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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. Which character in chapter 2 carries the cow's diamond for luck?

2. How do the characters in the first paragraph of "The Branch" travel?

3. From what part of the cow does the cow's diamond come?

4. What is the name of the mother of Karl and Mary?

5. What does Sita use on her forehead to prevent wrinkles?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Karl act when he meets Jude Miller? Why?

2. In chapter 7, why does Wallace Pfef want to see Mary?

3. Describe the appearance of Omar and Adelaide at the end of chapter 3.

4. Describe Wallace Pfef's vision for the sugar beet, as described in chapter 6?

5. Describe Sita's relationship with Jimmy in chapter 5.

6. Explain the town's reaction to Mary's accident in the ice in chapter 2.

7. Describe the appearance of the pawn shop and the objects Sita buys there in chapter 5.

8. Why does Karl hurt himself jumping on the bed in chapter 6?

9. Describe the group of men who gather in the butcher shop in chapter 4.

10. What happens to Fritzie's health in chapter 4? How does she change afterward?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What role does the sugar beet play in the novel, both as a symbol and as a plot device? Explain.

Essay Topic 2

Compare and contrast Erdrich's sense of plot and narration in the following two scenes: when Mary has her accident in the ice and when Russell Kashpaw lights his menu on fire.

Essay Topic 3

What does the Jell-O salad symbolize in the friendship between Mary and Celestine? What other objects symbolize something similar? Explain.

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