Moon of the Crusted Snow

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

Part 1, Chapters 1-7

Reading Check

1. What do Nangohns’s pigtails look like?

2. Who stops by with news that school is cancelled?

3. What comfort food does Nicole prepare for the snowplow drivers?

Short Answer

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

1. Why does Evan hunt for more food than his family needs?

2. What did Dan dream about?

3. Why is alcohol banned on the reservation?

Paired Resources

“Indigenous Dreams”

• Article from the Indigenous New Hampshire Collaborative Collective about the cultural context of dreams in Indigenous societies, including their spiritual and prophetic significance
• Relates to the theme of Revival of Tradition
• How do the descriptions of dreams in the novel function to further the narrative, set the tone, foreshadow future events, and provide insight into characters? What does the article add to your understanding of the characters’ dreams and their significance?

“Stories, Dreams, and Ceremonies: Anishinaabe Ways of Learning”

• Article from the Journal of American Indian Higher Education about traditional Anishinaabe ways of transmitting knowledge
• Relates to the theme of Revival of Tradition
• How is the information about dreams in the article reflected in the novel?

Part 1, Chapters 8-15

Reading Check

1. Who is the “council auntie” who serves as the voice of reason if disputes should arise?

2. What does Evan buy at the trading post?

3. In Nicole’s dream, who are the young man and young woman speaking in the old language?

4. Who arrives on snowmobiles?

5. Why didn’t Nicole complete her degree program in early childhood education?

Short Answer

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

1. Why does every council meeting start with a smudge ritual?

2. What triggers Terry’s blow-up when the council leaders meet?

3. What do Kevin and Nick tell Evan, Isaiah, and Tyler about conditions outside the reservation?

4. What reason do Kevin and Nick give for not telling anyone at the school what they saw at the grocery store?

5. Why do Dan and Patricia bring food to the council members?

Paired Resource

“Coronavirus: The Psychology of Panic Buying”

• Article on BBC.com about panic buying in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic
• Relates to the theme of Leadership in Times of Crisis
• Discuss the ethics of panic buying. When a community’s resources are strained, who, if anyone, should assume responsibility for ensuring that access to goods is equitable? Is this an individual moral decision, or should authorities step in (e.g., to enforce rationing) for the common good?

Part 1, Chapters 16-21

Reading Check

1. Where do Terry and Walter decide to let Justin Scott stay?

2. What does Maiingan count for his mother?

3. What does Evan think of Scott after the successful moose hunt?

Short Answer

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

1. How do Evan and Isaiah react to Scott’s arrival?

2. What does a heckler complain about at the second community meeting?

3. Why was Ojibwe not spoken much when Evan and Nicole were young?

4. Why does Isaiah show up at Evan’s house before dawn on the morning following Cam’s party?

Paired Resources

“The Ancient History of the Ojibwe People to the Nineteenth Century”

• Short article from the Wiigwaasi-Jiimaan birchbark canoe project that presents highlights of Ojibwe culture

“Ojibwe”

• Canadian Encyclopedia entry about Ojibwe history, beliefs, and traditions
• Relates to the theme of Revival of Tradition
• How has the author woven information about the traditional Ojibwe culture into the novel? Cite examples based on the paired resources.

Part 2, Chapters 22-26

Reading Check

1. Why can’t the band bury their dead?

2. What is Meghan doing out in the cold?

3. What archetypal figure is Nanabush?

Short Answer

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

1. What will the band do for medicine if there are no more shipments from the south?

2. How does Meghan feel about Scott?

3. In Dan’s story, what are the geese doing?

4. Why does Evan object to Terry’s suggestion to substitute canned ham for chili on food distribution day?

Paired Resource

“Understanding Cults: The Basics”

• Article from Psychology Today that explores the vulnerabilities that cult leaders exploit, what defines a cult, and how people are affected by cults
• Relates to themes of Surviving an Apocalypse and Leadership in Times of Crisis
• Does Justin Scott’s group share any of the characteristics of a cult described in the article? Would you call the group a cult? Why or why not?

Part 2, Chapters 27-Epilogue

Reading Check

1. What does Evan build in the forest?

2. What are the children doing when Tyler arrives with news?

3. Who ends the standoff between Scott and his cronies and Evan and his friends?

Short Answer

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

1. What do Evan and Tyler discover when they take Aileen’s body to the garage?

2. How do Isaiah and Tyler’s feelings about Scott influence their treatment of his body?

Recommended Next Reads

The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline

• In this science fiction novel set in post-apocalyptic Canada, climate devastation is rampant and government recruiters hunt Native people for the dreams woven into their bone marrow.
• Shared topics include Indigenous cultures.
• Shared themes include Surviving an Apocalypse.
• The Marrow Thieves on SuperSummary

Five Little Indians by Michelle Good

• Set in Vancouver, British Columbia, and on the Red Pheasant Cree Reserve in Saskatchewan, this novel covers the experiences of five Native children who survived the residential school system and follows their lives over a 30-year period beginning in the early 1960s.
• Shared topics include Indigenous cultures.
• Five Little Indians on SuperSummary