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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. From what did Wallace Pfef's "poor dead sweetheart" die?

2. Whose prescription medications does Sita have stored away for her own use?

3. Where does Dot go after leaving the Christmas play?

4. Which company does Wallace Pfef hire as a skywriter?

5. What creature does Celestine see in the baby's hair at the end of chapter 9?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Karl rescue Wallace Pfef from the dunk tank at the Beet Festival?

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

3. Describe Wallace Pfef's "poor dead sweetheart."

4. Describe Sita's hallucination in chapter 8.

5. How does Mary normally behave during a children's party?

6. Explain Mary's reaction to Celestine's Jell-O prank.

7. Describe the setting in which Celestine gives birth.

8. Why does Sheriff Pausch visit Sita's house in chapter 8, and what does he find when he gets there?

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

10. Describe Dot's appearance in costume as Joseph.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

How does the author's use of flashbacks throughout the novel fill in the reader's sense of the characters' history? Choose one character and discuss his or her life prior to the novel, as expressed in flashbacks, and then explain how this method of conveying history is helpful or unhelpful to the reader.

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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