View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. How old was Shamengwa when he pretended to be sick to miss church and found his father's violin in The First Fiddle?

2. In "The First Fiddle," when Shamengwa's baby brother died, where had his oldest brother already chosen as an occupation?

3. What was the name of the manager of the 4-B's?

4. In "Shamengwa," where did Shamengwa like to sit when he was at home?

5. In "The Kindred," what did Uncle Warren think Marne would do?

Short Essay Questions

1. In "The Garage," where was John Wildstrand living and working?

2. How did Billy and Marn settle in at the farm in "The Daniels"?

3. How did Judge Coutts describe Shamengwa?

4. How did Shamengwa learn to play the fiddle?

5. How did John get caught for the kidnapping?

6. What happened after Shamengwa's father learned that he was playing the violin?

7. How did the fiddle come to Shamengwa?

8. How and when did Marn Wolde meet Billy Peace?

9. What was Evelina doing in "The 4-B's"?

10. How was Corwin caught with Shemengwa's violin?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Billy’s religion grew into a cult. What abuse did Marne and her children experience because of Billy’s religion? Why did she kill him?

Essay Topic 2

Metaphors and similes are figures of speech that are used to make comparisons between things. Metaphors seem to imply an equal comparison, while similes seem to imply a similarity between two things. Does Erdrich use more metaphors or similes in the novel? How does the use of metaphors or similes help readers comprehend concepts? How does the use of metaphors or similes help make the writing more interesting for readers?

Essay Topic 3

Corwin Peace stole Shamengwa’s violin. How was he sentenced for the crime and why?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 922 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample