View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Celestine put in her Jell-O salad?

2. Russell Kashpaw keeps a lock on his shack so that which person can't enter?

3. How long does Karl stay with Wallace Pfef in part 2, chapter 9?

4. What trait does Wallace Pfef admire most in Dot?

5. What is Mary making at the beginning of chapter 13?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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. How does Wallace Pfef find out about the relationship between Celestine and Karl?

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

7. In chapter 12, what does Wallace Pfef plan in order to regain Dot's affection? Does he succeed? Explain.

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

9. Why does the Christmas play in chapter 11 end prematurely?

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

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

Compare the symbol of Adelaide's jewel box with the symbol of the jewelry itself, discussing the various characters' perceptions of each.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 696 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample