View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. After they have cached enough food, what are the women still afraid of?

2. What does one of the hunters ask Daagoo?

3. Why do the women work in the heat of the day?

4. What do the women put on their cache to scare off predators?

5. What kind of caches do the women devise?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Daagoo believe the birch bark was stripped from the trees by the two women?

2. When they hear their names called, why do the women agree that there is no use in trying to hide?

3. What condition are The People in when they arrive at the camp where they had abandoned the two women?

4. How can the hunters tell that the old women are in better shape than The People as the winter ends?

5. What does Sa' notice about the hunters during their first conversation?

6. Why would it be difficult to see from a distance that Sa' was an old woman?

7. Why do the four hunters feel impatient about their task of searching for the old women?

8. Why does Daagoo hold out hope that the old women are still alive?

9. Why is Ch'idzigyaak afraid when The People first come to visit the two women?

10. How has the women's attitude toward The People changed in the time since they were abandoned?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The style of this book has been described as "simple," "humble," "lean," and "muscular." In your essay, find instances from the story to support these descriptions and explain why this style is or is not appropriate to the setting of the tale itself.

Essay Topic 2

At the beginning of the story, the old women thought themselves incapable of change. Their constant complaining had led them and those around them to believe that they were useless. Did the women bring about their own abandonment by the attitude they displayed over the years? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

Do you think the conflict the women face is mostly external or mostly internal? Give reasons from the story to support your opinion.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 816 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample