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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. The real purpose for Sister Leopolda's long oak pole with the hook at the end is:

2. Gerry is the son who is most like Lulu because:

3. Nector does not notice Marie because:

4. In observing Lulu's close-knit sons, Beverly is reminded of the fact that:

5. When Nector arrives, what does Marie do with the letter?

Short Essay Questions

1. Aside from good and evil, what other conflicting forces is Marie struggling with?

2. What does the mood of the chapter suggest about Nector and Marie's future?

3. Why does Lulu choose to go to the Senior Citizens Center?

4. Describe Marie's relationship with her children, Zelda and Gordie, when they were infants versus now that they are grown.

5. Describe Marie and Leopolda's relationship.

6. What does June's "hanging" teach Marie about the girl?

7. What does the motif of effort in chapter 6 reveal about Nector?

8. Why did the author have Zelda find the letter from Nector rather than Marie?

9. What effect does the third person limited point of view have on the reader's understanding of characters in the chapter entitled "Lulu's Boys?"

10. What does Lipsha decide about death in the chapter?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Erdrich uses multiple narrators to tell her characters' stories. Consider the voices of the narrators and write and essay in which you identify the most effective voice in the novel. Use at least three examples to support your argument.

Essay Topic 2

Erdrich's characters honor and betray loyalties to one another throughout the novel. Identify three examples of loyalty or betrayal in the novel, and determine Erdrich's message about either motif in Love Medicine.

Essay Topic 3

Considering the saying "You can't go home again," choose any character from Love Medicine and examine their journey. Either agree, disagree, or qualify the aforementioned statement in a thoughtful, thorough essay, using your chosen character and events from their lives as examples.

(see the answer keys)

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