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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. How does Pa get his boots off?

2. What does Pa tell Ma the folks in Independence are saying about the Indians?

3. What do the girls say the Indians had eaten in the village?

4. Why were there small holes in the ground at the Indian camp?

5. How was Pa finally able to milk the cow?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens one day when the chimney catches on fire?

2. What does the family end up getting from the cattlemen and what does Pa get from it that night?

3. What does Pa do after the Indians quiet down and some leave? Who does he meet and what does Pa find out about the Indians?

4. Who helps the Ingalls family when they are sick and how do they help them?

5. What do Pa and Mr. Scott hit before they get water in the well and what does Laura think of the water?

6. How do Mary and Laura find out there is something going on with the Indians and what does Pa say is happening?

7. Why does Pa go to the Scotts’ in the middle of the night?

8. What does Pa eat when he feels better and what does Mrs. Scott think of his choice of foods?

9. What can the settlers hear from the Indians and how are the settlers feeling about what they hear?

10. How does Jack, Pa and Ma feel about all the Indians going down the trail?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How do you think the reflection of Laura looking back on her life might be very different then her life had actually been? Do you think Laura sees her past as being better than it was? Why or why not? Use examples from Little House on the Prairie to support your answer.

Essay Topic 2

While the Ingalls’ days are filled with work just to survive, there are a few moments of happiness, such as when Pa plays his fiddle, when Pa takes his older daughters to the creek and the deserted Indian camp, and when Mr. Edwards brings them Christmas presents from Santa.

Discuss the ways in which the Ingalls find joy and entertainment in their lives and compare them to the way in which modern Americans entertain themselves. What do you think a child in modern America would think of Laura and Mary’s Christmas gifts? Use examples from Little House on the Prairie to support your answer.

Essay Topic 3

Often, authors will write about what they know, and sometimes knowing a little about the author makes the books more interesting. Discuss the following:

Research and give a brief biographical sketch of Laura Ingalls Wilder. Do you think there is always some of the author's own life in his/her novels? Why or why not? Give examples. Name one idea/concept you think may have been a part of the Wilder's agenda. Analyze that idea throughout the book and discuss Wilder's probable agenda concerning that idea.

(see the answer keys)

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