Dogsong

Chapter 2

Name __________________

1) From page 13 (new edition), describe how a person would live “the old way”.

2) How does Oogruk compare dogs to white people (pages 15-16)?

3) Why does Oogruk miss women (pages 17-18)?

4) Compare Russel’s and Oogruk’s reasons why the village did not catch any whales that year. (pages 20-21)

Russel:

Oogruk:

5) Why did the villagers give Oogruk the shoulders of caribou? (page 23)

6) How did the people lose their songs? (page 27-28)

7) What, besides the songs, did the people lose? (page 28)

8) How could they get the songs back? (page 28)

9) What does Russel want to do, and how is Oogruk going to help him? (pages 28-29)

Dogsong

Chapter 3 (pages 31-41)

Name __________________

1) Comment on the story by the Eskimo woman that begins the chapter.

2) Why do you think Russel took off his own clothes and put on all of Oogruk’s furs?

3) What did Russel call the sleds the white mushers used?

4) How did Russel tame the lead dog?

5) Describe Russel’s first run with the dogs.

6) What feeling did Russel get as the dogs finally ran as a unit?

7) What does “gee” mean?

8) What made Russel think that he was inconsiderate?

9) What two things are said about the Eskimo culture?

Dogsong

Chapter 3 (pages 41-49)

Name __________________

1) Why was Russel having a hard time hunting at first?

2) What, did Russel think, was wrong?

3) When are people able to kill with a bow and arrow, according to Oogruk?

4) How do you thank the dead animal? What if it is from water?

5) What is the trick to riding a dogsled?

6) Where did Russel think the arrow must fly in order to kill the caribou?

7) What did Russel feed the caribou?

8) What did Russel think of the cold?

9) What would he do once he got back to the village?

Dogsong

Chapter 4 (pages 50-65)

Name __________________

1) Comment on the story on page 50.

2) What is the difference between sea ice and fresh-water ice? (50)

3) How did Russel deal with the wind storm? (52)

4) How did Russel become lost? (56)

5) When are dogs smarter than men? (59)

6) If Russel was to die on the ice, how was he to die? (61)

7) Why was there steam rising from the water if it was so cold out? (61)

8) How did Russel finally get the dogs to go on the chunk of ice? (63)

9) Have you ever had an experience on sea or river ice?

Dogsong

Chapter 8 (pages 96-104)

Name __________________

1) How did the dogs annoy Russel after he woke up? (96)

2) How did Russel fit the frozen skins onto the dog sled? (97)

3) In Russel’s mind, how had the dogs changed? (98)

4) Why did Russel let the dogs run wherever they wanted? (99)

5) Why would Russel take his parka off and set it outside of the shelter to freeze? (100)

6) What does Russel find in his camp? (101)

7) What should the best fat be used for? (102)

8) What is the best fat to use for lamps? (103)

9) Why would Oogruk have liked Russel’s shelter? (104).

Dogsong

Chapters 9 and 10 (pages 105-119)

Name __________________

1) Why is the man in the dream sad? (106)

2) How has the man in the dream become strong? (108)

3) Why was the man’s song and dance sad? (109)

4) How did the mammoth know it was his time to die? (110)

5) How does Russel drink? (113)

6) What words of advice did Oogruk give Russel? (115)

7) What does snow blindness feel like? (115)

8) How does Russel know that the dogs are his now? (116)

9) Why did Russel not want to meet the snow machine? (117)

10) Why does Russel really want a pot? (117)

11) What is a hallucination? (118-119)

Dogsong

Chapters 11 and 12 (pages 120-132)

Name __________________

1) Describe the setting of the dream. (120-121)

2) Why is the man worried? (121)

3) Describe the situation back at the man’s home. (122)

4) How does Russel know that the snow machine driver is not of the land? (125)

5) Why does Russel want to find the driver of the snow machine? (126)

6) Describe what it was like riding through that storm. (127)

7) Why did the dogs stop? (128)

8) Describe the person Russel found, and what condition this person was in. (130)

9) What does the pain of thawing out feel like, according to Oogruk? (131)

10) Where did Russel’s mind go if it left the tent? (132)

11) Can you find the typo on page 132?