The Medicine Bag

The Medicine Bag

By Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve

The Medicine Bag – MCQs (25 Questions)

Choose the correct option for each question.

  1. Who is the narrator of the story?

    a) Grandpa Joe Iron Shell
    b) Martin
    c) Cheryl
    d) Martin's father

  2. Where does Grandpa Joe Iron Shell live?

    a) Rosebud Sioux Reservation in South Dakota
    b) Iowa
    c) Minnesota
    d) Montana

  3. How old is Grandpa Joe Iron Shell when he visits?

    a) 75
    b) 80
    c) 86
    d) 90

  4. Why does Grandpa come to visit Martin's family?

    a) For medical treatment
    b) To pass the medicine bag to Martin and to see where his descendants live
    c) To stay permanently
    d) To visit friends

  5. Who is Martin's younger sibling?

    a) Joe
    b) Iron Shell
    c) Cheryl
    d) Sage

  6. What do Martin and Cheryl tell their friends about Grandpa?

    a) The complete truth
    b) Exaggerated stories about him and the Sioux way of life
    c) Nothing about him
    d) Only negative things

  7. Why is Martin initially embarrassed by his grandfather?

    a) Grandpa is poor
    b) Grandpa's traditional appearance and broken English don't match the glamorous image Martin created
    c) Grandpa doesn't like him
    d) Grandpa is sick

  8. What is the medicine bag made of?

    a) Gold
    b) Cloth
    c) Leather
    d) Wood

  9. What does the medicine bag contain?

    a) Gold coins
    b) A lock of hair from his grandfather and herbs
    c) Medicine and stones
    d) Sacred weapons

  10. What happened to Martin's grandfather during World War Two?

    a) He became a general
    b) He didn't carry the medicine bag and was killed in the war
    c) He won a medal
    d) He survived with the medicine bag

  11. How do Martin's friends react when they finally meet Grandpa?

    a) They mock him
    b) They ignore him
    c) They are respectful, curious, and impressed by his stories and wisdom
    d) They are rude to him

  12. How long does Grandpa stay with the family?

    a) One week
    b) Two weeks
    c) About two months
    d) Six months

  13. What does Grandpa tell Martin about the appropriate time for things?

    a) Everything should happen immediately
    b) Time doesn't matter
    c) Something happens only when the appropriate time has arrived
    d) Time is not important in Sioux culture

  14. What language does Grandpa speak?

    a) Only English
    b) Only Sioux
    c) Sioux and broken English
    d) French

  15. What is Grandpa's ancestry story significant for?

    a) Entertainment only
    b) To show the historical and emotional significance of the medicine bag
    c) To impress his friends
    d) To make Martin feel ashamed

  16. Why does Grandpa's father travel during his vision quest?

    a) For hunting
    b) To search for medicinal herbs and spiritual guidance
    c) To escape from people
    d) To find gold

  17. What symbol does Grandpa's father use in the medicine bag?

    a) Gold
    b) A shell of an iron kettle
    c) Silver coins
    d) Beads

  18. Who is Martin's mother in relation to Grandpa's son?

    a) His wife
    b) His sister
    c) His daughter
    d) His granddaughter

  19. Why is Martin chosen to receive the medicine bag?

    a) He is Grandpa's favorite
    b) He is the oldest male descendant in his family
    c) He is the richest
    d) He lives in the city

  20. What does Martin fear about receiving the medicine bag?

    a) It will be too heavy
    b) It will hurt him
    c) His friends will laugh at the dirty leather pouch
    d) He will lose it

  21. What do the stories within the medicine bag represent?

    a) Just entertainment
    b) Family history, spiritual beliefs, and cultural continuity
    c) Magic spells
    d) Instructions for hunting

  22. What happens to Grandpa after his stay?

    a) He returns to the reservation immediately
    b) He goes to the hospital and passes away two weeks later
    c) He stays in the city permanently
    d) He travels to other states

  23. Where does Martin go after Grandpa's death?

    a) To school
    b) To the hospital
    c) To the Sioux reservation
    d) To his friend's house

  24. What does Martin do with the medicine bag at the end of the story?

    a) He throws it away
    b) He sells it
    c) He wears it and adds sacred sage to it, accepting his heritage
    d) He hides it

  25. What is the central theme of the story?

    a) Revenge and anger
    b) Shame changing to pride and accepting cultural identity
    c) Travel and adventure
    d) Making money

Answer Key

i) b – Martin
ii) a – Rosebud Sioux Reservation in South Dakota
iii) c – 86
iv) b – To pass the medicine bag to Martin and to see where his descendants live
v) c – Cheryl
vi) b – Exaggerated stories about him and the Sioux way of life
vii) b – Grandpa's traditional appearance and broken English don't match the glamorous image Martin created
viii) c – Leather
ix) b – A lock of hair from his grandfather and herbs
x) b – He didn't carry the medicine bag and was killed in the war
xi) c – They are respectful, curious, and impressed by his stories and wisdom
xii) c – About two months
xiii) c – Something happens only when the appropriate time has arrived
xiv) c – Sioux and broken English
xv) b – To show the historical and emotional significance of the medicine bag
xvi) b – To search for medicinal herbs and spiritual guidance
xvii) b – A shell of an iron kettle
xviii) c – His daughter
xix) b – He is the oldest male descendant in his family
xx) c – His friends will laugh at the dirty leather pouch
xxi) b – Family history, spiritual beliefs, and cultural continuity
xxii) b – He goes to the hospital and passes away two weeks later
xxiii) c – To the Sioux reservation
xxiv) c – He wears it and adds sacred sage to it, accepting his heritage
xxv) b – Shame changing to pride and accepting cultural identity