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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 Shawnee eat from the bathroom cupboard?

2. Why does Shawnee hit Apitchi?

3. What does Apitichi’s name mean?

4. Why does Shawnee wake up in the snow?

5. What is John’s relationship with Seraphine?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happened to Bernard’s family?

2. What is Ira’s attitude towards herself?

3. What is John’s attitude towards Ira?

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

5. Which of Ira’s possessions survives the fire, and why?

6. Why does Morris apologize to Ira?

7. Why does Morris fall in love with Ira?

8. Why is Shawnee angry at her mother?

9. How does Shawnee feel about Honey?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

Essay Topic 2

Why does Old Shaawano begin offering tobacco to the Creator? What is he trying to achieve by doing this, and how does it inform his healing journey? Consider the religious, cultural, and psychological significance of his actions.

Essay Topic 3

How does the novel portray intergenerational trauma? To what extent are the characters driven by the experiences of their parents, grandparents, and ancestors?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 643 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample