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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 Tayo tell Betonie about the Ceremony Betonie has performed?

2. From where is the bartender who waits on Tayo and his friends?

3. Why did the sergeant from Isleta get a bronze star in the war?

4. How did the medicine man get to Chicago in 1903?

5. What does the old Mexican man bring Tayo when Tayo is at the café?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Tayo remember about Josiah and Night Swan?

2. What does Betonie tell Tayo about why Tayo saw Indian faces in the Japanese?

3. What does Josiah tell Tayo about the spring and how does Tayo feel about the story?

4. Where does Tayo end up finding the cattle again with the man’s help?

5. How does Rocky and Auntie feel about Josiah’s decision on how to take care of the cattle?

6. What does Betonie tell Tayo about change and trust?

7. Where is Tayo when his friends find him and what does Tayo tell himself about them?

8. How do Josiah and the boys learn about cattle care?

9. What does Tayo first do when he leaves Betonie?

10. Why does Tayo’s aunt dislike Tayo and Tayo’s mother?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

There is a contrast drawn between Native American spirituality and Christianity, and Christianity doesn't come off very well. Auntie is the only character in the story who represents the white man's religion, and her whole existence is focused on the reputation of the family.

Discuss the reasons the above statement may or may not be valid using illustrations from Auntie’s behavior that is derived from her religion and examples of the medicine man’s behavior that is derived from his spiritual beliefs.

Essay Topic 2

Tayo must deal with a lifelong self-concept fostered by Auntie and both the Pueblo Indians and the white people that he is somehow an outcast and unfit because he is neither white nor Indian.

Discuss the ways in which a person might be affected by feeling like he does not fit into any group or culture. Include in the discussion reasons the Indians and the whites might view Tayo as not belonging to their group. Use examples from Ceremony to support your response.

Essay Topic 3

Ceremony belongs to the Native American fiction genre.

Define the literary term "genre" and name three other genres in addition to the Native American fiction genre. What are the advantages and disadvantages of assigning a genre to a novel? What do you think is the difference between a Native American fiction and a science fiction novel or a mystery?

(see the answer keys)

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