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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. Who is Morris’ sister-in-law?

2. Who gave Morris his Ojibwe name?

3. What does Shawnee discover in a coat pocket?

4. What is Ira’s relationship to Shawnee?

5. Who was Alice named for?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is Ira worried when she talks to Seraphine?

2. Why does Morris fall in love with Ira?

3. Why does Ira kiss Morris?

4. What causes the fire at Ira’s house?

5. Why does Morris apologize to Ira?

6. What is Ira’s attitude towards herself?

7. Why does Ira want to ride with John instead of Morris?

8. Why is Bernard suspicious of Ira when she arrives?

9. What happened to Bernard’s family?

10. What is John’s attitude towards Ira?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

When Faye considers the nature of her work, she notes that she is not “a traditional Ojibwe” (33). Why do you think she chooses to distance herself from her cultural heritage? What other elements does she use to build an identity? Does this identity change through her journey?

Essay Topic 2

The novel suggests two possibilities for the death of Old Shaawano’s daughter: she was sacrificed by her mother, or she sacrificed herself to save them. Which story do you think is true? How does your perception of the story change for each possibility?

Essay Topic 3

Consider the author’s choice to use multiple point of view characters, with some points of view being framed as a story. Why did the author choose to tell the story of the drum this way? How do the multiple points of view contribute to the story’s themes?

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