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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. As Chato sleeps, what does Ayah believe he looks like?
(a) A baby.
(b) A younger man.
(c) Jimmie.
(d) A warrior.

2. According to Ayah, how does the freezing come down to the ground?
(a) In slow motion.
(b) Gradually.
(c) Swiftly.
(d) Like hail.

3. Where is Chato's sister?
(a) She's been gone a long time.
(b) She lives in a city.
(c) She lives with them.
(d) She lives on a ranch.

4. What arrives at the post office in a colorful government envelope?
(a) A letter from Jimmie.
(b) An eviction notice.
(c) Letters from Danny and Ella.
(d) A welfare check.

5. What are the components of a hogan?
(a) A thatched roof with windows.
(b) A paved floor and a front door.
(c) A dirt floor and stone roof.
(d) A dirt roof and rock walls.

6. As Ayah and Chato walk in the snow, what makes Ayah laugh?
(a) Chato's joke.
(b) The snow drifts.
(c) Her fate.
(d) Chato's feet.

7. What traditional thing does Ayah and Chato do every May?
(a) Plant the garden.
(b) Visit Jimmie's grave.
(c) Travel to town.
(d) Dance in ceremony.

8. In Ayah's memory, what did Chato do the next day, after they returned home from Cebolleta?
(a) Complain about his hangover.
(b) Tend sheep.
(c) Cry.
(d) Sleep.

9. According to Ayah, what tumbles the boulders down from the mesa?
(a) Earthmover.
(b) Rainstorms and earth tremors.
(c) Snowstorms.
(d) Lightning.

10. As Ayah enjoys watching and connecting to the heavens, what does Chato do?
(a) He holds her close to him.
(b) He sings.
(c) He crawles up into the fetal position.
(d) He whispers.

11. Where did Chato decide to go to get help for he and Ayah's dietary needs?
(a) To the hogan.
(b) To the white man's ranch.
(c) Into town.
(d) To see the medicine man.

12. What does Silko use as a metaphor for the days Ayah and Chato lived together?
(a) Dirt in the arroyos.
(b) Shadows on the mesa.
(c) Painted sheep on hogan walls.
(d) Painted buffalo on cave walls.

13. During their walk, where do Ayah and Chato go to rest?
(a) Up the slope to the giant boulders.
(b) To the ranch.
(c) To a rest stop.
(d) To their hogan.

14. Why isn't Ayah sorry for Chato's dislike for his current life?
(a) She feels he should know better than to trust a white man.
(b) She feels he turns his back on his people's ways.
(c) She feels he deserves it.
(d) She feels he should accept it and be happy.

15. Why doesn't Ayah's and Chato's garden produce food?
(a) They don't take care of it.
(b) The summer heat kills it.
(c) They fail to water the garden.
(d) The sheep at the plants.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Ayah smells through the night air at the end of the story?

2. As Ayah and Chato wait for the storm to pass, what do the clouds look like?

3. What does Chato bring home in big brown boxes?

4. What do the days of Ayah and Chato's journey sound like to Ayah?

5. What color are the clouds Ayah and Chato watch as they wait against the rocks?

(see the answer keys)

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