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. When the narrator visits Yellow Calf, how does the old man react to the news of the old woman's death?

2. Throughout all the years that the grandmother and Yellow Calf were separated, how far did they live from one another?

3. After the old woman became a widow, what does the text say Yellow Calf did for her?

4. After his escapades in Havre, who does the narrator ride with on his way home?

5. How does Teresa react to the death of her mother?

Short Essay Questions

1. When the narrator nearly dies in Chapter 42, what does he suddenly understand about dying?

2. While Mose and the narrator are herding cattle, what contributes to Mose's death?

3. In Chapter 42, while the narrator begins to lose consciousness after his horse slips, what does he realize?

4. When the narrator goes out to visit Yellow Calf the second time, what does he learn about his grandmother?

5. After the narrator spends several days in Havre, what does he finally want to do, and why?

6. After the old woman's death, the narrator walks out on the plains alone to think. What significant event occurs while he is out there?

7. When the narrator walks out on the plains after his grandmother's death, what does he tell Old Bird?

8. When Ferdinand Horn offers his condolences, is he truly sorry?

9. While the narrator is riding home from Havre, what does he notice about the little girl in the car and how is that significant?

10. Why does the narrator treat Marlene badly?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Is the narrator a sympathetic character? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

How does the grandmother's role in the story change by the end of the novel? How does her history affect the narrator?

Essay Topic 3

What is the goal of the main character? Toward the end of the novel, does the narrator accomplish his goal? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 711 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample