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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. A person can live a long time without a ____________, as Alvord has seen time and time again.

2. What is a common condition among the Navajo people, which is why they have to have surgery so often?

3. Robert teachers his daughters simple Navajo ________ as well a explains to them the interconnectedness of the world.

4. The medicine men also teach the white men to use Quinine to treat ___________, according to Alvord's research.

5. What subject in school has always fascinated Alvord?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

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

6. What is the job that Alvord takes after she graduates from Dartmouth?

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

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

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

10. What did Alvord find to be the case with many professional surgeons around her?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

Alvord had dated other men in her life, but she was looking to have children that were more than one-quarter Navajo.

Part 1: Why would it be important to have children that were a certain percentage of Navajo?

Part 2: How do you think Alvord's life might have changed had she married someone in the reservation?

Part 3: Do you think that a tribe can be sustained without the intermarrying of those in the tribe?

Essay Topic 3

The Navajo believe the cancer is something that is caused by a bad deed or an evil action.

Part 1: Do you believe the cancer might be partially caused by an action or an emotion?

Part 2: How do you think science shows that cancer is caused by evil actions?

Part 3: Do you think that cancer is something of which to be frightened today?

(see the answer keys)

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