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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. Rushes Bear admits she has come to stay with Marie because:

2. Albertine is hardly acknowledged when she arrives at home because:

3. What responsibilities does Marie keep up in order to distract herself from unhappiness?

4. Leopolda strikes Marie with the oak pole because:

5. Marie struggles with Zelda's growing up because:

Short Essay Questions

1. Albertine's pun on the chapter title "Patient Abuse" in her nursing textbook implies what two ideas?

2. Describe Marie and Leopolda's relationship.

3. Describe the voice of Lyman Lamartine as narrator.

4. What might the eggs Andy peels, and June consumes, represent? What do eggs symbolize?

5. Choose three examples of sensory detail from the chapter and describe their uses.

6. Describe Marie's relationship with her children, Zelda and Gordie, when they were infants versus now that they are grown.

7. In what way is Marie the "foundation" of Lipsha's life?

8. Describe the character of Gerry Nanapush.

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Forgiveness plays a prominent role in Erdrich's novel. Choose three occasions in which characters show or are shown forgiveness in the novel, and use them to support a statement you believe Erdrich is saying about the nature of forgiveness.

Essay Topic 2

The novel's title, Love Medicine, is also the title of one of the chapters within. Consider Erdrich's reasons for choosing the chapter title to represent the whole novel. In your essay, defend or reject Erdrich's choice for the novel using evidence from the text to support your argument.

Essay Topic 3

Erdrich uses some Native American dialect in her novel.Choose at least three examples of dialect from the novel and explain how they contribute to the reader's understanding of character, theme, or conflict.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,048 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample