Welcome to “The Medicine Bag Workbook Solution: ISC Rhapsody & Prism,” where we explore ISC English Literature’s captivating narrative. Within these pages, we unravel the essence of “The Medicine Bag” through meticulous workbook solutions. This post offers comprehensive answers to multiple-choice and contextual questions, deepening your understanding of this timeless tale. Meet the endearing characters and delve into the nuances of character development and thematic exploration. Each question serves as a gateway to dissecting the text, urging readers to analyze subtle nuances and extract deeper meanings. Contextual inquiries broaden our canvas for exploration, encouraging critical engagement with socio-cultural backdrops and universal themes. Through this examination, readers sharpen analytical skills and develop a profound appreciation for literary craftsmanship. Whether a student navigating ISC English Literature or an avid reader unraveling beloved stories, “Rhapsody & Prism: The Medicine Bag Workbook Solutions” promises valuable companionship. Join us on this literary journey as we illuminate the path to understanding, one workbook solution at a time.
Table of Contents
Story Summary :
Story in Detail
Martin, with his family would spend a week every summer with his eighty-six-year- old great-grandfather (whom they called Grandpa) on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota. The Rosebud Reservation was where the Native Americans lived. After their return to their home in Iowa, they would tell their friends stories about their grandfather, so as to create an image about Native Americans similar to what they had seen in movies and Television. They would take with them authentic Sioux articles to show their friends who were fascinated with these items.
However, Martin never showed their friends any pictures of their grandfather because he feared truth about his grandfather would come to the fore. His grandfather was very old and lived in a part log part tar-paper shack.
When Martin looked down the street to see why dogs were barking, he saw his grandfather, dressed in a tall black hat and baggy pants, walking down the middle of the road, apparently looking for Martin’s home. Although Martin was feeling embarrassed by how strangely Grandfather was dressed, he ran out into the street to help him with his suitcase and led him to his home. His Grandfather greeted Martin formally and shook hands with him, revealing that he was quite traditional and followed his customs.
When Martin’s mother saw them coming she was shocked that the grandfather had travelled alone all the way from South Dakota to lowa. She stopped short of hugging him because it was not considered decent according to the Sioux. Cheryl, however, a small child hugged the old man, and she did so happily, the only one in the family who did not seem to be taken aback by grandpa’s unexpected visit Too tired after undertaking a long journey, he collapsed.
Martin, being the only male family member around, helped him into bed and undressed him. He realised how old and frail his grandpa was. He was wearing a leather pouch on a leather string tied around his neck. When Martin remove grandfather’s boots, he found them stuffed with money.
After a visit from the doctor who said that Grandpa was suffering from heat stroke, he had some soup and told Martin and his family why he had come to left the reservation in summer and decided that he would visit his only living their house. He said that he was feeling lonesome after Martin and his family relatives. After receiving help from a policeman and taking a bus, Grandpa finally made it to Martin’s street, but he was unable to see the house numbers clearly. Everyone in the family felt guilty that the old man undertook such a difficult and long journey alone. Nevertheless Martin felt an admiration for the old man who had been brave enough to set out into the unknown.
Grandpa told the family that the one hundred dollars that Martin found in his boots was the money he had saved to pay for his funeral, but now he wanted Martin’s mother to buy groceries with it so that he would be a burden to the family. Martin’s father treated Grandpa with a great respect and apologised for never thinking about bringing to their house before. However, Grandpa replied that the time was not right for him to come to their house before. But now it would soon be time for him to give Martin the medicine bag that hung around his neck. Martin was horrified. He did not want the leather pouch but knew he had to take it if it was offered to him.
Grandpa’s stay with the family gave Cheryl no trouble as she invited her friends to come to their house to meet Grandpa. Martin, however, was still embarrassed by the old man and did not want his friends to meet him. Finally, one day his friends coerced their way into his house to meet Grandpa.
On that day Grandpa dressed in his best clothes and he greeted the boys formally. He told Martin that when he dressed in the morning, he knew that Martin’s friends would come for a visit, so he put on his best clothes. Then Grandpa regaled Martin’s friends with his stories. The boys were in awe of Grandpa. From that day onwards Martin began to see his grandfather in a different light.
The next day, Grandpa told Martin the story of the medicine bag, a story he said was only to be told to a man. He also said that the medicine bag must be only given to a man. Then Grandpa spoke of his own father’s vision quest and how he got the name Iron Shell. While on the vision quest to find a spirit guide for his life, his father found the shell of an iron kettle in an old campfire. He took a piece of it as he believed it was a sign that reinforced his dream. He put it in the elk skin bag he had made in preparation for the quest. He returned to the village and told the wise old men his story. They gave him the name Iron Shell. Though nobody understood his dream he kept his medicine bag as a talisman to protect him from evil. Iron Shell was later on taken away from his home and sent to a boarding school far away. While he was at the boarding school, he learned to be a blacksmith. Iron Shell always kept the piece of iron with him and he gave it to his son (i.e., Grandpa). As Grandpa’s only son died fighting in a war the latter did not have a son to inherit the medicine bag. Martin was his son’s grandson and his only male heir despite being a white man’s son. For this reason, he wanted Martin to have the bag.
