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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 Potawatomi word for sage?

2. What grew from the hair of Skywoman's daughter, according to the author in "Epiphany in the Beans"?

3. Where was the Carlisle Indian Industrial School located?

4. How many growth rings does John Pigeon prefer for a black ash tree for basket making?

5. Who wrote The Mishomis Book?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does domesticity in plants mean?

2. What reassured the author as her field trip with her students concluded in “The Sound of Silverbells”?

3. What findings did Laurie's thesis produce in “Mishkos Kenomagwen: The Teachings of Grass”?

4. What metaphor does Kimmerer offer for the braiding of a basket in “Wisgaak Gokpenagen: A Black Ash Basket”?

5. What lessons did Nanabozho learn from the animals, according to the narrative in “In the Footsteps of Nanabozho: Becoming Indigenous to Place"?

6. What was Nanabozho's first work, as described in “In the Footsteps of Nanabozho: Becoming Indigenous to Place"?

7. How does the author describe the process of harvesting sweetgrass in the opening of Picking Sweetgrass?

8. How is individuality treated by the author's people? Why is it important?

9. Why do polycultures often succeed above monocultures?

10. What uses for cattails did the author teach her students in “Sitting in a Circle"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the themes of immigration and naturalization among humans, plants, and animals in Braiding Sweetgrass. What does immigration mean in this regard? What does naturalization mean? In whose footsteps should we follow? Why?

Essay Topic 2

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 3

Discuss the dichotomy between traditional knowledge and science in Braiding Sweetgrass. How are the approaches to these fields different? How did the author become immersed in each? How did she resolve the differences between the two?

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This section contains 861 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample