Quiz Shadow of the Solstice Anne Hillerman

Shadow of the Solstice: Full-Book Quiz (20 Questions)

Welcome to the Shadow of the Solstice quiz. This test spans the entire novel and is designed to challenge your recall of key events, character motivations, themes, and the deeper synthesis of the story. Use the book summary or the questions and answers page if you need a refresher. After completing all questions, check your answers against the key below.

Section 1: Plot and Sequence (8 questions)

Questions 1–4 are multiple choice; questions 5–8 are short answer.

1. What does the unnamed runner discover at the beginning of the novel?

  • A) An abandoned white van
  • B) A dead man with a battered face inside a fenced uranium site
  • C) A stash of illegal drugs near the Shiprock substation
  • D) A secret recording studio hidden in a canyon

2. Why does Bernie Manuelito have to cancel her day off in Chapter 2?

  • A) Her mother has a medical emergency
  • B) Captain Adakai summons her to a mandatory all-officers meeting
  • C) She is assigned to investigate a missing-person case in Phoenix
  • D) A high-ranking official demands a personal escort

3. During the van ride to Phoenix, Droid tells his grandmother Mrs. Raymond that he saw a dead man. What action does Mrs. Raymond persuade him to take?

  • A) Hide the body to avoid trouble
  • B) Call the police from a store telephone in Sanders, Arizona
  • C) Confess to Chee as soon as they arrive at the rehab center
  • D) Write an anonymous letter to the tribal newspaper

4. In Chapter 10, what medical event forces a change in command at the Shiprock substation?

  • A) Officer Roper Black has a panic attack
  • B) Captain Adakai suffers a heart attack
  • C) Bernie Manuelito is injured in a car crash
  • D) The chief of police announces his retirement

5. (Short answer) Where does the cult leader hide a thumb drive containing evidence of ordering a death? (Hint: it is on his clothing.)

6. (Short answer) What is the name of the protest group that sets up a solstice meditation camp on the Yazzie property?

7. (Short answer) In Chapter 28, how does Darleen gain entry to the Broadway Manor facility to rescue Mrs. Raymond?

8. (Short answer) What symbol of endurance does Darleen find in a field, which reminds her of the Navajo Long Walk?

Section 2: Character Motivation (5 questions)

9. Why does Droid (Andrew) agree to enter the rehab van in Chapter 3?

  • A) His grandmother forces him
  • B) He interprets a hallucination of a dead man as a sign to stop drinking
  • C) He wants to escape a pending arrest
  • D) He hopes to reunite with his father in Phoenix

10. What is Captain Adakai’s underlying reason for being harsh about overtime toward Bernie in Chapter 21?

  • A) He believes she is not fully committed to police work and must decide her priorities
  • B) He is angry that she requested time off to care for her mother
  • C) He wants to provoke her into resigning
  • D) He is jealous of her friendship with Chee

11. Why does the cult leader (called “Leader”) choose the Navajo Nation as the setting for his operation?

  • A) He wants to learn traditional Diné ceremonies
  • B) He believes the combination of “Indians, uranium, and the secretary” will generate maximum publicity, especially around the solstice
  • C) He seeks revenge against a specific tribal official
  • D) He was born on the reservation and wants to return home

12. In Chapter 37, after Bernie frees Chee, what does Chee do to counter Leader’s recorded propaganda?

  • A) He destroys the sound system
  • B) He uses a healing chant to calm the followers
  • C) He calls the FBI to broadcast a warning
  • D) He reads the riot act in Navajo

13. Why does Bea Flores run the fake rehabilitation center at Broadway Manor?

  • A) She genuinely wants to help addicts
  • B) She discovered Medicaid’s weak oversight for Native American rehab and profits from billing fraud
  • C) She was forced to by her ex-husband
  • D) She hopes to convert patients to her religious cult

Section 3: Theme and Symbol (4 questions)

14. The term leetso (yellow monster) is used throughout the novel. What does it primarily symbolize?

  • A) The greed of the cult members
  • B) The toxic legacy of uranium mining on Navajo land and the danger of radiation
  • C) The color of the desert at sunset
  • D) The addictive nature of alcohol

15. The summer solstice is a recurring motif. According to the Diné translation mentioned in the book, what does the solstice represent?

  • A) The hottest day of the year
  • B) “In the summer the sun travels back,” a time for change and planning
  • C) The end of the growing season
  • D) A dangerous alignment of planets

16. The turtle fetish that Darleen finds (Chapter 12) is associated with which historical event?

  • A) The signing of the Treaty of 1868
  • B) The Navajo Long Walk (Hwéeldi)
  • C) The founding of the Shiprock substation
  • D) The first uranium discovery on the reservation

17. In Chapter 38, the cult plans to kill the women in the sweat lodge and film their deaths. What does this reveal about the theme of ritual corruption?