Martin’s earlier fear of having to wear the medicine bag left him, and he waited for his grandfather to put it over his head. However, Grandpa just told him to keep it safe and to put sage in it when he next goes to the reservation.
The story ends quickly; Martin says that Grandpa had to go to the hospital that night. Two weeks later he is on the reservation, implying that Grandpa has died, and the family has brought him back to the reservation for the funeral. Martin does as Grandpa has told him-at the reservation, he puts a piece of sacred sage from the prairie in his medicine bag, signifying his acceptance of his cultural and spiritual legacy.
Workbook MCQs :
1. What did Martin and his sister Cheryl brag about?
(a) Their ancestral home
(b) Their maternal grandfather
(c) The Medicine Bag
(d) All of the above.
Answer :- (b) Their maternal grandfather
2. Why did Martin never show Grandpa’s picture to his friends?
(a) He was not good looking
(b) He was shabbily dressed
(c) He was a Native American
(d) He was not tall and stately like TV Indians.
Answer :- (d) He was not tall and stately like TV Indians.
3 . How did Martin feel on seeing Grandpa, who had come unexpectedly?
(a) Excited
(b) Happy
(c) Embarrassed
(d) Sad.
Answer :- (c) Embarrassed
4. How did Cheryl react on seeing Grandpa?
(a) Glad
(b) Nervous
(c) Embarrassed
(d) Shocked.
Answer :- (a) Glad
5. Why did Grandpa’s shoes fit so tight?
(a) They were old and worn
(b) They were small in size
(c) They were stuffed with money
(d) They were stuffed with medicines.
Answer :- [ For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View ]
6. Why did Grandpa decide to visit lowa?
(a) He wanted to see where his descendants lived
(b) He was feeling lonely when they left him after their yearly visit
(c) He wanted to die in his descendants’ house
(d) Both (a) and (b).
Answer :- [ For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View ]
7. Why had Grandpa saved money?
(a) For his grandson
(b) For his funeral
(d) For travelling to the city
(c) For buying a new medicine bag.
Answer :- [ For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View ]
8. Martin felt proud of Grandpa for
(a) his courage to travel to the city all alone
(b) adhering to his customs and traditions
(c) carrying the medicine bag around his neck
(d) All of the above.
Answer :- [ For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View ]
9. Joe’s father made a vision quest to find a
(a) medicine bag
(b) spirit guide
(c) sacred sage
(d) secret message.
Answer :- [ For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View ]
10. What did Martin’s great-great-grandfather receive in his sacred dream?
(a) White man’s iron
(b) Sacred sage
(c) Iron kettle
(d) Medicine bag.
Answer :-[ For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View ]
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Complete The Sentences :
1. Martin always bragged about grandpa because he wanted to impress his friends with an image of the Indians in tune to the one they had formed from movies and TV.
2. Martin felt so ashamed and embarrassed when Grandpa made a sudden visit to their house because he was afraid that the glamorous image he had created of its grandfather would be shattered when his friends would meet him.
3. Martin’s mother moved forward to embrace grandpa but checked herself from doing so because she did not want to embarrass him by such a display of affection which was not acceptable by tribal sioux norms.
4. The scuffed old cowboy boots that grandpa was wearing wear tight because they were stuffed with money.
5. Soon after Martin and his family’s visit, grandpa decided to visit their house in lowa Because he felt lonely after their visit . Besides , he wanted to see where his only living descendants lived .
6. Martin felt proud of grandpa because [ For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View ]
7. Grandpa gave the hundred dollars he saved for his funeral to Martin’s mother because [ For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View ]
8. Grandpa said that he would not have come with them earlier because[ For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View ]
9. Martin and his family felt guilty and grandpa travelled all by himself for two days to meet them because [ For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View ]
10. Martin’s mother ensured that every summer Martin and his sister spent a week with their great-grandfather on the reservation because [ For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View ]
11. Grandpa gave the money he had saved for his funeral to Martin’s mother because [ For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View ]
12. Martin made excuses to his friends for preventing them to visit his grandfather not fearing they would laugh at Grandpa but because [ For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View ]
13. The first Iron Shell kept the piece of iron with him at all times because [ For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View ]
14. Iron shell’s son did not take the medicine bag with him in the battle because [ For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View ]
15. Iron Shell realised the significance of seeing a white man’s iron in his sacred dream because [ For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View ]
Short Question Answers :
1. How did the narrator describe his Grandpa to his friends? Why?
Answer :- The narrator, Martin, described his Grandpa as a “real Sioux” warrior who lived in a traditional manner on a reservation in South Dakota. He painted a romanticized picture of his Grandpa, emphasizing his native heritage and making him sound like a figure from a distant and exotic past. Martin did this because he was both proud and somewhat embarrassed by his heritage. He wanted to impress his friends with the idea of having a grandfather who was a true Native American warrior, a character that seemed almost mythical. This description served to elevate his Grandpa’s image in his friends’ eyes while also protecting Martin from any ridicule or misunderstanding about his cultural background.
