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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. Where do Victor, Thomas and Junior practice?

2. What kind of music does the band play?

3. What does Victor want to do when he finds out they will be competing against twenty bands?

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

5. What does Checkers first tell Father Arnold when she sees him?

Short Essay Questions

1. 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?

2. How does Checkers end up getting injured at Thomas' house?

3. How does the song "Reservation Blues" come about?

4. What does Thomas do after the show at Flathead?

5. What does Checkers tell Father Arnold when she visits him?

6. What does the guitar do about Thomas singing to Chess, and what does Chess eventually do?

7. How does Lester end up with a broken nose during the game with the police?

8. What does David Walks Along find when he returns to his office from the band rehearsal and what does the band do when they hear his news?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Junior's dream is horrific in its detail. Wright and Sheridan were actual historical figures involved in the forcing of Native Americans onto reservations. While Wright might seem more compassionate to the Native American viewpoint, Sheridan seems to have no such weakness.

1. Do you think a person might be able to get insight into his/her life through a dream? Use examples from your own life and the text to support your answer.

2. What do you think is the symbolism of Wright and Sheridan in the book? Use examples from your own life and the text to support your answer.

3. What type of conflicts might Wright have had if he felt compassion for the very people he help herd onto reservations? What types of emotional and mental conflicts could he have experienced? Use examples from your own life and the text to support your answer.

Essay Topic 2

"Reservation Blues" belongs to the Native American literature genre. Discuss the following:

1. Define the literary term "genre" and give several examples of three other genres in addition to the fantasy genre.

2. Discuss two reasons why it might be useful to label a text by genre and two reasons it might be disadvantageous to label a text by genre.

3. What do you think is the difference between Native American literature and an historical novel?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the following:

1. Who is/are the protagonists of the story and why?

2. Who is/are the antagonists of the story and why?

3. Which 3 secondary characters have the greatest impact on the plot?

4. Are any of the characters dispensable and which ones? Why or why not?

5. Do you think this is a character-driven plot or an action-driven plot? Explain.

(see the answer keys)

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