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Rituals of Memory

Total questions: 10

Worksheet time: 2hrs 40mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

The first paragraph mainly shows that the author

a)

believes that most people are innocent

b)

believes that our origins never cease to be important

c)

values his German heritage

d)

envies his friend Mary

2.

What best describes the “rhythms of life” that the author refers to in paragraph 2 of the text?

a)

paying tribute to veterans

b)

Native American culture and history

c)

the childhood and cultural experiences that shape people

d)

his Baltimore Catechism classes

3.

How does the author primarily illustrate the way different cultural groups in their area interacted?

a)

by describing her friend's stories about hair

b)

by describing learning the Baltimore Catechism

c)

by describing Native American practices such as weaving on looms and quilting

d)

by describing how American Legionnaires of European descent paid tribute to Native American warriors

4.

Which of the following passages best explains the "other education" that the author received from her parents?

a)

“...we gathered hazelnuts, went partridge hunting, fished, had long deer hunting weekends, went to powwows, went spear fishing and ice fishing, played canasta and whist, learned the daisy chain, did beadwork on looms, made candles for the fish house, sausages and quilts.”

b)

“With school being my double life. I went to a Catholic elementary school, where I earned a reputation for being quiet, obedient, pious, and intelligent.”

c)

“...my academic life is documented later at universities in Minnesota, Indiana, and Wisconsin.”

d)

“The men took drinks from the trunks of their cars, laughter and conversations emerged. . .”

5.

Which phrase best summarizes the following passage (paragraph 2)?

My memories intertwine in a strange way among the roots of various cultures: Native American, perhaps the most important in my mind, but also a German Catholic background, the culture of rural America, the close-knit bond of small towns in the Midwest, and what I suppose could be called the nature culture of Minnesota. But these various cultures did not always exist in opposition or in isolation from each other. I remember the Memorial Day celebrations when my father joined the legionnaires in their visits to all the cemeteries in Mahnomen and Nay-Tah-Waush. Uniformed, sometimes sweating in the early summer heat, they marched to the sites, stood firm while taps were played, and then, as a gesture of salute to the fallen veterans, fired over the graves. Each year, throughout the morning and afternoon, we followed the men on these rounds. We stayed, moved to goosebumps by the lonely melody of the trumpet, struggling with all the other children for the spent shells when each ceremony concluded.

a)

Different cultures came together to influence the author's childhood.

b)

The author is not proud of his German background.

c)

The author and his father enjoyed visiting cemeteries.

d)

Memorial Day was the most important day of the year for the author.

6.

Which phrase from the text best supports the author's explanation of how European culture, Native American culture, and the nature of Minnesota intertwined and influenced it?

a)

“My memories are strangely intertwined among the roots of various cultures: Native American, perhaps the most important in my mind, but also a German Catholic background, the culture of rural America, the close-knit ties of small Midwestern towns, and what I suppose could be called the culture of Minnesota's nature.”

b)

“Uniformed, sometimes sweating in the early summer heat, they marched to the sites, stood firm while taps were played, and then, as a gesture of salute to the fallen veterans, fired over the graves.”

c)

“Each year, throughout the morning and afternoon, we followed the men on these rounds.”

d)

“We stayed, moved to goosebumps by the solitary melody of the trumpet, struggling with all the other children for the spent shells when each ceremony concluded.”

7.

Which is closest to the central idea of the passage below (paragraph 8)?

No one then questioned the necessity or value of our school education. But somehow I grew up knowing that it was not the only, perhaps not even the most important, education I would need, and sometimes we would steal time from that education for the other. My parents might keep us home from school or come to fetch us at noon for some more delightful adventure on a lake or in the woods. I am still grateful for those stolen moments, because now I know by heart not only the Hail Mary, the Our Father, and the National Anthem, but the misty prayers that the water emits at dawn and the ancient song of the loon: I recognize not only the alphabet and the parts of speech in English, but the silhouetted shape of the shipoke and the intricate language of a beaver's teeth and tail.

a)

The author did not value their school education.

b)

The author's parents did not value their school education.

c)

The author learned as much from spending time in nature as in school.

d)

The author thinks their two educations were opposed to each other.

8.

Which passage from the text best supports the author's statement that she valued school, but perhaps learned even more from her "other education" by spending time in nature?

a)

“No one then questioned the necessity or value of our school education. . .”

b)

“...somehow I grew up knowing that it was not the only—perhaps not even the most important—education I would need, and sometimes we would steal time from that education for the other. . .”

c)

“My parents could keep us at home or come to pick us up at noon. . .”

d)

“I recognize not only the alphabet and the parts of speech in English. . .”

9.

Match the vocabulary word to its corresponding definition.

a)

lacking remembrance or memory

1.

oblivious

b)

material things

2.

tangibles

c)

to determine by reasoning

3.

deduce

d)

become apparent or prominent

4.

emerged

e)

having complexly related parts

5.

intricate

10.

Match the action with the person who performed it.

a)

Learned both the Baltimore Catechism and Native American rituals

1.

The author

b)

Said that Indians can hold more than one thing sacred

2.

Ed Castillo

c)

Got fingers stuck in curls

3.

Mary