2. Why did the narrator never show Grandpa’s picture to his friends?
Answer :- Martin never showed his friends Grandpa’s picture because he was embarrassed by his Grandpa’s appearance. The picture showed Grandpa as an old, frail man, wearing traditional but worn-out clothing, which contrasted sharply with the romanticized image Martin had created. Martin feared that his friends would not be impressed by the reality of his Grandpa’s frailty and age, which did not align with the heroic warrior image he had described. This discrepancy made Martin anxious about being judged or ridiculed by his peers.
3. How did the narrator initially react on seeing Grandpa walking in the middle of the street outside his house?
Answer :- When Martin saw Grandpa walking in the middle of the street outside his house, he was shocked and embarrassed. Grandpa’s sudden appearance, dressed in traditional attire and looking exhausted, was completely unexpected. Martin worried about what his friends and neighbors would think, feeling a mix of shame and concern. His initial reaction was to wish that Grandpa hadn’t come, fearing the potential embarrassment his presence could cause. This reaction reflected Martin’s internal conflict between his respect for his heritage and his desire to fit in with his peers.
4. How did Martin’s mother and sister Cheryl react on seeing Grandpa?
Answer :- Martin’s mother and sister Cheryl reacted with surprise and concern upon seeing Grandpa. Cheryl, in particular, was delighted and immediately showed her affection and excitement, calling him “Grandpa” and rushing to hug him. She was not embarrassed by his appearance and showed genuine joy at his visit. Martin’s mother, though surprised, quickly moved to take care of Grandpa, asking him if he was alright and offering to help him inside. Their reactions contrasted with Martin’s initial embarrassment, showing a deeper acceptance and respect for Grandpa.
5. Compare and contrast Martin’s behaviour with that of his sister Cheryl’s when Grandpa unexpectedly visited their house.
Answer :- [ For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View ]
6. What reason did Grandpa give for his unexpected visit to Iowa?
Answer :- [ For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View ]
7. How did Martin’s friends react after meeting Grandpa? How did it bring about a change in Martin’s feelings about Grandpa?
Answer :- [ For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View ]
8. What sort of feelings did Martin have when Grandpa told him that the time had come for him to hand over the medicine bag to him?
Answer :- [ For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View ]
9. What did Grandpa tell Martin about the connection between the white man’s iron which the first Iron Shell saw in his dream and its role later on his life?
Answer :- [ For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View ]
10. Explain briefly the significance of Martin’s act of accepting the medicine bag from Grandpa.
Answer :- [ For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View ]
Long Question Answers :
1. Explain Martin’s fear when his grandfather unexpectedly visited them in Iowa. Was he able to dispel those fears later in the story? How?
Answer :- When Grandpa unexpectedly visited Martin’s family in Iowa, Martin was initially filled with fear and embarrassment. He was concerned about how his friends and neighbors would perceive his elderly, traditional Sioux grandfather. Martin had always shared an idealized version of his heritage with his friends, and he feared that Grandpa’s appearance would not match the romanticized image he had portrayed. This concern was heightened by Grandpa’s traditional attire and frail condition, which starkly contrasted with Martin’s modern, suburban life. However, as the story progresses, Martin’s fears begin to dissipate. His friends react positively and show genuine interest in Grandpa and his stories, which surprises Martin. This reaction helps Martin see his grandfather in a new light, appreciating his wisdom and cultural heritage. By the end of the story, Martin feels proud and honored to receive the medicine bag from Grandpa, symbolizing his acceptance of his cultural identity and the responsibilities that come with it. Martin’s initial fears are replaced by a deep sense of respect and pride, demonstrating his growth and newfound understanding.
2. Describe Martin’s relationship with his Grandpa. How did it change over the course of the story?
Answer :- Martin’s relationship with his Grandpa evolves significantly throughout the story. Initially, Martin feels a mix of pride and embarrassment about his Sioux heritage and Grandpa’s traditional ways. He respects his grandfather but is also anxious about how others will perceive him, especially his friends. This internal conflict is evident when Grandpa arrives unexpectedly, and Martin worries about the potential embarrassment. However, as Martin observes his friends’ positive reactions to Grandpa’s stories and artifacts, his perspective begins to shift. He starts to see Grandpa not just as an elderly relative but as a bearer of cultural wisdom and tradition. The pivotal moment in their relationship comes when Grandpa decides to pass the medicine bag to Martin, symbolizing a transfer of cultural responsibility. This act makes Martin realize the depth of his heritage and the importance of preserving it. By the end of the story, Martin feels a profound sense of honor and pride in accepting the medicine bag, marking a deeper connection and respect for his grandfather. Their relationship transforms from one of superficial pride mixed with embarrassment to one of genuine respect and cultural appreciation.
3. Do you consider “The Medicine Bag” as an appropriate title for the story by Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve? Give reasons to support your answer.
Answer :- [ For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View ]
4. Explain with reference to the text of the story, “The Medicine Bag,” the central theme of the story.
Answer :- [ For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View ]
5. Describe in your own words the characteristic traits of Grandpa.
Answer :- [ For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View ]
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