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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 long is the prairie fire in Chapter 2?

2. When was Red Shoes assassinated?

3. How many acres burned in the prairie fire that happened on September 22, 1991?

4. Whose gun was found at the murder scene?

5. What are the Shakbatina or Shell Shakers for the Choctaw people?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Chapter 4, how does Susan and Auda get out of the jail?

2. What does Adair do for a living, and how long has she been working at that occupation?

3. Who is Redford McAlester?

4. Why did Auda and her mother have an argument about Red McAlester in 1983?

5. When Isaac cannot work at his newspaper office, what does he do?

6. What does Isaac do when a reporter tries to interview him about the murder?

7. What is Auda Billy doing at 4 a.m. on Sunday morning in Chapter 2, and who is in the house with her?

8. In Chapter 5, what does Auda observe when she examines Adair?

9. What did Tuscalusa, Shakbatina's grandfather, do when he heard the story of the enemy coming?

10. Where does Auda live, and what brief history of the place does the narrator provide?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Shakbatina comments that she has been waiting for revenge for centuries. Why has Shakbatina been waiting for revenge for centuries? How does she get revenge?

Essay Topic 2

McAlester was the chief of the Choctaw people in Durant. How did McAlester use the power he had? How did he abuse his power?

Essay Topic 3

In the novel, some characters are more thoroughly described than others. Who are some characters that are merely named in passing or have a minor role in the novel? What is the importance of these flat characters to the story line? In what way do these characters make the main characters more colorful or interesting? When there is conflict, what type of role do these flat characters play?

(see the answer keys)

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