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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. Alvord sees alcohol as the lubrication of __________ which allows other people to dominate the Navajo people.

2. Navajo people often want the removed _________ back after the surgery is complete, according to tradition.

3. What did Alvord NOT have that makes it difficult when she wants to apply to medical school?

4. Who is called in to help the Navajo people if they can not heal on their own?

5. What is the type of surgery that Evelyn Bitsui has to have during this section of the book's narrative?

Short Essay Questions

1. What was the background of one of Alvord's grandfathers, which allows her grandmother to understand Alvord's conflict?

2. What could the Navajo people not believe about the disease of cancer, as they had no word for it?

3. What does Alvord arrange for a cancer patient, Carolyn Yazzie, when she is diagnosed with breast cancer?

4. What does Gary Rosenberg encourage Alvord to do, though she had not considered it for herself before that time?

5. What are the Navajo discouraged from doing in order to become more humble?

6. What is the ancestral diet of the Navajo, according to Alvord?

7. What do the Navajo first think when they become ill or sick with any kind of disease?

8. What is the background of Alvord's parents which makes her distinctly capable of working within two worlds of thought?

9. Who has an alcohol problem, which leads Alvord to see alcoholism as a disease?

10. What does Alvord think about patient histories and how they describe the patients?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Carolyn's sister tells her that the cancer is all her fault, which might be shocking to some readers.

Part 1: Do you think that cancer is every anyone's fault? Why or why not?

Part 2: How do you think you would react if your sibling told you what Carolyn's sister told her?

Part 3: Why do you think Carolyn's sister felt she needed to tell her about the possible cause of her cancer?

Essay Topic 2

Alvord has troubles with dissecting a cadaver as the Navajo believe the dead should not be touched.

Part 1: Why do you think it is not respectful to touch the dead, according to the Navajo tradition?

Part 2: Do you think Alvord should have dissected the cadaver anyway?

Part 3: What might you have done if you were in Alvord's position?

Essay Topic 3

Alvord decides to avoid any sort of violence when she finds out she is pregnant.

Part 1: Do you think babies can sense violence in the world around them, even in utero?

Part 2: How do you think Alvord is limited in the things she could avoid when pregnant?

Part 3: Why do you think being pregnant means a person needs to change their life? Or does it?

(see the answer keys)

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