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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. At the time of the explosion, who was the peyote chief?

2. What did Vines do when Sena started hounding members of the peyote church when the trouble between the men first started?

3. As the bacteriologist watches, a dirty truck parks illegally in the lot. What space does the truck pull into?

4. After renting the vehicle, where does Wolf first drive?

5. While Chee isn't sure he believes in visions, what does Chee believe in?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the person who illegally parks the truck in the parking lot while the bacteriologist watches from her window.

2. According to what Charley tells Chee, what is contained in the missing box?

3. According to what Vines tells Chee, who does B.J. Vines believe is responsible for the oil well explosion and why?

4. When asked by Chee, why does B.J. Vines claim that Sena dislikes Vines?

5. Why had the peyote church been outlawed by the Tribal Council?

6. According to Chee, why do Navajos lack sentimentality about corpses?

7. According to Chee's predecessor, a relationship with the tribal police was destroyed after the oil well explosion. Describe the initial rift that caused the relationship to unravel.

8. What is the malpais?

9. Even though Chee is curious about why Rosemary has requested his presence at her house, Chee does not ask her any questions. Why not?

10. How does Vines' attempt to remove Chee from the missing box investigation affect Chee?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Identify the people interested in the outcome of Chee's investigation, especially once the oil well explosion figures prominently in his questions. Compare and contrast these people in terms of their motivations, ability to plan, ability to manipulate, and success achieved. How are they similar? How are they different? Did any one person end up influencing Chee more than the others? If so, who and why? Support your answer with examples from the story.

Essay Topic 2

Throughout the novel, Jim Chee is struggling with the decision whether to remain in the Navajo world or to join the white man's world and accept a position with the FBI. Compare and contrast these two worlds. How are these two worlds regarded by Chee? What do these worlds provide for Chee? How is the story affected by Chee's relationship with each world?

Essay Topic 3

Throughout the course of the novel, Hopi and Navajo traditions abound. In fact, these traditions and rituals become a main reason behind the story's plot. Identify at least three different Hopi or Navajo traditions that affected the plot and the lives of the characters involved in the story. For each instance, describe the ritual, the characters involved, and the way Hopi or Navajo traditions affected the story's plot. How might the story have been different if these traditions had not been a part of the plot? Explain your reasoning.

(see the answer keys)

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