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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. What does this spirit love?

2. How do they know this illness is a sure sign of illness caused by the spirits?

3. All Vodou lwa are represented by what?

4. Alourdes maintains that there is only one God, and one set of spirits, but different kinds of people in different kinds of religions do what?

5. During this procedure, she dreams of ____________ that makes her swear she will take the ason. She does swear it, and the medical procedure is a success.

Short Essay Questions

1. What understanding does this chapter give us regarding Alourdes and her daughter?

2. What do the initiates have to do in the cemetery?

3. What similarity exists between Marie Claire and Maggie?

4. What does this chapter reiterate about the responsibility of serving the spirits?

5. What is one of the most important lessons learned about the practice of Vodou from reading this book? How is Karen's involvement in Mama Lola's story important to most readers of this book?

6. Who does Aunt Emma represent? Why is this important?

7. How do each of the four initiates handle the initiation rites? Who handles it the best?

8. What story takes place regarding Alourdes in the previous chapter? How is this related to this chapter?

9. What are Philo's plans for Alourdes, prior to her birth? How does this plan change?

10. Who is important in this chapter? Why is she important in comparison to Alourdes?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Gede's dominon is the realm of death.

Part 1) Who is Gede? What is his role in Vodou? How important is he in Vodouism? Why? What is his connection to the other Vodou spirits?

Part 2) To whom can Gede be compared? What are the similarities and differences between Gede and this person or spirit? What do these spirits reveal about those who believe in them?

Part 3) What is the female version of Gede? How is she coming into existence? Why is she coming into existence? What does belief in her reveal about Haitian and Vodou culture?

Essay Topic 2

Many God-fearing people believe Vodou practitioners will go to hell.

Part 1) Describe a God-fearing person. How is Aunt Emma a God-fearing person? What is her purpose in this book? What does Mama Lola think about Aunt Emma and other God-fearing people? What does this say about Mama Lola and other Vodou practitioners?

Part 2) Why do many God-fearing people feel this way about Vodou practitioners? Should they feel this way? Why or why not? Mama Lola says she is a Christian. Do you agree? Why or why not?

Part 3) What are your own thoughts about those who are Christians and those who are not Christians. What are your own opinions regarding hell? Does hell exist? Should non-Christians be worried? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

Dreams are important in Vodou culture.

Part 1) Describe the dreams that are discussed in this book. How are they tied to Haitian Vodou culture? How are these dreams important in this culture?

Part 2) Are dreams important in our own culture? Why or why not? How does a Western interpretation of dreams compare to that of a Vodou interpretation? Why?

Part 3) What types of dreams are important to Americans? Why is this type of dreaming compare to the dreams one has during sleep? What does this reveal about our culture?

(see the answer keys)

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