The Medicine Man

Vocab meaning

100

Delicate /weak

                                   

    

frail

200

Worth noticing / important

                                   

    

notable

300

                                               

Motivate or stimulate to some creative or effective effort

                                   

    

inspire

400

                                               

A tract of public land set apart for a special purpose, as for the use of Indian tribe.

                                   

    

reservation

500

Indicate the cause of / give the origin of

                                   

    

attribute

vocab in context

100

                                               

Some students always _____ their teachers in hope of better grades.

                                   

    

flatter

200

                                               

It was ________ to get an A on the test after studying all week.

                                   

    

gratifying

300

                                               

The girl ________ admitted that she cheated on the test. 

                                   

    

sheepishly

400

                                               

After dance practice, the children ______ staggered home.

                                   

    

wearily

500

                                               

A few people _______ down the street toward the station with suitcases.

                                   

    

straggled

Comprehension

100

In "The Medicine Bag," how does Grandpa arrive at the narrator's home?

• A. He is driving an old, dust-covered car.
• B. He is riding in the back of an old pickup truck.
• C. He is traveling to the narrator's home in a police car.
• D. He is walking down the street with dogs following him.

D. He is walking down the street with dogs following him

200

In "The Medicine Bag," why does Grandpa say he has arrived for a surprise visit with the family?

• A. He wants to see where his only existing descendants live, and he wants to give Martin the medicine bag.
• B. He feels that death is now very near, and he wants to be buried where his only existing relatives live.
• C. He wants to teach his grandchildren lessons that will help them respect the old ways.
• D. He wants to see his family in person to discuss the resentment he has felt for years.

A. He wants to see where his only existing descendants live, and he wants to give Martin the medicine bag.

300

As Grandpa explains in “The Medicine Bag,” how is the medicine bag to be passed down from generation to generation?

• A. only through chiefs
• B. only through males
• C. only through females
• D. only through firstborn children

• B. only through males

400

In "The Medicine Bag," why is the pouch referred to as a medicine bag?

It holds items that protect and guide the wearer.

500

Which topic do both the short story “The Medicine Bag” and the documentary video “Apache Girl's Rite of Passage” present?

• A. rites of passage from the Sioux culture
• B. a boy's growing respect for his heritage and traditions
• C. traditions from American Indian culture
• D. a girl's transition from childhood to adulthood

C. traditions from American Indian culture

word analysis

100

Which of the following words gives the most likely meaning of wearily as it is used in this sentence?

After a ten-mile hike, we ate an early dinner and then climbed wearily into our tents.

• A. sadly
• B. tiredly
• C. playfully
• D. carefully

• B. tiredly

200

If Kris asks a question sheepishly, how does she ask it?

• A. in a bold way
• B. in a clever way
• C. in an annoying way
• D. in an embarrassed way

• D. in an embarrassed way

300

Which person best demonstrates the meaning of frail?

• A. a famous athlete signing autographs
• B. a sickly person being helped up the stairs
• C. a shopper complaining about poor service in a store
• D. a middle-school student taking high-school math classes

• B. a sickly person being helped up the stairs

400

Given the context clues in this sentence, and your understanding of how a bear might behave, which is the best choice for the meaning of bearish?

When we interrupted Mr. Lee, he glared at us and uttered a bearish “Wait until I’m finished.”

• A. sudden or unexpected
• B. rough or grumpy
• C. deeply angry
• D. very hungry

• B. rough or grumpy

500

The Latin word porcus means “hog or pig.” What kind of behavior would most likely be described as porcine?

• A. speaking in a loud voice
• B. eating greedily and sloppily
• C. acting superior to other people
• D. showing fear at signs of danger

• B. eating greedily and sloppily

reading skills

100

Which statement most clearly describes Martin in the early part of “The Medicine Bag”?

• A. Martin worries about his friends' opinions.
• B. Martin is cruel and insensitive toward others.
• C. Martin appreciates and respects Grandpa's behavior.
• D. He never reveals to his friends that Grandpa is a Sioux.

A. Martin worries about his friends' opinions.

200

In "The Medicine Bag," before Grandpa comes to visit, how does the narrator feel about talking to his friends about his Sioux grandfather?

• A. He makes fun of how Grandpa dresses and where he lives to amuse his friends.
• B. He becomes angry when the other children make fun of Grandpa's heritage.
• C. He likes the fact that his stories about Grandpa appeal to the other kids.
• D. He never reveals to his friends that Grandpa is a Sioux.

C. He likes the fact that his stories about Grandpa appeal to the other kids.

300

Which quotation from “The Medicine Bag” shows most clearly that Cheryl’s reaction to Grandpa’s visit differs from Martin’s?

• A. My kid sister, Cheryl, and I always bragged about our Lakota grandpa, Joe Iron Shell. (paragraph 2)
• B. As we supported him up the steps, the door banged open and Cheryl came bursting out of the house. (paragraph 18)
• C. So even after she married my dad, who's not an Indian, and after Cheryl and I were born, Mom made sure that every summer we spent a week with Grandpa. (paragraph 30)
• D. Nothing bothered Cheryl about bringing her friends to see Grandpa. (paragraph 45)

• D. Nothing bothered Cheryl about bringing her friends to see Grandpa. (paragraph 45)

400

In "The Medicine Bag," Grandpa describes a piece of iron his father once found.
What does the piece of iron most likely symbolize?

• A. his father's purpose in life
• B. his father's death in a coming war
• C. his father's distrust of white people
• D. his father's refusal to learn from his elders

A. his father's purpose in life

500

According to a thesaurus, the word hackneyed can be a synonym of out-of-date, stale, trite. It can be an antonym of original, new, and fresh.  Based on this information choose the most likely meaning or the word 'hackneyed'

a. illegal due to being copied

b. disgusting due to being rotten

c. annoying due to being popular

d. tiresome due to being overused.

d. tiresome due to being overused