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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. How much money does Rosemary Vines offer to pay Chee as a retainer for his services?

2. At this point in his investigation, who does Chee believe is responsible for taking the missing box?

3. According to what Chee is told by his caller, who does the caller believe is responsible for taking the missing box?

4. How does B.J. Vines believe the thief got into the wall safe?

5. How does B.J Vines characterize the oil well explosion?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Why were the employees of the oil company going to "shoot" the oil well?

3. According to what B.J Vines tells Chee, why does Vines believe the box was stolen?

4. Why is Tsoodzil important to the Navajos?

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

6. When Colton Wolf receives a letter at the beginning of Chapter 8, what is the subject of the letter?

7. As Chapter 8 opens, why is Colton Wolf working on his guns?

8. Describe the second person who illegally parks the car in the parking lot while the bacteriologist watches from her window.

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

10. 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.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In many ways, the novel is a series of contrasts designed to heighten the reader's awareness and draw the reader deeper into the story and the intricacies of each of the story's characters. Identify at least three contrasts that are used in the novel. Describe these contrasts and determine how they affect the story's plot as well as the reader's emotional involvement in the characters' lives. If these identified contrasts were not included in the story, what effect would their absence have on the storyline, the characters' development, and the readers' involvement?

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

Compare and contrast how the character of Jim Chee changes as the story progresses. Be sure to include your assessment of Chee's character when he is first introduced in the story, when Chee is summoned by B.J. Vines, when Chee figures out why the roustabouts are dying, and when Chee sits with the killer as the killer is dying. Use examples from the story to support your answer.

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