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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. What does Cassidy tell Gabe Lewis did with the unborn calf?

2. Who does Gabe think shot the young elk on the Thanksgiving Classic?

3. What does Cassidy think Gabe has done in Part IV?

4. What puzzles Gabe about the circumstances of Lewis's death?

5. What does Nathan seem to see in the camper window in Part IV?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Gabe take from his father's house in Part III?

2. What does Denorah particularly dislike about some of the names the other basketball teams call her team?

3. Why are Cassidy's friends wary of his girlfriend Jo?

4. Who does Denorah see outside her eighth-grade geography window in Part III, and why is that person there?

5. Why does Gabe suddenly leave the sweat lodge in Part IV?

6. What does the Elk Spirit do to make sure she keeps an eye on Gabe in Part III?

7. What does Gabe tell Denorah in Part III that she does not know whether or not is a compiment?

8. How does Nathan Yellow Tail feel about the sweat ceremony?

9. Why are elk afraid of trains?

10. What happens to Victor when he discovers the Elk Spirit?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What do you think Jones is aiming to highlight about Indian culture through his focus on parent-child relationships and Lewis's sense of guilt about his and Peta's decision not to have children? Write an essay explaining your answers.

Essay Topic 2

How does Jones use Lewis's spiraling descent into paranoia and increasing madness to set the tone and build suspense? Write an essay explaining your answers.

Essay Topic 3

How would you describe Jones's tone throughout the novel, and why do you think he strikes a hopeful note with Denorah's choices and actions at the very end of the novel? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your analysis.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 633 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample