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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. According to Chapter 11 "The Flood," when did the Koyukuk River ice start to break up?

2. Sidney went to a potlatch where he heard a high language spoken by the tribal ___ and also learned about his status as a "Siwash."

3. How much did Sidney get paid for selling his boat to John Stickman?

4. The extremely low temperatures at the Batza River, as described in chapter 9, "Deep Cold" went on for how many weeks?

5. Who did Sidney's Dad accompany that lost both legs to frostbite because of walking through less than an inch of sub-freezing water?

Short Essay Questions

1. What story did Old Man Demoski tell Sidney about the Russians when they first arrived in the Koyukon area?

2. What happened when Sidney stole a pocket knife from John Evans's store?

3. What happened when Sidney went out to check his traps in sub-freezing temperatures in Chapter 9, "Deep Cold."

4. Sidney heard rifle shots when he was 12. Why were the Nulato firing these shots?

5. Who helped Sidney build his boat and when was the boat completed, according to Chapter 10, "My First Boat?"

6. Why was the family left with only money from fur trading done in Tanana after the flood?

7. How did Sidney's family escape the flood after they realized it would rise higher than they originally anticipated?

8. What happened in Chapter 3, "Three Babes," after Anna took her three youngest children hunting and fishing?

9. When did the family restrict children to the inside during deep cold and why was a thermometer valuable?

10. What story did Sidney recount about a soldier to convey the hazards of groundwater in sub-freezing temperatures?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In one chapter, Sidney talks about Edwin Simon and how his "three lives" embody the changes in the Athapaskan culture. Who are the Athapaskan? Who is Edwin Simon? What are these "three lives," and when do they occur? How do they embody the changes in the Athapaskan culture?

Essay Topic 2

In the first few chapters of the book Sidney describes his life in Koyukuk as a young child under the age of six. Explain the challenges Sidney faced at this time in his life, including his mother's death, getting help for his sick dad, and his habit of wandering off at a young age. Also discuss how Sidney deals with each challenge.

Essay Topic 3

Sidney reflects in the last chapter of the book about his life. What does Sidney reflect on in this last chapter and what do these reflections reveal about him, his family, and his willingness to help others become more than their circumstances in the Koyukuk?

(see the answer keys)

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