View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Most people on the reservation spoke __________ as their first language, according to Alvord.

2. The main concern with cancer among the Navajo people is that they think it is _____________.

3. It is revealed later on that Alvord's paternal grandfather was a ___________ man.

4. The school where Alvord is accepted has a __________ Native American community, according to the book.

5. What is the type of bark that can be used to treat scurvy?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Alvord seek to treat when she is managing her patients, a way that develops over time?

2. What does Alvord arrange for a cancer patient, Carolyn Yazzie, when she is diagnosed with breast cancer?

3. How does Alvord see alcohol and its impact on the Native American people?

4. What happens during the surgery of Evelyn Bitsui, which leads to Alvord improving her bedside manner?

5. What does Alvord learn from her grandmother, Grace Cupp, as she grows up on the reservation?

6. What are the Navajo discouraged from doing in order to become more humble?

7. What is the background of Alvord's parents which makes her distinctly capable of working within two worlds of thought?

8. Why does Alvord believe her story is important for Navajo girls to hear, which is why she writes this book?

9. What is the job that Alvord takes after she graduates from Dartmouth?

10. What does Alvord have to do as a child growing up that causes her to choose between her heritages?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Alvord decides to see a medicine man in order to help her with her pregnancy.

Part 1: Why do you think Alvord believes a medicine man can help her?

Part 2: Do you think you would ever see a medicine man or woman?

Part 3: What can a medicine man or woman offer to Alvord that other doctors can not?

Essay Topic 2

Alvord notices that many surgeons look at human beings like machines, rather than human beings.

Part 1: Why might a surgeon look at a patient like a machine?

Part 2: What is the value of depersonalizing and dehumanizing a surgical patient?

Part 3: How might a surgeon do better work if they look at patients like human beings?

Essay Topic 3

Because she became a surgeon, many of Alvord's tribe did not recognize her as a Navajo anymore.

Part 1: Why do you think Alvord is less a part of the tribe because of her new role?

Part 2: How do you think Alvord is able to become a stronger part of the tribe because of her healing role?

Part 3: What are the similarities and differences between medicine women and surgeons?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 661 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample