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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. Why does Brennan work?

2. How did the Indians carry water for their horses?

3. Where are the Indian warriors going in Chapter 3?

4. What did the bottom of the canyon look like to Brennan?

5. What does Coyote Runs call the place he has gone to time after time to pray?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Bill tell the children about and what is the name of the canyon near them that relates to his story?

2. What does Brennan notice as he is arriving at his house in Chapter 2?

3. What does Brennan do immediately with skull and what is his guess about it?

4. What was the school Coyote Runs' attended suppose to do for him?

5. Where does the van in which Brennan is riding stop and then what do they do?

6. Why is Brennan annoyed while riding in the van? How does he feel about being there?

7. What kind of gun does Coyote Runs have and what will he be doing with the people in question #6?

8. How does the soldier find Coyote Runs and what happens when he finds Coyote Runs?

9. What does Coyote Runs believe about him and bullets and what does he do after catching up with the rest of the raiding party?

10. Where does Coyote Runs go after Magpie is shot, what has happened to him and his horse? How does that affect what he does?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Brennan worries about his mother being hurt by the men in her life.

1. With research, define the term, co-dependent and discuss whether the term could be applied to Brennan in relation to his mother.

2. Do you think a fourteen-year-old boy would notice some of his mother's feelings Brennan seems to understand in this book? Why or why not?

3. In relation to Brennan and his mother, does Brennan seem to be more the adult than his mother? Why or why not? Use examples from Canyons to support your answer.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the following:

1. What do you think are the characteristics of a successful novel?

2. Analyze and discuss Canyons based upon the criteria you decide upon in #1 and judge if Canyons is a successful novel.

3. Do you think the fact that Canyons has paranormal incidences in it changes whether it is a successful novel especially along the lines of whether it is believable? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

Brennan's mother has found the skull and called the police, taking the power of choice out of Brennan's hands. Brennan runs away and takes the skull back to the canyon.

1. Why do you think Brennan's mother called the police? Do you think this was a good decision on her part? Why or why not?

2. The above statement says that the call to the police took away Brennan's power of choice. Do you believe this is true? Why or why not?

3. Do you think Brennan was right to run away? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

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