The Medicine Bag Story Questions and Answers & MCQs

The Medicine Bag Story Questions and Answers

ISC Prism Workbook Solutions Chapter 10 The Medicine Bag

The Medicine Bag Story Long Answer Questions

Question 1.
Explain the vision quest of Grandpa’s father.
Answer:
Grandpa’s father in his early manhood made a vision quest to find a spirit guide for his life. At that time the great Teton Sioux were first made to stay on reservation. There was a strong need for guidance from Wakantanka, the Great Spirit. Many of the young men were filled with despair and hatred. They thought it was quite hopeless to search for a vision when the glorious life was gone and only the hatred confined them at the Reservation.

Grandpa’s father held to the old ways carefully prepared for his quest with a purifying sweat bath and then he went alone to a high butte top to fast and pray. After three days he received his sacred dream-in which he found, after long searching, the white man’s iron.

He did not understand his vision of finding something belonging to the white people-as they were their enemy. When he came down from the butle to cleanse himself at the stream below, he found the remains of a campfire and the broken shell of an iron kettle.

This was a sign which reinforced his dream. He took a piece of iron for his medicine bag from elk skin years before to prepare for his quest. When he narrated his dreams to the old wise man of his society, they gave him the name “Iron Shell”. Iron Shell kept the piece of iron with him at all times and believed it gave him protection from the evils of those unhappy days.

Question 2.
Narrate the short story “The Medicine Bag”.
Answer:
In the short story written by Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve “The Medicine Bag” the author narrates the tale of Martin, a bi-racial lad of fourteen. Martin used to live with his parents and his young sister Cheryl. His life was interrupted when his Lakota Grandpa comes to visit them at Iowa. Grandpa tells the story of his culture and life as an Native American, but Martin was afraid that his grandfather might not live up to the expectation of his friends.

However, his friends are deeply appreciative of his grandfather. The old man felt that his ends was near, so he gave Martin “the medicine bag” as a parting gift to remember his family culture. In the end, Martin visited the Iowa sanctury to commemorate his Grandpa-Joe Iron Shell and his medicine bag. The dangers of judging one own family, culture and those around us are explored in the story.

In “The Medicine Bag” the remarkable events during Grandpa’s visit enlightened Martin of the importance of family culture and the acceptance of others. The story clearly brings out the conflict between tradition and modernity. It silently gives message to the youth that we should alway comprehend and give respect to our traditional culture and heritage. We should never disregard them.

The Medicine Bag Story Short Answer Questions

Question 1.
Describe Grandpa when he came to visit Martin?
Answer:
Martin Grandpa-Joe Iron Shell came to visit Martin at Iowa from South Dakota. Grandpa wasn’t tall and stately like TV IndiAnswer:His hairs were grey string like which hung on his neck. When he visited Martin he was drapped in brown leather suit. He wore a big black hat which had a dropping feather in its crown. He carried an old tin suit case tied shut with rope.

Question 2.
Describe the things Martin got from his Grandpa during one of his visits.
Answer:
Martin Sioux Grandpa often presented the children new moccasins made by him, small round flat raw hide drum decorated with a painting of a warrior riding a horse. He also taught Martin Sioux chant to sing and Martin enjoyed beating the drum with leathered covered stick that had a feather on the end.

Question 3.
What happened when narrotor’s friends met Grandpa?
Answer:
Grandpa treated Martin’s friends as his own grand children and also offered them lemonade. He narrated how he killed the dear from which his vest was made. Martin’s friend were moved by the genial behaviour of the Grandpa and Martin too felt proud about him.

Question 4.
What does Grandpa say about the money he has saved?
Answer:
Grandpa had saved a hundred dollar, which he carried in his old scuffed cowboy, boots for his funeral cost. He wanted to part the money to buy groceries as he never wanted to be a burden on Martin’s family.

Question 5.
What did Grandpa carry in the leather pouch around his neck?
Answer:
The leather pouch which the Grandpa carried contained a broken shell off the iron kettle, a pebble from the butte and a piece of the sacred sage.

Question 6.
How did Martin feel when Grandpa told that he was to handover the medicine bag to him?
Answer:
Martin on realising the ancestral cultural and heritage felt proud when his Grandpa told that he was going to handover the medicine bag to him. In great pride Martin closed his eyes and wished his Grandpa to slip it over his head. But his Grandpa placed to on Martin’s right hand and closed it. He advised him to wear the medicine bag on the Reservation only with sacred sage replaced in it.

The Medicine Bag Story Logic Based Questions

Complete the following sentences by providing a REASON for each:

Question 1.
Martin who lived in the city did not know the reality about the Indians because ……..
Answer:
his ideas about Indians were based on shows shown in television and other media about native American lifestyle only.

Question 2.
Martin never showed his Grandpa’s picture to his friends because
Answer:
he had depicted impressive picture of their Grandpa to his friends, which did not match with reality.

