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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. What is said to be a "radical proposition" in a consumer society in "Allegiance to Gratitude" (136)?

2. In the teachings of the Onondaga people, leadership is rooted not in power and authority but in what?

3. Tahawus is the Algonquin name for what mountain, according to the author in "An Offering"?

4. How many times does the author say her ancestors were "removed" in the span of a single generation in "The Council of Pecans" (21)?

5. From whose perspective is "Witch Hazel" narrated?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. How do trees communicate?

3. How does the author compare the Skywoman story with the Christian story of Creation?

4. What is the predominant theme in Tending Sweetgrass?

5. How does the author discern between a gift and a commodity?

6. What did the author discover when she returned home in "The Consolation of Water Lilies"?

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

8. What does witch hazel symbolize in the narrative?

9. Trace the relocations of the author's ancestors. Where did they originate and where are they now?

10. How is the Thanksgiving Address recited?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the meaning of maple trees for the author and her people. What do maple trees represent? How do their actions influence humankind? How might we learn from maple trees?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the botany and relationship of lichen. What is lichen comprised of? How does it interact and complement its different parts? What lesson is taught through lichen in Braiding Sweetgrass?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the tenets of the Honorable Harvest. How were these principles misinterpreted by white settlers in the New World? What is the scientific basis of the Honorable Harvest? How can we apply these tenets to our lives in contemporary society?

(see the answer keys)

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