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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. What information was carved into Hector's wooden grave marker?

2. Which South Dakota battle does the narrator say the U.S. Army massacred hundreds of unarmed people?

3. Due to the violence to which Hector was born into, the narrator says it was inevitable Hector would become what?

4. What does the narrator plan to do at the end of the story as he stands in the cemetery?

5. What does the narrator think Hector may have done which got him killed?

Short Essay Questions

1. At the cemetery, who does the narrator imagine is in Hector's casket?

2. What does the narrator hopes the Indians who killed his uncle did as they buried him?

3. What is the best thing the narrator's father ever said to him?

4. How does the narrator imagine Hector met his death after leaving for Spokane?

5. Why does the narrator say it was inevitable that Hector would become "a violent man who died violently" (3)?

6. What does the narrator plan to do at the end of the story?

7. Why does the narrator feel certain Hector was most likely killed by a member of his own tribe?

8. What does one of the mourners say will happen in 100 years before they leave the cemetery?

9. What does the narrator wish one of his uncle's killers would do after the funeral?

10. How does the narrator feel at the end of the story standing in the cemetery?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay analyzing Alexie's commentary on Native American History in "Happy Trails." How is this history important to the story? How does it affect the narrative? Use textual evidence to explain your analysis.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the authors "best moments" discussed in the story. Why do you think he incorporates these into the story? How does it impact the tone and mood of the story? How does it impact your reading?

Essay Topic 3

The only characters named in the story are Hector and Agnes. Write an essay analyzing why the author chose to name only these two characters. What impact did this have on your reading? How might this choice represent the theme of inherited pain or oppression?

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