"Navajo Lessons" Quiz

In the exposition of the short story, what is Celine's primary conflict?

• Celine's teeth are about to fall out.

• Celine was upset about being forced to spend the summer with her grandmother.

• Celine didn't know the Navajo language..

• Celine felt she would not be able to stay in shape during the summer.

Think about the meaning of the term"Shikaanilyeed!"  How does Celine's knowledge and understanding of this word prove invaluable in relation to the THEME of this piece of realistic fiction?

• Through the knowledge of the meaning of the word, she felt feel good about her family.

• The knowledge of the word helped her to enjoy staying on the reservation more because she could communicate in some way..

• Celine's grandmother was able to give her instructions because she understood the word. Therefore, Celine could help around the hogan.

• Through her knowledge of the language, Celine was able to help save her grandmother and realize the value and importance of family.

Celine is a dynamic character in the story, evidenced by the fact that she LEARNED a valuable lesson about her heritage.  What makes Celine a dynamic character?.  

• She stays the same, without making any emotional changes and focuses on her running while at Grandma's so that she'll be ready to compete in the school races.

• She realizes the importance of learning the Navajo language and the importance of her background/family when her grandmother becomes ill.

• She learns to love her grandmother and her grandmother's background because of how Josh interacts with the grandmother, even though she doesn't quite understand it all.

• Celine stays the same throughout the story and does not make any changes whatsoever.

The argument could be made that the SETTING directly affects the plot (and thus the theme).  Which of the following statements BEST illustrates this statement that , "....the setting directly affects the plot"?

• The setting is the Navajo Reservation and it is there that the story takes place.

• The story is based upon how Celine responds to the setting - the Navajo reservation - and what she learns while there..

• The setting is important because Celine does not get to spend time with her friends and she hates that tremendously!

• Because she is in a Navajo Reservation, Celine is confronted with words that she cannot understand so she has to look inside herself to figure out the meanings of those words.

During the exposition of the story, Josh's attitude about the trip contrasts with Celine's attitude in what way?

• Josh is less excited to be visiting the grandmother than Celine is.

• Josh is more optimistic about spending time with his family than Celine is.

• Josh is more excited about the experiences he can have in the wilderness than Celine is.

• Josh enjoys living in a hogan more than Celine does.

In considering the main conflict of the story, which type and specific type of conflict is seen?

• Internal Conflict -----Man vs. Society

• External Conflict ------Man vs. Nature

• Internal Conflict ---Man vs. Nature

• Internal Conflict ---Man vs. Himself

In the story, "Navajo Lessons", Shimasani tells Celine and Josh stories.  In what way are these stories important to the theme of the story?

• Shimasani's stories help to make Josh go to sleep at night more quietly/happily. He tells Celine what the grandmother is saying and Celine feels better about being with her grandmother when she begins to understand her grandmother's stories.

• Shimasani's stories are about her husband, and about the Navajo's background. In telling Josh and Celine about how the Navjos became a tribe, Celine begins to understand how important her heritage truly is.

• Josh tells Celine what the stories mean because Celine cannot understand her grandmother. As Celine listens to the words more and more she begins to understand the language more.

• Celine begins to become interested as she listens to, and tries to understand, her grandmother's stories about Celine's grandfather's experience during the war.

ANSWER THIS QUESTION AND QUESTION 11 ON ANOTHER SHEET OF PAPER!!! ---PLEASE REMEMBER TO PUT YOUR FIRST AND LAST NAME ON YOUR PAPER!!  ALSO PUT THE PERIOD IN WHICH YOU HAVE L/A CLASS!!! The THEME of this story is, "Learn about and appreciate your heritage."  List 5 SUPPORTING DETAILS (or EVENTS from the story) that illustrate to the reader that this is the theme of the short story.

Write a few sentences explaining why the title "Navajo Lessons" is an appropriate (as related to the THEME of the story) title for this short realistic fiction writing:    Use at least 2 SPECIFIC EXAMPLES from the short story itself in your answer!