Medicine Walk

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

Chapters 1-4

Reading Check

1. Where does Frank go to visit Eldon?

2. Why do the kids in Eldon’s town yell at Frank and call him names?

3. What is the name of the woman Eldon is with when Frank finds his rooming house?

4. What type of burial does Eldon ask Frank to give him?

Short Answer

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

1. Why does Bunky caution Frank against going to his father? Why does Frank decide to go despite Bunky’s warning?

2. What skills does Frank possess that allow him to survive in the wilderness?

3. How does the novel make use of imagery to describe the town where Eldon lives?

4. What in the novel hints at Frank’s connection to the land?

Paired Resource

“Ojibwe”

• This article from the Canadian Encyclopedia describes the Ojibway (Ojibwe) tribe and their customs.
• Shared themes include The Nature-Human Continuum and The Dangers of the White Man’s World.
• How were the Ojibway people part of the early colonial economy? Where did the Ojibway people generally live prior to colonization? How did the Ojibway live before contact with the Europeans? What is the importance of oral traditions in Ojibway culture? How did life change for the Ojibway after contact with Europeans?

“Ojibway Burial Practices”

• This article from the “Story Nations” project describes the burial practices of the Ojibway people observed by early missionaries.
• Shared themes include The Nature-Human Continuum and Virtue.
• What items were used in Ojibway burial? What are the beliefs regarding the Ojibway afterlife? What were the ceremonial practices of Ojibway burials?

Chapters 5-8

Reading Check

1. What does Eldon give Bunky on occasion because he cares for Frank?

2. What does Frank describe as “learning to walk again”?

3. Who buys the items for Frank and Eldon’s journey?

4. What did Eldon pawn his saw for, preventing him from continuing lumber work?

Short Answer

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

1. What comparison is made by Frank between Bunky and Eldon? How does Frank feel about Bunky and Eldon?

2. What does Bunky teach Frank about hunting?

3. Why did Eldon feel as though he didn’t belong anywhere when he was young? What does this realization teach Frank?

Paired Resource

“Multiracial Identities and Resilience to Racism: The Role of Families”

• This article from Medical News Today explores the complications that can arise in multiracial people in communities with clearly divided social constructs.
• Shared themes include The Dangers of the White Man’s World.
• Why is racial identity considered a social construct in the United States? Why are multiracial identities often overlooked? What struggles might someone with a multiracial background face? Why might the experiences of multiracial individuals be linked to substance abuse?

Chapters 9-15

Reading Check

1. What does Frank take Eldon to see in a “special place”?

2. What war does Eldon’s father fight in?

3. What is given to Frank and Eldon as they leave the cabin?

4. What is Frank able to scare away by extending his arms and pretending to be bigger?

Short Answer

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

1. Why did Frank take Eldon to his special place? What is Eldon’s reaction to the place?

2. What is Becka’s assessment of Eldon, and why does she feel the way she does about him?

3. What does Eldon describe as the hardships of his early adult life?

4. Why is Frank often disappointed by his visits with Eldon? What evidence supports the lack of care Eldon feels from his father?

Chapters 16-21

Reading Check

1. When did Jimmy die?

2. Who is Angie living with when Eldon is building a fence?

3. What does Angie encourage Eldon to do?

Short Answer

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

1. What is Frank’s family name, and what does it mean? How does the revealed meaning make Frank feel toward Eldon?

2. Why does Eldon kill Jimmy? Is he justified in killing Jimmy?

3. Why is Eldon drawn to Angie, and how does she improve him?

Paired Resource

The Korean War

• This 8-minute video from the National Museum of American History describes the Korean War and its causes.
• Shared themes include The Dangers of the White Man’s World and Virtue.
• When was Korea divided into two halves? What two nations occupied Korea? What caused the Korean War? Why were South Korean troops at a disadvantage? How might battle fatigue during this war have contributed to Jimmy’s death at Eldon’s hands?

Chapters 22-26

Reading Check

1. Where do Angie and Eldon work until Angie becomes pregnant?

2. Who was Frank named after?

3. What does Frank see a vision of when he returns to the wilderness?

Short Answer

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

1. How does Eldon inadvertently contribute to Angie’s death? What is his reaction to Angie’s death?

2. What is Frank’s reaction to Eldon’s story about Angie’s death?

3. Why did Eldon insist on Bunky raising Frank? What unspoken reasons might Eldon have had for asking Bunky to raise Frank?

4. After Eldon dies, Frank says, “War’s over, Eldon […] I hope when you get to where you’re goin’ that she’s standing there waitin’ for you.” What does Frank mean by this statement?

Recommended Next Reads

Two Old Women by Velma Wallis

• This novel is about two elderly Indigenous women who struggle to survive when their tribe abandons them because of their age and frailty.
• Shared themes include The Nature-Human Continuum and Virtue.
• Shared topics include Indigenous literature, Indigenous people of Canada, and connections to nature.
• Two Old Women on SuperSummary

Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese

• This novel by the author of Medicine Walk is about an Ojibway boy who develops an interest in hockey after struggling with a difficult childhood.
• Shared themes include The Dangers of the White Man’s World and Virtue.
• Shared topics include Ojibway traditions, alcoholism, and difficult families.
• Indian Horse on SuperSummary