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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. How does Little Tree's love and appreciation of nature help him overcome the isolation of the orphanage?

2. How does the author demonstrate that despite being poor, the sharecropper is instilling pride in his daughter?

3. What is the special symbolism of the chapter title "Down From the mountain"?

4. What do Little Tree and the sharecropper's daughter have in common?

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

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Identify two specific lessons that Little Tree learns from his family and that are reinforced by Mr. Wine.

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

4. In what way does the title of Chapter 18 foreshadow the events that occur in it?

5. Give an example from Chapter 12 of how well the author uses vivid description to convey a picture of Spring to the reader.

6. How does the description of the incident with Mr. Slick and Mr. Chunk demonstrate the author's ability to use humor?

7. In what ways does the author communicate to the reader the growing fear and grief experienced by Granpa, Granma and Little Tree at the prospect of their separation?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

Throughout the novel, the author integrates the use of Standard American English with English that reflects the influence of the Cherokee language and other dialects. In light of this, discuss the advantages and limitations of using different types of language in the novel.

Essay Topic 3

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.

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