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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. What does Big Mom once try to do in the past?

2. What letter does Victor find in Junior's belongings?

3. Where does Robert Johnson stay?

4. What has two non-Spokane Indians as its members?

5. What does Lester FallsApart give the rest of the members of Coyote Springs?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens when Michael White Hawk sees Victor, Junior, Betty and Veronica?

2. How does Father Arnold end up going to comfort the band?

3. What are Victor and Junior doing while Thomas and Chess are at the hotel?

4. What problem does the band encounter at the airport and what does Thomas do during the flight?

5. What does Checkers think about the band and why does she think that?

6. How does Victor see Junior again and what does he do when he sees Junior?

7. What does Junior say about his white college girlfriend?

8. How do Thomas and the sisters get money to leave the reservation and what do they see as they are leaving?

9. Why does Wright bust into Checkers' hotel room?

10. Where does Johnson stay on the reservation, what is his hope and what does Big Mom tell him?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Victor began drinking at an early age. Junior tried to avoid drinking because of what he witnessed with his parents' drinking, but Junior eventually succumbed to Victor's encouragement to drink. Thomas does not drink, but he has a father who is an alcoholic. Alcoholism has had a profound effect on the members of Coyote Springs, as it has with many Native Americans. Thomas, Victor, and Junior have all encountered tragedy due to alcoholism, whether it be one's own alcoholism or the excessive drinking of a relative.

1. What might be some of the reasons a person who had alcoholic parents and witnessing what alcoholism does would take up drinking. Use examples from your own life and the text to support your answer.

2. What are some of the circumstances on a reservation that might push people to drink even knowing that it appears Native Americans cannot genetically handle alcohol. Use examples from your own life and the text to support your answer.

3. What do you see is the difference in Thomas's personality from Victor or Junior's that would induce him to not drink even though he had an alcoholic father like Victor and Junior? Use examples from your own life and the text to support your answer.

Essay Topic 2

Although "Reservation Blues" did not end on a happy note, many novels, and perhaps a majority, of novels do end on a happy note. Discuss the following:

1. Why do you think many (most?) people want what they perceive as a happy or good ending to a novel? Explain your opinion. Do you? Why or why not?

2. What are three reasons to read fiction? Discuss each one in light of "Reservation Blues" and whether or not it fulfills all three, two or one of the reasons you mention. Give examples as to why "Reservation Blues" is or is not successful in fulfilling the reasons you discuss.

3. Do you think reading solely for entertainment is as good a reason to read as any other? Why or why not? Can any work of fiction or non-fiction, no matter how poorly written, enlighten, teach, stimulate thought? Why or why not?

4. How does the ending of Reservation Blues affect your perception of whether it is a good book or not? Would you have rather seen a more positive ending? Why do you think the author ended the book on a somewhat negative note?

Essay Topic 3

"Reservation Blues" belongs to the Native American literature genre. Discuss the following:

1. Define the literary term "genre" and give several examples of three other genres in addition to the fantasy genre.

2. Discuss two reasons why it might be useful to label a text by genre and two reasons it might be disadvantageous to label a text by genre.

3. What do you think is the difference between Native American literature and an historical novel?

(see the answer keys)

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