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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. The Navajo are taught to always be _________ in dealing with others in their lives.

2. Alvord knows that Carolyn's life lacks _________, which might have helped cause her cancer, but she keeps this knowledge to herself.

3. What is the last name of Dr. Alvord, according to the description of her life in this chapter?

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

5. As a child, Alvord often has to decide whether to play with the _________ or the whites in their neighborhood and schools.

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Alvord believe her story is important for Navajo girls to hear, which is why she writes this book?

2. What did other doctors at the Gallup Indian Medical Center find challenging?

3. What does Alvord learn from her grandmother, Grace Cupp, as she grows up on the reservation?

4. What happens among the Navajo people when Alvord becomes a doctor?

5. What are some of the roles that a woman may play within the matriarchal society of the Navajo?

6. What does Alvord seek to treat when she is managing her patients, a way that develops over time?

7. How does Alvord see alcohol and its impact on the Native American people?

8. What was special about the student population at Dartmouth, where Alvord sent her college application?

9. What does Alvord have to do as a child growing up that causes her to choose between her heritages?

10. What do the Navajo people think causes cancer in those who are stricken with it?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Alvord comes to see alcoholism as a disease after witnessing the way it impacts the Navajo people.

Part 1: How would you define the condition of alcoholism?

Part 2: Do you think the alcoholism is a problem that can be stopped in the Navajo people?

Part 3: Why would a people who want to live in balance turn to alcohol?

Essay Topic 2

Alvord did not have a strong bedside manner at the start of her career, though she sought to change this.

Part 1: What are the benefits of having a positive bedside manner?

Part 2: What are some of the benefits of having a less than friendly bedside manner?

Part 3: Would you rather have a friendly doctor or a doctor who doesn't mince words? Why?

Essay Topic 3

Bernice's grandmother is hesitant to have Alvord operate on her granddaughter because of past experiences with Anglos.

Part 1: How do you think Bernice's grandmother feels about surgeons?

Part 2: Why do you think the grandmother is unwilling to separate her history from the present day experience?

Part 3: Do you think Alvord should have talked to the child's father in order to get permission to operate?

(see the answer keys)

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