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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 does Coyote Runs almost do after the raid?

2. What does Brennan recognize about the skull?

3. What is Coyote Runs doing with the warriors in question #9?

4. Where is Coyote Runs shot?

5. Why is Coyote Runs going to the answer to question #75?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Why is the event in question #1 significant to Coyote Runs and how has he prepared for this event?

3. How close is Brennan and his father and what happens that hurts his mother?

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

5. What kind of school and where is it that Coyote Runs attended and who attended with him?

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

7. What horse is Coyote Runs riding after the raid and what are his hopes concerning it?

8. What does Brennan suggest at the camp site to settle the children?

9. What happens to Coyote Runs in the chaos after the raid?

10. Why does Brennan work and for whom does he work?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss one of the following:

1. Compare/contrast Brennan to Coyote Runs. How are they alike? How are they different? Do you think their differences are mainly due to their era differences or culture?

2. Coyote Runs seems to be connected to Brennan. Do you think the connection would have occurred with anyone who happened to have found his skull? Why or why not?

3. Compare Coyote Runs' life with Brennan's life. How are they similar? How are they different? Use examples from Canyons to illustrate your comparison.

Essay Topic 2

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 3

Discuss one of the following:

1. What is the symbolism between Brennan's life and Coyote Runs' life?

2. With research define narrative contrivance and make a case for or against whether the fact it was a fourteen year old boy who runs found the skull and other contrivances, such as Brennan injuring his ankle just as Coyote Runs' ankle was injured from being shot.

3. With research, chose a group of people today who are experiencing the same type of genocide that the American Indian experienced in the 1800s. Discuss the differences and similarities between the two groups of people.

(see the answer keys)

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