Quiz The Buffalo Hunter Hunter Stephen Graham Jones

The Buffalo Hunter Hunter Quiz: 20 Questions on Plot, Character, Theme & Synthesis

Plot & Sequence (8 questions)

  1. Multiple choice: In what year is Etsy Beaucarne’s present-day narrative set?
    A) 1912
    B) 2012
    C) 2013
    D) 1870

  2. Short answer: What method does the pastor use to detect evil spirits in the church?

  3. Multiple choice: Who is the Pinkerton agent investigating the missing family from San Francisco?
    A) Livinius Clarkson
    B) Dove
    C) Amos Short Ribs
    D) Chance Aubrey

  4. Short answer: What tools does Etsy use to kill the transformed Arthur at the massacre site?

  5. Multiple choice: Good Stab agrees to return to the church for confession:
    A) every Sunday
    B) every month
    C) only once
    D) only on Easter

  6. Short answer: What is the name of the Blackfeet trickster who appears as a trapper?

  7. Multiple choice: Which historical massacre is central to Arthur Beaucarne’s guilt?
    A) Wounded Knee
    B) Bear River (Marias Massacre)
    C) Sand Creek
    D) Battle of Little Bighorn

  8. Short answer: What type of creature does Good Stab become after drinking the Cat Man’s blood?

Character Motivation (5 questions)

  1. Multiple choice: Why does Good Stab first approach the pastor?
    A) To kill him
    B) To make a confession
    C) To steal the communion wine
    D) To ask for shelter

  2. Short answer: What motivates Etsy to transcribe Arthur’s journal?

  3. Multiple choice: What is Arthur’s primary reason for hiding his journal?
    A) To keep it from Good Stab
    B) To preserve his legacy
    C) To protect the next pastor
    D) To prevent the truth from being known

  4. Short answer: Why does Good Stab kill the Pikuni boy White Teeth?

  5. Multiple choice: What does Good Stab hope to achieve through his confession?
    A) Absolution for his own sins
    B) To make Arthur confess his role in the Marias Massacre
    C) To test the pastor’s faith
    D) To convert the pastor to Blackfeet beliefs

Theme & Symbol (4 questions)

  1. Multiple choice: What does the yellow-and-black face paint on the victims symbolize?
    A) The colors of the Blackfeet nation
    B) A signature left by Good Stab
    C) The colors of a buffalo that was stolen by Indians
    D) A warning to other settlers

  2. Short answer: What larger concept does the nachzehrer embody in the novel?

  3. Multiple choice: What does the repeated image of the “hump” on the prairie suggest?
    A) The remains of buffalo
    B) The victims’ bodies left as markers
    C) The shape of the church roof
    D) The mounds of burial sites

  4. Short answer: What does the raven feather pressed to a forehead signify in Blackfeet tradition?

Synthesis (3 questions)

  1. Multiple choice: How does the dual timeline (1912 and 2012) affect the story?
    A) It shows that the past is completely separate
    B) It reveals that historical trauma continues into the present
    C) It allows for multiple narrators
    D) It confuses the reader

  2. Short answer: In what way does Etsy’s struggle for tenure parallel Arthur’s moral struggle?

  3. Multiple choice: What is the ultimate fate of Arthur Beaucarne?
    A) He escapes to the East
    B) He is killed by Etsy after transformation
    C) He becomes a nachzehrer
    D) He dies of old age

Answer Key

  1. B – The prologue begins “16 July 2012” (chapter 2).
  2. Dropping eggs to dogs – If an egg yields a black yolk, it signals evil (chapter 14, “The Absolution of Three-Persons”).
  3. B – Dove introduces himself as a Pinkerton (chapter 8).
  4. A nail gun and a cable saw – Etsy uses these to kill the transformed Arthur at the Marias Massacre site (chapter 24).
  5. A – Good Stab agrees to return each Sunday for confession (chapter 2).
  6. Napi – The trickster disguises himself as a trapper (chapter 13).
  7. B – Arthur participated in the Marias Massacre (also called Bear River), which haunts him (chapters 20–23).
  8. A nachzehrer – He becomes an undead creature driven by blood thirst (chapter 3).
  9. B – He asks to confess to the pastor (chapter 2).
  10. She needs the book to earn tenure – Etsy transcribes the journal to build a manuscript (chapter 1).
  11. A – He coats the pouch with sacramental items so Good Stab’s “nose can’t find it” (chapter 19).
  12. He cannot control his blood thirst as a nachzehrer – The act devastates him but is driven by his curse (chapter 6).
  13. B – Good Stab wants Arthur to admit his role in the Marias Massacre (chapter 19).
  14. C – Livinius Clarkson’s tale describes buffalo painted yellow and black after being stolen by Indians (chapter 4).
  15. Colonial violence and its unending consequences – The nachzehrer represents the undead cycle of revenge and trauma.
  16. B – The “hump” is the term for a skinned corpse left on the prairie as a message (chapter 4).
  17. Protection or a promise of guidance – Amos Short Ribs recounts the legend of Happy, who left a raven feather as protection (chapter 16).
  18. B – The parallel narratives show how historical violence echoes into the present.
  19. Both are trapped by systems that judge them – Etsy faces academic precarity; Arthur is judged by his own guilt and Good Stab’s demand for confession.
  20. B – Etsy kills Arthur after he transforms into a prairie-dog monster, using a nail gun and cable saw (chapter 24).

For more context, see the book overview, questions and answers, and ending explained.