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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. Marie smiles when she hears the Dark One in the closet because:

2. Metaphorically, Marie appeals to Nector because:

3. What interrupts Eli and Marie's exchange in the kitchen?

4. When Nector arrives, what does Marie do with the letter?

5. June was raised by:

Short Essay Questions

1. When Leopolda scolds her with the tea kettle, how does Marie's perception of her begin to change?

2. Describe the voice of Lyman Lamartine as narrator.

3. What is Nector's opinion of Marie's family?

4. What does the motif of effort in chapter 6 reveal about Nector?

5. Explain the course of events that leads to Lulu's house burning down.

6. Why did the author have Zelda find the letter from Nector rather than Marie?

7. Describe Albertine's motivation for staying with Henry though she is afraid.

8. What part do the geese play in Nector's meeting with Marie?

9. The boat and the waves in the chapter represent what different ideas for Marie and Rushes Bear?

10. What do Nector's allusions to Moby Dick and Ishmael's "great white monster" suggest?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The stories in Erdrich's novel are sometimes told in first person point of view, and sometimes in third person point of view. Consider the effect this choice has on the reader's understanding of characters and events. Using specific examples, defend or refute Erdrich's choice to vary point of view in her novel.

Essay Topic 2

Erdrich describes many vehicles throughout the novel, often using them to define characters or lifestyles. Choose 3 characters whose vehicles are described in Love Medicine, and explore their representation of characters of events. What ideas does Erdrich reveal through the vehicles her characters own or drive?

Essay Topic 3

Examine the role of boundaries in Love Medicine. Considering the physical and psychological boundaries many characters face, choose three pivotal examples in the novel, and identify a possible statement the author makes through the examples.

(see the answer keys)

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