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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. From where was the missing vehicle rented?

2. What is a yataalii?

3. Where does Chee come from?

4. What does Chee use to jimmy the missing vehicle's wing window open?

5. According to the conversation at the Burnt Water Trading Post, what did the man seen lurking around suddenly turn into?

Short Essay Questions

1. While staring at the body Lomatewa finds off the trail, what does he notice about the body's feet?

2. According to what Largo tells Chee, what does the Drug Enforcement Agency think about the location of the drug shipment?

3. When Chee suddenly awakens in the arroyo, what sound first causes him to wake?

4. Describe the man who emerges from the car that drives to the crash site as Chee is looking for answers.

5. While staring at the body Lomatewa finds off the trail, why is Lomatewa thinking about how to handle the body?

6. When questioned by the dead pilot's attorney, how does Chee justify his conclusion as to where the plane had previously landed and taken off?

7. According to Lomatewa, why had Sotuknang destroyed the world?

8. What similarity does Chee notice about the man who was at the plane crash site and the man who almost discovered Chee's hiding place during his night in the arroyo?

9. What does Johnson assume took place when Chee and Gaines were talking at the plane crash site?

10. As Chee studies the tracks left on the ground in the wash, what does Chee deduce about the hidden car?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare and contrast T.L. Johnson and Captain Largo.

a. How are the two characters similar in terms of their professional lives? How are they different?

b. How are the two characters similar in their personality characteristics, strengths, and weaknesses? How are they different?

c. Looking forward, how might Chee's suspected involvement in the plane crash and drug trade have affected each of these men as they moved forward with their lives? Would they be similarly affected or not? Explain your answers and your reasoning.

Essay Topic 2

Hillerman uses this story to examine the role that truth plays in our daily lives. Examine the author's beliefs through his storytelling. Why would the author choose this story to overlay his demonstration of the consequences realized when the truth is distorted or hidden? What did you learn from the author's discussion on truth? What other avenues, if any, could the author have used to express his beliefs? Would those avenues have been as effective as the story? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

There is no doubt that Miss Pauling is greatly affected by the events the death of her brother. Discuss how her brother's death and the events thereafter affect not only Miss Pauling's worldview, but also her determination to find her brother's killer. How do Miss Pauling's experiences affect her mental state, her susceptibility to being used by Gaines, and her willingness to help Chee?

(see the answer keys)

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