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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. When did Helen have to return to work?

2. What did the Hoovers do when the Larimers refused their request?

3. How did Adrian expect to load the wood?

4. How did Helen and Adrian Hoover describe the foreman who brought their meat?

5. What did Adrian make for hauling meat?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happened to the airtight stove?

2. Describe how Helen and Adrian Hoover got the oil drum to the house.

3. What animal visitor did Helen and Adrian Hoover have in the basement?

4. What was Helen's experience with the squirrels?

5. What modification did Adrian make to the log roller?

6. What opportunity did the Hoovers see in the basement?

7. What did the psychiatrist tell Helen?

8. What did Hilda and Sven say when they left for the season?

9. What happened to give the Hoovers an excuse to spend a long time in the cabin?

10. What had John Anderson done while the Hoovers were in Chicago?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

To what degree is this book internally consistent? How much does it follow the rules it lays out? Where does it break from its own logic or skip over things that you would think should be covered?

Essay Topic 2

How do you think the Hoovers' exercise will play out, based on what Helen Hoover wrote in the book? How long do you think they will last? What evidence does the book give of underlying feelings that would take them back to civilization, or running away from nature?

Essay Topic 3

Describe the setting and characterizations of nature. What role does nature play in 'A Place in the Woods'? Does Helen Hoover humanize the animals? What is the range of representations of nature?

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