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. What color are the flowers of the witch hazel plant?

2. What is the name of the Strawberry Moon in the author's people's language?

3. What does the author describe in "The Council of Pecans" as "fungal strands that inhabit tree roots" (30)?

4. Who is described as "our oldest Grandmother" in the Onondaga address?

5. What is said to be the leader of the birds in the Onondaga address in "Allegiance to Gratitude"?

Short Essay Questions

1. What morning ritual does the author describe her father performing in "An Offering"?

2. How does the author discern between a gift and a commodity?

3. How is Hazel described? How did the author come to know her?

4. What is the predominant theme in Tending Sweetgrass?

5. Who is described collecting pecans in “The Council of Pecans”? What is the importance of this story?

6. What did the author discover when she returned home in "The Consolation of Water Lilies"?

7. What does witch hazel symbolize in the narrative?

8. What do wild strawberries symbolize for the author?

9. How did the U.S. government go about enlisting Native American children in schools aimed at assimilation? What were the impacts of this process?

10. Describe the narrative style in Braiding Sweetgrass. Why is this narrative perspective important?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the meaning of sweetgrass to the Potawatomi people. What does sweetgrass symbolize? How is it used? How is it tended and harvested? What lessons can be learned from sweetgrass?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the overarching theme of reciprocity in Braiding Sweetgrass. What does reciprocity mean in relation to the environment and its plants and animals? What does it mean in relation to people? Why is reciprocity important?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the meaning of gifts in Native American culture. How was this concept misinterpreted by white settlers in the New World? How do gift economies differ from market economies? How can we go about reconciling the two?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 910 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample