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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. According to Grandmother, when did she first meet Ishi's mother?

2. Ishi learns to stay awake for how many nights?

3. What does Tushi suggest the gray pine actually is?

4. What advice does Ishi give Timawi after Timawi suggests that they can force the saldu out of the Bushki village?

5. How does Ishi think his mother feels when he sees that she is wearing her sweetgrass bracelet?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Elder Uncle say that they should no longer hunt on the mountain next to the village?

2. What comment does Grandfather make regarding Ishi's eating after he returns from his journey?

3. What assurance does Ishi give to Timawi when Timawi observes that Tushi prefers Ishi's company?

4. What does Ishi discover when he returns to the village after he moves Mother?

5. How does Ishi know what to do with Timawi's body after he finds him dead in the woods?

6. What details about the Harvest Feast suggest that Ishi and his family are the last of their tribe?

7. How do Ishi and Tushi ensure that their presence remains hidden from the saldu?

8. How do Elder Uncle and Grandfather begin to prepare Ishi for manhood in Section 5 of "The Moon Seasons?"

9. How is Ishi's relationship with Timawi similar to his relationship with Tushi?

10. How is the Yahi creation story similar to the Judeo-Christian creation story (the creation story of the white man)?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How are Ishi and his family about to avoid the saldu for so long? Analyze the measures that the tribe takes in order to hide their existence from the saldu all around them. How do these efforts protect them? What causes these efforts to fail? In the end, was hiding their best option, or should they have taken another approach? Support you opinions with specific evidence from the text.

Essay Topic 2

Journeys are important symbolic motifs in the novel. Analyze the characters' journeys and explain the significance of these journeys. What do the characters gain from their journeys? Why is the journey necessary? Be sure to support your ideas with specific examples and quotations.

Essay Topic 3

How do Ishi's later experiences with the saldu differ from his experiences as a child and young man? How do these differences influence his decision to live with the saldu? How does his understanding and impression of them change as the novel develops, and how does it remain the same? Be sure to include specific examples to support your points.

(see the answer keys)

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