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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 narrator's quest?

2. Where has the narrator seen Wil before?

3. What may keep some people from understanding the insight for which Wil and the narrator are searching?

4. Who do the narrator and Webber think might have helped him?

5. Where is the narrator standing?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Williams see in his life review that also involves Long Eagle?

2. What happens to the narrator as he is attempting to recall his dream vision and what does he learn about Maya?

3. What does Wil and the narrator realize about where they are and what do they see Joel experiencing?

4. What does Wil say might be the reason no one fully understands the Tenth Insight?

5. What kind of sound does Lipcomb and the narrator hear, what do they see, what does the narrator suggest and what is Lipcomb's response?

6. What was the main event which brought the narrator to an Appalachian valley at the beginning of the book?

7. What does the narrator do that injures him and why did he do it?

8. How did the narrator determine he needed to come to an Appalachian valley?

9. What does Long Eagle say about the valley in Chapter 1?

10. What does Wil and the narrator become aware of in Maya's dream?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

During a reconnection with his Soul Group, the narrator suddenly becomes aware that Charlene had been present during the Indian-White conflict. She had been "an Indian woman of great power, but often ignored by the envious male chiefs because of her gender."

1. Do you think it is possible the chiefs ignored Charlene because of her gender or because she was so powerful? Why or why not?

2. With research, explain how women have been ignored or relegated to secondary positions in most religions.

3. Given that women have been ignored or relegated to secondary positions in most religions as true, why do you think this has occurred?

Essay Topic 2

In Chapter 6, and indeed throughout the novel, storytelling can clearly be seen as a function of thematic agenda - what happens happens because the author wants to make his philosophical point. This manifests here perhaps more blatantly and directly from other novels without such overt agendas, but at its core the purpose of storytelling remains the same no matter what story is being told - to awaken some sort of reaction and/or increased insight in the reader.

1. Explain, with examples why the first sentence above is true.

2. Why do you think a novel that overtly has an agenda would use most of the actions of the characters, the subplots, the behaviors and situations to advance that agenda more so than a typical novel.

3. Do you think the purpose of storytelling is the same no matter what story is being told - to awaken some sort of reaction and/or increased insight in the reader? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

There is a juxtaposition of two highly contrasting characters - the harsh, cynical Joel and the nurturing, insightful Maya (interesting that the cynic is a male and the nurturer is a female). The clear intention here, as the narrator himself realizes, is to create a vivid, embodied sense of the tension between what the narrative indicates are the main sources of energy on this plane of existence - the Fear and the desire to evolve.

1. Compare and contrast the characters of Maya and Joel. How are they different? How are they similar? Are they as contrasting as they seem? Why or why not? Use examples to show the harsh aspects of Maya and any nurturing aspects of Joel you can see.

2. Throughout the history of humanity women have always been thought of as being nurturing, because they bear children, and men as less so. Give an explanation, with examples, of how this view of women has been used to keep them in a lower status in the world than men.

3. Explain what behaviors of Joel indicate he is Fear based in his perspective and what behaviors of Maya's that might indicate she has a desire to evolve and why those behaviors seem to illustrate those two principles.

(see the answer keys)

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