Reading Check and Short Answer Questions on key points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

CHAPTERS 1-3

Reading Check

1. As the story opens, what important event does Deka anticipate with both dread and excitement?

2. What does the beautifully sewn gown and mask left by her mother symbolize to Deka?

3. What sways Deka to accept White Hands’s offer?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What accounts for the differences between how Deka feels about the approaching ritual and how Elfriede feels about it?

2. What is ironic about the choice White Hands offers?

3. What is the nature of Deka’s inner conflict?

Paired Resource

“Issue of Blood Quantum”

• This short opinion piece by Raven Madison (Eyak) examining blood quantum as a colonial tool of oppression and erasure offers students a real-world comparison for discussing the role of blood purity in systems of oppression.
• This content connects to the theme Discrimination Based on Differences.
• The concept of blood purity, as well as sexual purity, has a long history as a tool of social control and oppression. How do both blood quantum and the Ritual of Purity play roles in systemic oppression? What are the social, political, and mental ramifications for those targeted?