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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. At the beginning of the novel, how is Little Tree taken to his new home?

2. What would be the most appropriate alternate title for Chapter 5?

3. How does the author reveal that the policeman might be wrong to put the driver of the black car in jail?

4. At the end of Chapter 2, how does Little Tree feel?

5. According to Granpa's joke, why is Ti-bi robbed by the bear, the coon and the Cherokee?

Short Essay Questions

1. Comment on the title of Chapter 10.

2. How do Granpa and Granma ensure that there is a balance in Little Tree's education?

3. According to Granma, how does the spirit-mind relate to understanding of death and nature in secret places?

4. Discuss the chief method used by the Indians to communicate beliefs and values from one generation to the other.

5. In Chapter 3, how does Granpa explain George Washington's decision to introduce a tax on whiskey? How does Granpa justify this belief?

6. State an important purpose that is served by this chapter in regard to the social setting of the book.

7. Explain two important symbols used in Chapter 9.

8. At the end of Chapter 2, why does the author end with a poem?

9. How does Little Tree's independent selection of a secret place inform the reader about his character?

10. What detailed explanation of "The Way" does Granpa's give Little Tree when the hawk, Tal-con kills a quail?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Among the important themes explored in this novel are exclusion and prejudice. Discuss the characters, circumstances and relationships through which the themes of exclusion and prejudice are explored in the novel.

Essay Topic 2

Chapter titles in this novel play a significant role in shaping the expectations of the reader or ironically commenting on the contents of the chapter. Select any four chapters whose titles you consider to be particularly significant and discuss the extent to which these titles shape the reader's expectations or ironically comment on the contents of these chapters.

Essay Topic 3

The episodes in the novel that have to do with the church and church-going present Little Tree and the reader with instances of hypocrisy and contradiction associated with Christianity. Referring closely to important incidents in the novel, discuss the author's exploration of hypocrisy and contradictions in the behavior of representatives of Christianity.

(see the answer keys)

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