Native American Literature Quiz- Honors III (T. Lassiter)
Read each question then choose letter of the best answer choice.
- 1.Define oral tradition.
- A.
The passing on from one generation to another of songs, chants, proverbs, and other verbal compositions after it has been written down.
- B.
The telling of songs, chants, proverbs, and other verbal compositions to a single generation within and between non‐literate cultures
- C.
The use of "like" or "as" to draw a comparison between two unlike things
- D.
The passing on from one generation (and/or locality) to another of songs, chants, proverbs, and other verbal compositions within and between non‐literate cultures by word of mouth
- 2.What is the author's purpose in the Zuni origin tale "The Flood"?
- A.
To include the tribe's favorite food, corn, into the myth
- B.
To warn its youth about the consequences of promiscutiy and other inquities
- C.
To explain how floods came into existence
- D.
To explain how earthquakes came into existence
- 3.Which member of the corn clan could not overlook the wrondoings of the rest of the clan?
- A.
The youngest member
- B.
The oldest member
- C.
The priest's son
- D.
The chief's son
- 4.Whom did the corn clan member pray to for help?
- A.
His dead uncle
- B.
His dead father
- C.
His dead grandmother
- D.
His dead grandfather
- 5.How was the priest's son's prayer answered?
- A.
The prayer was not answered and the people continued to live in sin
- B.
The dead uncle sent a hail storm to destroy the land
- C.
The priest's son was told to set fire to the village
- D.
The dead uncle sent an earthquake to punish the corn clan for their wrongdoings
- 6.What does the priest's son's prayers for the punishment of the tribe's iniquities tell us about the Zuni tribe?
- A.
They are nosey and stays busy tending to other people's business
- B.
The Zunis are spiritual and have a strong moral code that they live by and teach to their children
- C.
That the Zunis are afraid of earthquakes and floods
- D.
That the Zunis like to make up stories for pure entertainment
- 7.Define trickster tale.
- A.
A recurrent thematic element in an artistic or literary work.
- B.
The struggle found in fiction
- C.
Giving human qualities to animals or objects
- D.
A story about a mischievous, supernatural being
- 8.What animal is personified as the trickster in the Winnebago tale?
- A.
Bear
- B.
Coyote
- C.
Snake
- D.
Hare
- 9.What weapon does the trickster create in his first adventure?
- A.
a flint knife
- B.
A bow and arrow
- C.
A slingshot
- D.
An axe
- 10.Who is Sharp-elbow?
- A.
A genrous village chief who is known for his kindness
- B.
Hare's grandfather
- C.
A god who protects and guides Hare on his many adventures
- D.
A tyrannical village chief who is known for his elbow blades
- 11.How does Hare outsmart Sharp-elbow to retrieve his stolen arrow?
- A.
He sends a young man to retrieve it
- B.
He sends his grandmother to cast a spell on him that causes Sharp-elbow to consent to anything asked of him
- C.
He takes a whetstone with him to retrieve the arrow and when Sharp-elbow attacks he uses the whetstone for protection against the attack
- D.
He lights four prayersticks and asks the gods to retrieve it for him
- 12.What animal is personified as Hare's grandfather?
- A.
Bear
- B.
Fox
- C.
Deer
- D.
Cougar
- 13.Bear is supposed to be brave, so how does Hare trick him into being afraid?
- A.
Hare told him of a large beast living near Bear's home.
- B.
Hare took out his quiver and showed him four arrows.
- C.
Hare told thim that the country is full of wars.
- D.
Hare threated to kill him.
- 14.At the end of Hare's adventure with the headless bodies how does he turned them into "fast-fish."
- A.
The headless bodies served Hare fish.
- B.
The headless bodies tried to abuse people so they were turned into 'fast-fish' as a punishment.
- C.
The headless bodies liked to eat fish.
- D.
The headless bodies were actually creatures who evolved from fish so they were simply returned to their primordial state.
- 15.What lesson does Hare's adventure involving a tall man with a cane attempt to teach the Winnebago people?
- A.
Flattery will get you no where
- B.
Don't put of for tomorrow what you can do today
- C.
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you
- D.
Boasting shows weakness and will lead to bad things
- 16.According to "Hare's Adventure", how does he get his "burnt buttocks"?
- A.
His buttocks was scorched by the sun which he had caught in a trap
- B.
Grandmother burned him with a hot poker for being so mischievous
- C.
Hare caught his own tale on fire trying to cook himself some dinner
- D.
He was born that way
- 17.According to the myth, how did frogs loose their teeth?
- A.
Frogs used to eat rocks and one day a frog ate a rock that was too hard and smashed its teeth.
- B.
Frogs never had any teeth.
- C.
Hare hit a frog with a club and burned the frog and cursed it by declaring it would never be able to harm anyone because it threatedned to hunt the hare down with dogs.
- D.
Grandmother wanted to eat frog leg stew so she captured a frog and extracted its teeth one by one while chanting a Winnebago song, and since then frogs were without teeth.
- 18.According to Hare, what work did the Earthmaker send him to do?
- A.
To make mischief and cause trouble
- B.
To trample upon evil beings that were abusing his aunts and uncles
- C.
To play tricks on other animals to prove how intelligent he is
- D.
The hare has no purpose that is why his grandmother must always watch over him
- 19.After Hare had destroyed all the bad animals what did he decide to do next?
- A.
He decided to prepare some animals for humans to eat
- B.
He decided to go on his way and start a family of his own
- C.
He decided that there were more bad animals and set out to destroy the rest of them
- D.
The tale ended and the reader is not certain about what happened to bear
- 20.Which of the following is not an animal Hare prepared for humans to eat?
- A.
Bear
- B.
Elk
- C.
Horse
- D.
Both A and B
- 21.According to the myth, which of the following are likely hunting preparation rituals that the Winnebago perform?
- A.
Burning tobacco as an offering
- B.
Singing songs
- C.
Entering into a trance to commune with the spirits of the natural world.
- D.
All of the above
- 22.According to the myth, why must all things have an end?
- A.
The Earthmaker wanted the opportunity to creat a new race of people
- B.
Mankind would suffer because of a lack of food if there were more people than resources to care for them
- C.
Hare wished it to be so and that was how it was
- D.
Grandmother wished it to be so and that was how it was
- 23.What type of myth is the tale "The Jealous Uncle"?
- A.
Origin tale
- B.
Trickster tale
- C.
Hero tale
- D.
A fable
- 24.According to the tale, what horrible crime did the ucle commit?
- A.
He killed all of the old people
- B.
He killed all of the female children
- C.
He killed all of the male children
- D.
He killed all of the women
- 25.What did the family do to protect the children from the uncle?
- A.
They dressed the boys like girls and told them to behave as girls do
- B.
They locked the uncle away until the children were old enough to protect themselves
- C.
They dressed the girls like boys and told them to behave as boys do
- D.
They formed a mob and chased the uncle out of the village
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