View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does the woman in the black car ask when she stops Little Tree and Granpa on their way back from the settlement?

2. How does the driver of the vehicle who takes Little Tree to his new home treat Granma and Granpa?

3. In Chapter 4, why does Little Tree feel grown-up?

4. According to Granma, why are secret places so important?

5. According to Granpa's story, why did his father's friend enter the church with a pistol?

Short Essay Questions

1. Give an example from Chapter 4 of the author's ability to use vivid description.

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

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

4. Give two important place names and one animal's name that occur in chapter 4. Explain why the names are very appropriate.

5. Why does Little Tree go to bed feeling happy even though he has lost his father and mother?

6. Why is the trail called the "Trail of Tears" and how does the author challenge some traditional beliefs about what happened there?

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

8. What is the significance of the title of the chapter "I kin ye Bonnie Bee"?

9. What does the reader learn in Chapter 3 about the librarian's attitude to lending books to Little Tree and Granpa when they visit the library?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Comment on the importance in a novel of the point-of-view chosen by the writer and discuss with reference to this novel, the strengths and limitations of the "first -person narrative" point-of-view.

Essay Topic 2

Forrest Carter makes significant use of symbolism in the novel. Using specific examples of different types of symbols, write a detailed analysis of the author's use of symbolism throughout the novel. Where is it seen? How effectively is it used?

Essay Topic 3

Compare and contrast the author's treatment of death and loss in the first and last chapters of the novel, indicating the changes which are evident in Little Tree's reactions to these experiences.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,238 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample