts him from the ranch?
10. Why did Chato not like walking behind the old sheep he and Ayah owned?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
At the onset of the novel, Ayah is wrapped in Jimmie's old army blanket. Describe what all this is a metaphor for, using specific examples from the text.
Essay Topic 2
How does life and death intermix in Ayah's life? What role do they play in her connection with her people, her culture, and her family? Use fact details from the text to support your answer.
Essay Topic 3
Why does Silko end Ayah's and Chato's lives in the manner she does? Do you find this method effective ending? Why or why not? Use fact details from the text to support your answer.
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This section contains 1,191 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) |
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