The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven

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

Stories 1-11

Reading Check

1. What holiday is celebrated at the beginning of “Every Little Hurricane”?

2. Where do Junior and Victor go in “A Drug Called Tradition”?

3. In “Because My Father Always Said He Was the Only Indian Who Saw Jimi Hendrix Play ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ at Woodstock,” what instrument did Victor’s father play in his band in high school?

4. What does Victor jokingly refer to as his alma mater in “Crazy Horse Dreams”?

5. What sport is central to “The Only Traffic Signal on the Reservation Doesn’t Flash Red Anymore”?

6. What is the character’s name who passed out at the carnival in “Amusements”?

7. In what type of house was Victor’s father living in “This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona”?

8. At the end of “The Fun House,” what does the aunt do after she puts on her beaded dress?

9. What does Victor do instead of going for a run in “All I Wanted to Do Was Dance”?

10. In “The Trial of Thomas Builds-the-Fire,” how many soldiers does he admit to killing?

11. What does the narrator dream of when he wakes up crying in “Distances”?

Short Answer

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

1. In “Every Little Hurricane,” why does Victor’s father cry on Christmas Eve?

2. In “Because My Father Always Said He Was the Only Indian Who Saw Jimi Hendrix Play ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ at Woodstock,” what does Victor lament after he and his dad listen to Jimi Hendrix on the radio?

3. What does Victor say he fears in “Crazy Horse Dreams”?

4. In “Amusements,” what is the narrator referring to when they say, “We should be charging admission for this show”? (55)

5. Why do Victor and Thomas Builds-the-Fire travel to Phoenix in “This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona”?

6. In “The Fun House,” Aunt Nezzy gets her tubes tied after giving birth. What allowed the doctor to do this?

7. How would you describe the other prisoners that ride the bus with Thomas to Walla Walla State Penitentiary in “The Trial of Thomas Builds-the-Fire”?

8. What is the difference between the Skins and the Urbans in “Distances”?

Paired Resource

Excerpt from “Skywoman Falling”

• This four-page reading comes from the first chapter of Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Potawatomi author Robin Wall Kimmerer and tells the myth of Skywoman and the creation of the earth.
• Oneida artist Bruce King’s “Sky Woman” painting depicts the mythic figure described in Kimmerer’s work.
• This resource connects to the theme of Identity Through Dreams and Visions.
• Creation myths help to explain our universe and establish our reason for existence. What sort of world does the story of Skywoman establish, and what is people’s relationship to that world? What are some connections to the stories told in The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven?

Prologue to There There

• This 11-page prologue by Tommy Orange, a citizen of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma, provides important historical context like the Indian Termination Policy and the Urban Relocation Program. It also connects to Alexie’s short story collection as it explores the identity tension between tribal members living on the reservation and tribal members living in urban areas.
• It explores important symbolism like the “Indian head” and how its history impacts the Eurocentric narratives often told about Indigenous people instead of stories told by them.
• This resource connects to the theme of Storytelling as Creative Agency and Cultural Belonging and Isolation.
• In his prologue, Tommy Orange explores the violent and traumatic treatment of Indigenous Americans at the hands of white settler colonialism. How does this history impact present generations? How have Indigenous people navigated this past and forged a new sense of community that synthesizes modernity and tradition?

Stories 12-24

Reading Check

1. What is the baby called (which is not his given name) in “Jesus Christ’s Half-Brother Is Alive and Well on the Spokane Indian Reservation”?

2. What is Samuel’s relationship to Thomas Builds-the-Fire in “A Train Is an Order of Occurrence Designed to Lead to Some Result”?

3. What song does Uncle Moses hum in “A Good Story”?

4. Who wins the horseshoe game in “The First Annual All-Indian Horseshoe Pitch and Barbecue”?

5. In “Imagining the Reservation,” what does the narrator say he counts to fall asleep?

6. What is James Many Horses’s diagnosis in “The Approximate Size of My Favorite Tumor”?

7. In what grade does Junior first pick up a basketball in “Indian Education”?

8. What convenience store does Victor go to at the beginning of “The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven”?

9. In “Family Portrait,” what is always too loud?

10. What is the name of Junior’s son in “Junior Polatkin’s Wild West Show”?

Short Answer

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

1. How does the narrator become James’s guardian in “Jesus Christ’s Half-Brother Is Alive and Well on the Spokane Indian Reservation”?

2. In “A Train Is an Order of Occurrence Designed to Lead to Some Result,” what does Samuel do after he loses his job?

3. What activity does Arnold skip in “A Good Story” to spend time with Moses?

4. What equation is presented in “Imagining the Reservation”?

5. What does Norma say may be the last two things tribal people are good at in “The Approximate Size of My Favorite Tumor”?

6. In “Indian Education,” how does Junior’s teacher react when Junior passes out after a basketball game?

7. What prompts Victor to leave Seattle and return to the reservation in “The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven”?

8. In “Somebody Kept Saying Powwow,” why does Junior think Norma will marry Victor instead of James Many Horses?

9. How does the narrator’s father explain the prevalence of tribe members disappearing in “Witnesses, Secret and Not”?

10. What and who is John-John waiting for in “Flight”?

Paired Resource

“Perhaps the World Ends Here”

• This short poem by Joy Harjo, a member of the Muscogee Nation, explores themes of family, community, and storytelling.
• This poem connects to the themes of Cultural Belonging and Isolation and Identity Through Dreams and Vision.
• Consider the cycle of beginnings and endings. How does the act of storytelling keep this cycle in motion? Additionally, how is storytelling a communal ritual and ceremony, and what is the role of community in this process?

“Turtle Mountain Reservation”

• This poem by Louise Erdrich, a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, explores how history informs and collides with the present. It concludes with the speaker recognizing her place in her familial and cultural history.
• It connects to the theme of Identity Through Dreams and Vision.
• How does the past manifest in individuals, and how can this impact familial and personal identity?

Recommended Next Reads 

Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko

• This novel, published in 1977, follows Tayo, a Pueblo man, after he returns home from World War II. The novel combines Tayo’s story with the traditional stories and mythology of the Pueblo people and explores personal and cultural healing.
• Shared themes include Storytelling as Creative Agency and Identity Through Dreams and Visions.
• Shared topics include the significance of storytelling, memory as ceremony, and grappling with personal and collective trauma.
• Ceremony on SuperSummary

Flight by Sherman Alexie

• This novel, published in 2007, is told from the first-person perspective of Zits, a Spokane tribe teenager. After planning a mass shooting in downtown Seattle as an act of vengeance for his ancestors, Zits travels back in time to various pivotal historic moments between American Indians and white settlers. Ultimately, Zits must grapple with the power of forgiveness for both personal and cultural healing.
• Shared themes include Identity Through Dreams and Visions and Cultural Belonging and Isolation.
• Shared topics include navigating cross-cultural identity and reconciling the past with the present.
• Flight on SuperSummary