Turquoise Horse test
Name: Date: Teacher:
Directions: Carefully read each question, and pick only the best answer.
1. Which words from page 27, paragraphs 2-4 (beginning at: “Father, “ Lisa said...”) tell the reader this story is written in the third person? (1.8)
a. I, you
b. he, his
c. he, your
d. I, he
2. In this story, which of the following was real? (2.8)
a. the turquoise horse in Lisa’s dream
b. Lisa riding the horse
c. the bracelet
d. the cloud person’s voice
3. The turquoise horse could best represent (3.8)
a. a growing sense of confidence a young person might feel when thinking about his/her future.
b. Lisa’s gift of being able to write poetry.
c. nature and the environment.
d. the holy people.
4. Which words in the story were intended to make the reader feel a mood of mysticism? (4.8)
a. “The horse...swam up into the sky.”
b. “...only those things which live are worth living for.”
c. “Lisa knew that her father was wise. She also knew that he was certain of the old ways...”
d. “...he was sure of something...That something was inside the tight white drum head of his banjo.”
5. Read these sentences from the story.
Lisa’s father turned on his moccasined heel and began to walk back to his workshop on the hill above the arroyo.
In this sentence, the word arroyo means (5.10)
a. river
b. deep gully
c. desert
d. pond
6. Which is the best summary of the story? (11.12)
a. Lisa and her father learn what their purpose in life are when they see a turquoise horse in their dreams.
b. Lisa is struggling to comprehend what her special talent in life is going to be and thinks her dreams of a turquoise horse might hold the answer.
c. Lisa’s father shares his wisdom of “the old ways” with his daughter and encourages her to become a poet.
d. Lisa is embraced by the holy people who send her a turquoise horse which she rides in the sky.
7. How does this story create a sense of mysticism? (15.14)
a. Lisa’s dream of the turquoise horse is in color.
b. Lisa’s father saw a turquoise horse on a silver bracelet.
c. Lisa hears a voice speak to her in her dream, rides a horse into the sky, and is inspired to write a poem when she hears the cloud person’s voice in her mind.
d. John Arrowsmith discovers Lisa is a poet.
8. Why does the author use metaphors like “He was a man of mud and fire, blood and bone...etched and hammered by years of sun and rain?” (16.14)
a. to explain that Lisa’s dad is a calm person
b. to help the reader visualize how Lisa’s dad acts
c. to describe Lisa’s dad as a confident, gentle, and wise Navajo man
d. to symbolize the wisdom of the Navajo
9. Which of the following would not be considered a tone for this story?
a. humorous
b. mystical
c. serious
d. respectful
10. Read this line from the story? (13.14)
“Like her father, he was sure of something. That something was inside the tight white drum head of his banjo.”
This line refers to the fact that
a. Lisa’s father is a master silversmith.
b. John Arrowsmith is an expert musician.
c. Both Lisa’s father and John Arrowsmith have a sense of confidence because they know what their purpose in life is.
d. Lisa wishes she had something about which she could feel confident.
11. How did Lisa’s father try to help his daughter? (21.16)
a. He listened carefully as she described her dream.
b. He shared with her his experience of the turquoise horse so that she might understand it better.
c. He reminded Lisa to think of what the cloud-person had told her so that she might trust herself.
d. Lisa’s father did all of the above in order to help his daughter.
12. The details in the story support the idea that Lisa and her father (20.16)
a. believe the turquoise horse is a real creature sent by the holy people.
b. are very open with their feelings and share them freely with everyone.
c. believes in a spiritual world that communicates with the Navajo.
d. do not have a strong connection and are emotionally separate from one another.
13. The phrase “His composure seemed cast of the same fire-blackened silver as his bracelets, rings, and pins.” is an example of (29.21)
a. metaphor.
b. simile.
c. personification.
d. symbolism.
14. Which of the following does not make this story an example of realistic narrative fiction because it (30.21)
a. takes place in a setting that seems real.
b. has a turquoise horse in it.
c. has a character struggling to understand who they are and what they can do.
d. has an ending that could be considered “happy.”
15. Based on this story, what does the author believe about the Navajo? (41.28)
a. They no longer feel a connection between themselves and the spirit world.
b. They believe a dream has the power to reveal information about a person’s life.
c. They rarely discuss their feelings with others.
d. They believe real animals are sent to them to deliver messages.
16. Which of the following is not a thematic statement that could be made regarding this story
a. It’s not easy to trust oneself.
b. When others show confidence in us, we should take confidence in ourselves.
c. It’s important to know as a child what you will do as an adult.
d. Sometimes we need to talk with others to better understand ourself.
17. The author implies at the end of the story that Lisa (27.19)
a. will continue to write poems but not publish them.
b. will write and publish her poems.
c. will grow up, marry, and have a large family filled with children.
d. is still unsure if she’s meant to be a poet or a song writer.
18. Read this line from the story
“The horse you ride belongs to us. But we do not own him. No one can own the Turquoise Horse.”
This line suggests
a. a talent like writing poetry can be “owned” by just one person and nobody else.
b. the horse is a real animal that is shared by all.
c. the horse has given to Lisa a special power, and it can give that same power to other people.
d. the horse is wild and cannot be captured.
19. Why do you think the author on pages 30-31 describes how Lisa decides to ride the Turquoise Horse?
a. To show Lisa being embraced by the holy people.
b. The reader can see Lisa take control of her fears as her self-confidence grows.
c. To show that the Turquoise Horse is real.
d. The author wants to describe the Navajo culture and spiritual world.
20. Read the second from the last paragraph on page 37 beginning with “When she got back to her home, she...” What is one inference the reader can make based on this paragraph only?
a. Lisa is ready to share her poetry with the world.
b. Lisa is confident she will become a poet, but she’s still nervous about sharing her poems with people she doesn’t know.
c. Lisa’s self-confidence is growing very quickly.
d. Poetry is how Lisa expresses her feelings.
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