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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 is the color the overwhelms Alvord when she first gets onto her college campus?

2. What is the type of bark that can be used to treat scurvy?

3. The main concern with cancer among the Navajo people is that they think it is _____________.

4. What is Alvord's first name, as given to her when she was born?

5. The fact that Alvord is a _______ often meant that she was not recognized as a Navajo by her fellow tribespeople.

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

3. How does Alvord continue to celebrate her animal totem and her strong sense of self?

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

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

6. Why are end of life decisions difficult for many Navajos to make, according to Alvord's observations?

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

8. What did Alvord know about the Night Chant, despite what her medical training taught her?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Because she became a surgeon, many of Alvord's tribe did not recognize her as a Navajo anymore.

Part 1: Why do you think Alvord is less a part of the tribe because of her new role?

Part 2: How do you think Alvord is able to become a stronger part of the tribe because of her healing role?

Part 3: What are the similarities and differences between medicine women and surgeons?

Essay Topic 2

Alvord had to make a difficult decision when she left the reservation to attend her school.

Part 1: Why is it difficult for Alvord to leave the reservation?

Part 2: How could Alvord have made the transition smoother for herself and for her family?

Part 3: Do you think it's always necessary to be uncomfortable in order to become successful or educated?

Essay Topic 3

The Navajo people were deeply oppressed by others, causing them to have troubles handling their lives and their feelings about their lives.

Part 1: Why were the Navajo people oppressed by others?

Part 2: How might a people become oppressed by another group of people?

Part 3: Can the Navajo people change the way that others feel about them? Is this their job to do so?

(see the answer keys)

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