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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. After Ayah enters the bar, what does she neglect to do?
(a) Lower her eyes.
(b) Speak to the bartender.
(c) Pay.
(d) Close the door.

2. What are the first smells that greet Ayah when she opens the door of the bar?
(a) Cigarette smoke and warm air.
(b) Dirt.
(c) Smoke.
(d) Alcohol and smoke.

3. Who is the main character in the story?
(a) Ella.
(b) Jimmie.
(c) Chato.
(d) Ayah.

4. What is the overall tone of the first half of the story?
(a) Loss.
(b) Contentment.
(c) Peace.
(d) Joy.

5. How long did Ayah cook Chato's meals and smile at him?
(a) 40.
(b) 50.
(c) 35.
(d) 25.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why is the Spanish polka music the only sounds in the bar?

2. In the present, at the beginning of the second section, where is Ayah?

3. Ayah remembers that when Ella came to visit, she used to____.

4. Who is Ayah unable to find in the bar?

5. What point of view is the story told from?

Short Essay Questions

1. When Ayah openly accuses the whites of lying, why does Chato's words, "It's too late now", symbolic of the white and Native American relationships of the past?

2. In November, what did Ayah do when she returned to the shack with Chato?

3. Why is Ayah's hatred of the fact that Chato teaches her to sign her name a part of the theme of the story?

4. Why did Ayah feel the men look at her like she is a spider?

5. What does Silko mean when she says Ayah carries the pain of "in her belly" and that the pain is fed by everything Ayah sees?

6. What is the significance of Ayah offering half her blanket to Chato as they walk down the road?

7. What is the significance of Ayah fleeing with the children to the hills?

8. What role did Azzie's bar play in Chato's development?

9. Why did Ayah no longer feel cold after remembering weaving and her traditional clothing?

10. Why did Ayah believe Chato is a stranger?

(see the answer keys)

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