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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. At the graveside, what does the narrator hope the Indians who killed Hector did as they "buried his body deep in the woods" (3)?

2. At Hector's grave, the narrator wonders if it is possible for an Indian to die in what way?

3. Which South Dakota battle does the narrator say the U.S. Army massacred hundreds of unarmed people?

4. What information was carved into Hector's wooden grave marker?

5. What did one mourner say white archeologists would do 100 years from now after Hector's grave was buried?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does the narrator imagine Hector met his death after leaving for Spokane?

2. What does the narrator say about why he does not know the mourning song his mother "whisper-sang" (3) after the mourners left the cemetery?

3. What does the narrator plan to do at the end of the story?

4. What is the best thing the narrator's father ever said to him?

5. Why does the narrator feel certain Hector was most likely killed by a member of his own tribe?

6. What does one of the mourners say will happen in 100 years before they leave the cemetery?

7. At the cemetery, who does the narrator imagine is in Hector's casket?

8. Why does the narrator say it was inevitable that Hector would become "a violent man who died violently" (3)?

9. How does the narrator feel at the end of the story standing in the cemetery?

10. Why does the narrator feel certain Hector would not have been killed by a white man?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Define setting and discuss the significance of Alexie's choice of the reservation and cemetery as setting in the story. How is setting used? Why is it important?

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay examining the empty casket as a symbol in "Happy Trails." In what scenes does the empty casket appear? What is the context? How does this symbol develop the narrative?

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay examining the ending of "Happy Trails." How did the ending fit into the storyline? Do you think the ending was effective? What theme might the ending represent? What might the author have done differently?

(see the answer keys)

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