  • A) The cult uses traditional Navajo ceremonies respectfully
  • B) The leader twists sacred practices into a tool for control and sacrifice
  • C) The sweat lodge is a harmless meditation space
  • D) The women willingly chose to die for the environment

Section 4: Synthesis (3 questions)

18. How does the author connect the two main plotlines – the fake rehab scam in Phoenix and the CUSP cult on the Yazzie property? Identify at least one character or piece of evidence that links them.

19. In the Author’s Note, Hillerman reveals that the Medicaid fraud scheme victimized thousands of Diné people. How does the novel’s fictional resolution (Operation Rainbow Bridge, the arrests, the character arcs) reflect the real-world response described in the note?

20. Bernie Manuelito faces multiple career and family tensions throughout the novel. By the end, she decides to step back from work and start a family. How does this decision connect to the novel’s exploration of hózhó (harmony and balance)?

Answer Key

Use this key to check your answers. Each explanation is brief and references the novel’s content.

1. B – Chapter 1: The runner finds a dead man with a battered face inside the fenced uranium disposal site. (Plot)

2. B – Chapter 2: Roper Black brings Bernie a summons from Captain Adakai for a mandatory meeting. (Plot)

3. B – Chapter 5: Mrs. Raymond insists Droid report the body; he calls from a store telephone in Sanders. (Plot)

4. B – Chapter 10: Chee discovers Adakai having a heart attack and takes command after calling an ambulance. (Plot)

5. In the zip pocket of his red windbreaker – Chapter 41: Caseman hides the thumb drive recording Leader ordering Pat’s death in the pocket of his red windbreaker. (Plot)

6. CUSP (Citizens United to Save the Planet) – Chapter 8 and throughout: The group sets up the solstice meditation camp. (Plot)

7. She poses as a nurse – Chapter 28: Darleen pretends to be a nurse to get the room number from Heather. (Plot)

8. A carved turtle fetish – Chapter 12: Darleen finds the turtle fetish; it represents endurance and the Long Walk. (Plot/Theme)

9. B – Chapter 3: Droid tells his grandmother he saw a “disgusting” hallucination (the dead man) and takes it as a sign to quit drinking. (Character motivation)

10. A – Chapter 21: Adakai tells Chee that Bernie must decide if she is fully committed to police work; he suggests safer roles. (Character motivation)

11. B – Chapter 41: Leader explains that “Indians, uranium, and the secretary” combined with the solstice will bring national publicity. (Character motivation)

12. B – Chapter 37: Chee, recovering, uses a healing chant to counter Leader’s recorded propaganda playing in the tent. (Character motivation)

13. B – Chapter 18: Bea and her ex-husband exploited Medicaid’s weak oversight for Native American rehab; Bea continued alone after divorce. (Character motivation)

14. B – Leetso (uranium) symbolizes the toxic legacy of mining and radiation danger, as seen in the body dump site and the author’s note. (Theme/Symbol)

15. B – Chapter 9 and Author’s Note: The Diné translation is “in the summer the sun travels back,” a time for change and planning. (Theme/Symbol)

16. B – Chapter 12: The turtle fetish is described as a symbol of endurance and is linked to the Navajo Long Walk (Hwéeldi). (Theme/Symbol)

17. B – Chapter 38: Alisa reveals the plan to kill and film the women as a sacrifice; the leader corrupts a sacred practice. (Theme/Symbol)

18. The link is the thumb drives and the character of James Sethley (Pat). The CUSP cult killed Sethley, who was an undercover agent investigating the rehab fraud. The evidence on the thumb drives also connects the cult to the broader scheme. Additionally, the FBI investigation of the fake rehab scam overlaps with the cult’s activities. (Synthesis)

**19. The novel ends with the Navajo Nation’s Operation Rainbow Bridge bringing victims home, arrests of the fraudsters (Bea, Leader, Caseman), and the FBI taking over. The author’s note describes the real Operation Rainbow Bridge that helped Diné people stranded by the scam. The fictional resolution mirrors the real effort to reunite families and prosecute criminals. (Synthesis)

20. Bernie’s decision to step back from work and focus on family aligns with the Diné concept of hózhó – harmony, balance, and beauty. Throughout the novel, she struggles to balance duty to her mother, her job, and her marriage. By choosing to start a family, she prioritizes personal balance and healing, reflecting the solstice theme of change and the cultural value of family bonds. (Synthesis)

If you want to explore the book’s ending in more detail, read the ending explained. For further discussion of each chapter, visit the questions and answers page.