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. How old was the narrator when Hector disappeared?

2. How old was the narrator when he had his first kiss?

3. Who does the narrator say is "good at funerals"(2)?

4. What is the narrator sure Hector would have done if he were still alive?

5. Where did Hector say he was headed when he left 41 years ago?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does the narrator say his mother does which made her "good at funerals" (2)?

2. Where was Hector's casket buried? What does the narrator say about the Coeur d'Alene Catholics?

3. Why does the narrator say people have a tendency to aggrandize the dead?

4. What does the narrator decide they should do 40 years after Hector disappeared?

5. What does he say was the saddest thing said about Hector?

6. Who is Hector in relation to the narrator? When was the last time the narrator has seen him?

7. What does the narrator's mother say when he suggests they bury Hector? How does the narrator reply?

8. What was the funniest thing said at Hector's funeral?

9. What does the narrator's mother say about Indian self help books?

10. What type of person does the narrator say Hector was? How old would he be if he were alive? What does the narrator think Hector would be like?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay examining the ending of "Happy Trails." How did the ending fit into the storyline? Do you think the ending was effective? What theme might the ending represent? What might the author have done differently?

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay about what you would include in the story if it were a longer work. What did you want to know more about? Why? How might the author include the information?

Essay Topic 3

Write a brief essay about the significance of the narrator's relationship with his cousin on the story. How does this relationship move the plot?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 590 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample