Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants

Multiple Choice and Long Answer questions create ideal opportunities for whole-book review, unit exam, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. What is Kimmerer’s main rhetorical purpose in sharing traditional Indigenous stories throughout the text?

A) The stories demonstrate similarities between Western and Indigenous thinking.

B) The stories provide evidence of the accuracy of Indigenous ecological science.

C) The stories convey the Indigenous perspective on the natural world.

D) The stories illustrate the impact that neglecting the environment will have.

2. Based on your reading of the text, which of the following statements would Kimmerer most likely agree with?

A) Market economies can be used to spur positive environmental changes.

B) Indigenous science is superior to Western science.

C) Reciprocal relationships of many kinds promote human happiness.

D) Human beings should stop taking resources from the environment.

3. In which of the following chapters is the balance in Kimmerer’s life between her academic training and her cultural beliefs most evident?

A) “Allegiance to Gratitude”

B) “Miskos Kenomagwen: The Teachings of Grass”

C) “People of Corn, People of Light”

D) “The Honorable Harvest”

4. Which of the following is the most reasonable interpretation of the text’s frequent mentions of mothers and motherhood?

A) Just as human mothers care for their children, the Earth cares for all animate beings.

B) Motherhood means making countless sacrifices on behalf of one’s children.

C) A mother’s actions can instill the values of reciprocity and balance in her children.

D) Just as a mother cares for her children, children also have an obligation to care for their mothers.

5. Which of the following chapters most clearly conveys a similar message to the central message of the chapter “People of Corn, People of Light”?

A) “Old-Growth Children”

B) “Burning Cascade”

C) “Witness to the Rain”

D) “Sitting in a Circle”

6. What is Kimmerer’s rhetorical purpose in sharing stories from her own life?

A) These stories demonstrate how her ideas developed and how she puts them into action.

B) These stories demonstrate the necessity of experiences like motherhood to a complete understanding of nature.

C) These stories demonstrate that a radical change in Kimmerer’s thinking has taken place over time.

D) These stories demonstrate the value of the many teachers that have come into Kimmerer’s life over the years.

7. Which of the following beliefs does the author most explicitly advocate that all people adopt?

A) Indigenous traditional stories are literally true.

B) All animate life deserves equal treatment.

C) We should be grateful for nature’s gifts.

D) Great historical injustices have been done to Native peoples.

8. Which of the following does Kimmerer portray most similarly to the way she portrays herself as both a mother and as a “child” of “mother nature”?

A) Her role as both Native and Western scientist

B) Her role as both teacher and student

C) Her role as both parent and professional

D) Her role as both Potowatomi and American

9. Which of the book’s motifs is most clearly echoed in the story about Hazel?

A) Variety in Indigenous perspectives

B) Symbiosis between the Western and the Indigenous

C) Greed and overconsumption

D) Displacement and disconnection

10. Which of the book’s motifs does the story of Skywoman most clearly introduce?

A) Motherhood and nurturing

B) Science and spirituality

C) Market economy vs. gift economy

D) Sustainable harvest vs. overconsumption

11. What is Kimmerer’s primary rhetorical purpose in sharing historical anecdotes about European settlers?

A) These anecdotes establish the historical causes of modern Indigenous lifestyles.

B) These anecdotes contrast European and Indigenous attitudes toward natural resources.

C) These anecdotes demonstrate that European and Indigenous worldviews can be brought into balance.

D) These anecdotes are examples that support her arguments against Western science.

12. Based on your reading of the text, which of the following would Kimmerer most likely say is at the root of the world’s problems?

A) Bigotry

B) Individualism

C) Overconsumption

D) Loneliness

13. Which of the following most clearly provides additional support for the point Kimmerer makes in Chapter 1 when she talks about the synergy between Skywoman’s and the animals’ efforts as the world is created?

A) Traditional teachings about the Three Sisters

B) The lessons Kimmerer learns in the basket-making class

C) The salamander census the students take

D) The story Kimmerer tells about Hazel Barnett

14. What is the relationship between Kimmerer’s discussion of the plantain and her earlier discussion of the Emerald Ash Borer?

A) They are both examples of the failures of Western science.

B) They demonstrate that things with differing historical origins can coexist.

C) They show that undesirable events can have positive outcomes.

D) They illustrate that invasions can have differing results.

15. Which of the book’s thematic concerns is most clearly reflected in Chapter 28 when Kimmerer talks about longing for a world guided by “stories in which matter and spirit are both given voice”?

A) The Need for Reciprocity Between Humanity and Nature

B) The Intersection of Science and Spirituality

C) Overconsumption as a Consequence of Modern Capitalism

D) The Potential Synergy Between Indigenous and Western Worldviews

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating text details to support your response.

1. What ideas does Kimmerer convey throughout the text using the symbol of sweetgrass?

2. How does the symbol of the rain in Chapter 25, “Witness to the Rain,” illuminate Kimmerer’s intentions in writing Braiding Sweetgrass?