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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. How does the author demonstrate that despite being poor, the sharecropper is instilling pride in his daughter?
(a) The sharecropper whips his daughter's legs and tells her to give back the moccasins Little Tree gives to her.
(b) The sharecropper chastises his daughter for talking to Little Tree.
(c) The sharecropper forbids his daughter to speak to Little Tree.
(d) The sharecropper tells Granpa to keep his grandson away from his daughter.

2. The author implies there is a special bond between Willow John and Little Tree, despite the difference in their ages. What is the cause of this bond?
(a) Both have a great sense of humor.
(b) Both have suffered the loss of their parents.
(c) Both have suffered from having to adjust to moving to the mountain area.
(d) Both are outsiders who don't quite belong in the world they occupy.

3. How does Little Tree's love and appreciation of nature help him overcome the isolation of the orphanage?
(a) From his window, he watches the moon and the sun.
(b) He gets companionship from the wind, the trees and the Dog Star.
(c) He makes friends with frogs and crickets.
(d) He gets companionship from the dogs.

4. In regard to the family that Granpa sees facing hardships on the farm, what do Granpa and the soldiers have in common?
(a) They are concerned about the children.
(b) They are prejudiced against the black man at the farm.
(c) They are motivated to provide help.
(d) They believe they have no right to be there.

5. Why does Willow John leave a long knife in church?
(a) It is a gift for Granpa that he leaves there because Indians do not make a fuss about gifts.
(b) It is a gift for Little Tree that he leaves there because Indians do not make a fuss about gifts.
(c) It is a gift for Granma that he leaves there because Indians do not make a fuss about gifts.
(d) It is a gift for the preacher that he leaves there because Indians do not make a fuss about gifts.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is the first thing that Little Tree does on the trail when he is going home from the orphanage?

2. How does Little Tree describe the effect of returning to his secret place in Chapter 20?

3. How does Mr. Wine's death shed light on the previous incident in which he prays and then walks away without acknowledging Little Tree's gratitude for the yellow coat?

4. The author shares many Cherokee symbols with the reader. What is revealed in Chapter 14 about the meaning of an Indian holding up his palm?

5. Which of the following is the best explanation for the author's inclusion of Granpa's story about the "Farm in the Clearing" in the novel?

Short Essay Questions

1. What are the main purposes served by the incident in which Granpa is bitten by the rattlesnake?

2. What are the author's reasons for introducing the sharecropper and his daughter to the reader?

3. What does Chapter 16 suggest about the place of church going in the lives of Little Tree's family?

4. How and why does Granpa's approach to people in church who are badly off differ from the approach of others?

5. How does Little Tree's love of nature help him through the misery he feels at the orphanage?

6. Give a brief summary of the events related by Granpa that lead to Little Tree's return from the orphanage.

7. During an incident in Chapter 13, poor people on the farm in the clearing are harassed and killed by government authorities. What part does this incident play in the novel?

8. Why isn't Granpa interested in talking to Mr. Slick and Mr. Chunk about putting him to work on a big whiskey still?

9. What purpose does Willow John serve in the novel?

10. What examples of prejudice and misunderstanding does Little Tree encounter at the orphanage?

(see the answer keys)

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