Question 3.
Martin thought that his friends would have laughed at Grandpa’s picture because
Answer:
his Grandpa wasn’t tall and stately like TV Indians. His hairs wasn’t in braids but hung in stringy grey strand on his neck and he was old. He didn’t live in a tepee but in the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota.

Question 4.
Martin says “I was so ashamed and embarrased I could have died” because
Answer:
his Grandpa visited their house suddenly and all his impressive features about his Grandpa which he narrated to his friend will crash with the reality. So Martin felt ashamed and embarrased.

Question 5.
Martin did not allow his friends to come to his residence during his Grandpa’s stay because
Answer:
he felt to be rediculed and laughed by his friend for his Grandpa. He feared embarrassment.

Question 6.
Martin learned to beat the drum with leather covered stick because
Answer:
his Grandpa taught him real Sioux chart to sing and beat the drums with stick that had feathers at the end.

Question 7.
Grandpa’s shoes fit him very tight because
Answer:
it was the scuffed old cowberg boots stuffed with money.

Question 8.
Grandpa had saved one hundred dollar because
Answer:
he saved that money for his funeral. He was ready to part the money to buy groceeries for Martin’s family because he does not want to be their burden.

Question 9.
Martin’s Dad felt sorry because
Answer:
he had never thought of bringing Grandpa to Iowa to spend summer with them.

Question 10.
Grandpa came to meet Martin because
Answer:
he wanted to handover “the medicine bag” to the male child, to carry forward his ancestral relies after his death.

The Medicine Bag Story MCQs

Question 1.
Who wrote the short story “The Medicine Bag”?
a. Dafeadio Hearn
b. Ken Liu
c. Roald Dahi
d. Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve
Answer:
d. Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve

Question 2.
Who is the narrator of the story?
a. Martin
b.Grandpa
c. Iron Shell
d. Cheryl
Answer:
a. Martin

Question 3.
The narrator and his family lives in:
a. Iowa
b. Italy
c. Dakota
d. India
Answer:
a. Iowa

Question 4.
On one of his visits Grandpa gave Martin:
a. moccasins
b. a horse
c. a golden ball
d. a decorated drum
Answer:
a. moccasins

Question 5.
Martin had not shown Grandpa’s picture to their friends because….
a. they were ashamed of him
b. the glorious tales told about him did not match him
c. they did not have any picture of their Grandpa
d. Mom had asked the children not to show the picture to anyone.
Answer:
b. the glorious tales told about him did not match him

Question 6.
When Grandpa came to visit Martin’s family Martin
a. was very happy
b. could not recognize him
c. felt ashamed and emparrased
d. went out to tell his friends
Answer:
c. felt ashamed and emparrased

Question 7.
Grandpa carried with him
a. tin suit-case
b. a big ball
c. a gold chain
d. a beautiful toy for Martin’s sister.
Answer:
a. tin suit-case

Question 8.
What was Grandpa’s name:
a. Martin
b. Iron Shell
c. Joe Iron Shell
d. None of the above
Answer:
c. Joe Iron Shell

Question 9.
How old was Martin’s sister?
a. ten years old
b. fourteen years old
c. six years old
d. nine years old
Answer:
d. nine years old

Question 10.
With what name Grandpa greeted Cheryl?
a. Takoza
b. Virginia
c. Sweet Cheryl
d. Wicincala
Answer:
d. Wicincala

Question 11.
Martin picked up Grandpa’s suit case and
a. asked him to go black
b. told him to hide somewhere
c. guided him to take him home
d. informed his mother about Grandpa’s visit
Answer:
c. guided him to take him home

Question 12.
Grandpa had save the money:
a. to buy sweets for the children
b. for Martin’s education
c. to donate
d. for his own funeral
Answer:
d. for his own funeral

Question 13.
What kind of boots did the Grandpa wear?
a. heavy boots
b. black boots
c. scuffed old cowboy boots
d. spiked boots.
Answer:
a. heavy boots

Question 14.
How old was Martin’s Grandpa?
a. eighty-six years
b. ninety years
c. eighty years
d. ninety-six years
Answer:
a. eighty-six years

Question 15.
He could chant well in what language?
a. Hebrew
b. Hindi
c. Chinese
d. Sioux Native Language
Answer:
d. Sioux Native Language

Question 16.
Martin’s Dad felt sorry as:
a. he had not gone to receive the old man
b. he had not recognised Grandpa
c. he had not helped the old man
d. he had not thought of bringing Grandpa with them
Answer:
d. he had not thought of bringing Grandpa with them

Question 17.
The medicine bag was actually:
a. a suitcase
b. a dirty leather pouch
c. an iron shell
d. None of the above
Answer:
b. a dirty leather pouch

Question 18.
The old man said that it was time for Martin to have the medicine bag
a. he wanted to pass on the bag to the male child
b. as Martin was ready to keep it
c. because grandpa thought that he was going to die
d. both (a) and (c)
Answer:
d. both (a) and (c)

Prism A Collection of ISC Short Stories Workbook Answers