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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. Despite Dot's story to Mary in chapter 10, where is the "naughty box"?

2. During the Christmas play, with what does Dot get in a fight?

3. What kind of car is Karl driving in chapter 15?

4. With whom does Mary have a serious argument in chapter 10?

5. With what is Louis experimenting in chapter 8?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Celestine feel about the baby, Dot, in chapter 9?

2. Describe Sita's house, as pictured in chapter 13.

3. What is Celestine's opinion of Mary's cooking, as stated in chapter 11? Why does she hold this opinion?

4. As discussed in chapter 10, to whom does Dot give the wheelchair? Why?

5. Describe Dot's appearance during the Beet Festival.

6. Describe the setting in which Celestine gives birth.

7. Why does Jude Miller come to Argus in chapter 14?

8. How does Karl interact with Dot in chapter 12? Does Dot respond well? Explain.

9. How do Mary and Celestine deal with Sita's body?

10. As discussed in chapter 8, why does Sita feel bad about her estrangement from the Catholic Church?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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

Essay Topic 2

How does Erdrich use different narrators to create different effects? Choose a scene and describe how its narrator conveys the situation from a particular perspective. Then explain how the reader's perception of the scene would have been different if Erdrich had chosen a different narrator.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss at least three of the conflicts surrounding the Beet Festival and how they are interrelated. Support your thoughts with details that you remember from the novel.

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