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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. June was raised by:

2. Leopolda claims Marie has received the stigmata because:

3. When Marie pours syrup on her hand while thinking of Leopolda, the scene reminds the reader of what?

4. When Nector compares himself to a fish failing to breathe in an airless space, this comparison reflects:

5. What does June's "birth" from the truck foreshadow?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What does the motif of coldness suggest in the chapter?

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

4. Describe the mood of the final day Lyman and Henry spend together.

5. Consider the title "Crown of Thorns." What is suggested by the title and the use of the phrase within the chapter?

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

7. Because Nector attended a white school and could no longer remember his past, and Eli was educated by his relatives and still had his wits, what is suggested about white schooling for Native Americans?

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

9. Why is the chapter presented in third person?

10. Consider the motif of brokenness in chapter 1. Choose two people or events, or things that are "broken" and make a connection between them.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Examine the evidence of pride in the novel. Defend, refute, or qualify the notion that pride is one of the primary vices using at least three examples from the text.

Essay Topic 2

Consider the roles of men and women in Erdrich's novel. In your essay, reflect on the traditional roles portrayed by the male and female characters, and the characters who defy tradition. Describe Erdrich's attitude toward the traditional roles of men and women, and use examples to support your point.

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 956 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample