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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. The author states in "Skywoman Falling," "The Skywoman story, shared by the original peoples throughout the Great Lakes, is a constant star in the constellation of teachings we call" what (16)?

2. Who is the Onondaga Faithkeeper who told the author, "Of course you should write about it. It’s supposed to be shared, otherwise how can it work? We’ve been waiting five hundred years for people to listen. If they’d understood the Thanksgiving then, we wouldn’t be in this mess" (142)?

3. Where did the author grow up?

4. What color bedroom was among the author's daughters' list of demands for a new home in "A Mother's Work"?

5. The author states in "Skywoman Falling" that when her people braid sweetgrass, they are braiding what?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is one of the significant morals of the Skywoman story?

2. How is Hazel described? How did the author come to know her?

3. What does witch hazel symbolize in the narrative?

4. What do wild strawberries symbolize for the author?

5. How did the author go about making maple syrup with her daughters?

6. What are some of the significant aspects of the Potawatomi language that the author points out in “Learning the Grammar of Animacy”?

7. What is significant about the narrative style in "Witch Hazel"?

8. Who is described collecting pecans in “The Council of Pecans”? What is the importance of this story?

9. What is the central theme in "The Consolation of Water Lilies"? How is this theme evoked?

10. How does the Pledge of Allegiance differ from the Thanksgiving Address?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe and discuss the stories of Nanabozho from Braiding Sweetgrass. Who is Nanabozho? What morals are gleaned from his stories? What does Nanabozho represent to the author's people and how is he seen today?

Essay Topic 2

Analyze and discuss the narrative style of Braiding Sweetgrass. From what perspective are the essays related? How would you describe the style of writing of the work? Why is narrative style important in a work such as this?

Essay Topic 3

How is motherhood treated as a theme in Braiding Sweetgrass? What symbols and metaphors relate or connect to this theme? How has motherhood influenced the author in her examination of nature and her traditional heritage?

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