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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. In "In a Field of Stray Caterpillars," what is David's reaction when the janitor says that he might come to the reservation to see the caterpillars?

2. In "The Blessing Tobacco," why is Paige in David's room when he wakes up from his nap?

3. In "Food for the Common Cold," what technique is used when David says that when he returns to the kitchen, "all that remained at the table was the rest of the coffee and a freshly snubbed-out cigarette that glowed red int he ashtray" (66)?

4. By the end of "Food for the Common Cold," what do Frick and David understand about David's mother for the first time?

5. In "In a Field of Stray Caterpillars," what technique is used in the naming of Fellis's truck, "Einhell"?

Short Essay Questions

1. In "The Blessing Tobacco," what is the rhetorical function of the passage where David considers whom he should "smoke like" (108)?

2. In "In a Jar," what is implied to have happened to Paige at the end of the story?

3. In "Food for the Common Cold," when David's mother tells David's grandmother "Miracles can happen.... But I don't want to risk what happened before," what is she talking about (65)?

4. In "The Blessing Tobacco," where does David get a drink on his way home from his grandmother's, and what is the significance of this?

5. In "Food for the Common Cold," what does David do after the argument between Frick and his mother about the headstone?

6. In "The Blessing Tobacco," when David is feeling sick, how does Paige demonstrate her concern and affection?

7. In "Burn," what point about economic realities on the reservation does David make as he steps in the boot prints along the sidewalk on his way home?

8. In "In a Field of Stray Caterpillars," what does David point to as the beginning of the breakdown in his relationship with Tabitha?

9. In "Food for the Common Cold," what reason does Frick give for wanting to tear the headstone down, and what commentary does David offer about this?

10. In "The Blessing Tobacco," how does David end up smoking cigarettes at his grandmother's house?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the significance of the questions David keeps asking himself throughout "Night of the Living Rez"? How is the precise wording of his questions important, including the way this wording shifts during the story? How do these questions indicate the pivotal role this story plays in the collection's overall structure? Write an essay that analyzes the significance of David's repeated questions in "Night of the Living Rez" and that links these questions to the function of this story in the overall collection. Support your assertions with evidence drawn from throughout the collection, including quoted evidence focused on the diction David employs in "Night of the Living Rez." Cite all quoted evidence in MLA format.

Essay Topic 2

Now that you have read the entire collection, what foreshadowing do you see in the discovery of the glass jar in "In a Jar"? How does this foreshadowing relate to the symbolic function of miniatures and containers in this story? What larger theme developed in this collection does this support? Write an essay in which you analyze the symbolic function of containers and miniatures in "In a Jar" and then connect this to events that take place later in the collection, showing how this symbolism is being used to introduce one of the text's thematic motifs. Support your assertions with evidence drawn from throughout the collection, citing any quoted material in MLA format.

Essay Topic 3

How does the fact of the reservation being an island relate to the Goog'ooks in the walls of David's home? What malevolent force surrounds the reservation? How does its history as a cemetery indicate that the "evil spirits" come from inside the reservation, too? How does this relate to David's situation at home? Write an essay that creates an analogy between the physical setting of the reservation itself and David's home. Analyze the thematic significance of this analogy, supporting your analysis with evidence drawn from throughout the text. Cite all quoted evidence in MLA format.

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