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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 suggests to Ishi that the mother bear he sees is the same one that fought him for the cave?

2. Why does Ishi burn off his hair?

3. Where does Ishi go when needs to get away from the museum after his discussion with Majapa about the war?

4. What do Majapa and Maliwal scatter over the waves as their sacrifice?

5. Where does Majapa want Ishi to take him?

Short Essay Questions

1. According to Majapa, How was the Greek world similar to the Yahi world?

2. How might Ishi's actions following Mother's death be described as a type of symbolic death?

3. How have Ishi and Mother's lives changed since the disappearance of Elder Uncle and Tushi?

4. How does Majapa comfort Maliwal after Ishi's death?

5. What details lead Ishi to believe that Elder Uncle and Tushi have not survived the escape?

6. How does Ishi overcome his concern about bringing Majapa and Maliwal into the Yahi world?

7. Why does Ishi decide to go to the museum with the Stranger?

8. What does Ishi value about his relationship with the girl that he meets in the arroyo?

9. How is Ishi affected by seeing the baskets that Tushi had made?

10. How does spring bring new life to Ishi?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

When Ishi tells Majapa that the Yahi world is dead, Majapa replies, "I think it is not dead. You remember it, and I remember it." Remembering is an important theme in the novel, the memory of experiences, of places, and most importantly of people. Explain how "remembering" teaches and consoles the characters in the novel. Be sure to use specific examples as support.

Essay Topic 2

In the Yahi world, the spirit world interacts with and influences the world of the living. Explain the ways in which the living are influenced and affected by the spirits. What does this suggest about the Yahi culture? How does this affect the ways in which the Yahi view life? Be sure to include specific examples and evidence to support your explanations.

Essay Topic 3

Dreams carry a lot of significance for Ishi and his people. Analyze the importance of dreams in the novel and the influence that dreams have on the characters. Support your analysis with specific examples and quotations.

(see the answer keys)

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