View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Chess tell Thomas about her brother?

2. What does Chess say about the city of Seattle?

3. In what year does Johnson say he faked his death?

4. What does the guitar do during the night?

5. What does Junior dream about a car when he was young?

Short Essay Questions

1. What do Thomas and Chess do when Victor and Junior are sleeping in the van?

2. What does Victor dream about that involves his mother and his stepfather?

3. What was the mix-up with the gig in Seattle?

4. Why is Robert Johnson at the reservation, and what does Thomas say to him about Big Mom?

5. What does Thomas do with the guitar Johnson left in his van and what do Victor and Junior say to Thomas about the guitar? What do they do to the guitar?

6. What happens at a rest stop on the way to Seattle?

7. What happens when the band first arrives at Flathead Reservation and what happens about time there?

8. What does the man who Thomas meets at an intersection on the reservation first say to Thomas?

9. How did Father Arnold become a priest and how did he feel about being sent to the reservation?

10. How did Victor and Junior begin drinking and what is Thomas's drinking history?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Oftentimes, a book has more of a character-driven plot rather than action driven, and oftentimes the other way. Some books seem to balance the two. Discuss the following:

1. What do you think it means to say that a plot is character driven? Action driven?

2. How do you think a plot differs if it is character driven versus action driven?

3. Which type of plot do you find more interesting? Why?

4. Do you think it is possible to have a plot where action and character development share equal time? Why or why not.

5. What type of plot do you think Reservation Blues is? Explain your response.

Essay Topic 2

The narrative in Chapter 4 switches back and forth between the present and the past when Thomas' father, Samuel, played basketball with the tribal police. The incident with the police shows in many ways how some reservation residents resent any member of the tribe that succeeds. While some reservation residents engage in almost hero worship of one who excels, plenty of others seem to feel jealousy to the point of hatred.

1. Why do you think some poor people might get jealous of people from their circumstances doing well? Use examples from your own life and the text to support your answer.

2. What do you think is the differences in the people who hero worship someone who has done well as opposed to ones who are angry or hateful towards that person? Use examples from your own life and the text to support your answer.

3. Why do you think the police became violent when playing ball with Samuel? Use examples from your own life and the text to support your answer.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the following:

1. What is a plot? What are the most important elements of a plot and their definition? Do all novels have a plot? Why or why not?

2. Write a brief synopsis of the plot of "Reservation Blues", identifying where the various elements of the plot occur (Exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution or denouement). Do you find it difficult to identify the plot? Why or why not? What about the various elements of the plot?

3. Identify the major sub-plots and their elements in "Reservation Blues". (The subplots may not contain every element of a major plot). Do the sub-plots add to the main plot? Why or why not. Are the sub-plots interesting in and of themselves? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,326 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample