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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 Faye’s line of work?

2. What is the relationship between Albert and Geeshik?

3. What kind of animal skin does Old Shaawano use for the drum?

4. How many children does Chook have?

5. Who is Faye visiting in the first scene of the novel?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Kurt react when Davan shoots a raven in his yard?

2. What is Faye’s impression of the Tatro house?

3. How does Anaquot change her fortunes and make a new ally?

4. What does Faye refer to as her two failures?

5. How does Old Shaawano find the final element to include in the drum’s construction?

6. How does Faye break the traditional rules of the painted drum?

7. How did Faye’s sister Netta die?

8. Why do the wolves attack Anaquot and her family?

9. What is Kurt Krahe’s artistic medium?

10. What happens to the Eyke family car?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In the author’s note, Erdrich notes that “As in all of my books, no sacred knowledge is revealed” (277). Why do you think she chose to keep some of these traditional practices hidden? What role does sacred knowledge play in the story?

Essay Topic 2

What is the basis of Faye and Kurt’s relationship? What brings them together, and what keeps them apart? How does their relationship evolve over the course of the novel?

Essay Topic 3

What does craftsmanship symbolize in the novel? How do each of the characters interact with handmade items or the creation of them? What role does this play for them internally, and in the wider society as a whole?

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