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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. What is the name of the town where Matt's family lives?

2. When Matt sees the 7 notches on his stick used for measuring time gone by, what month does he judge it is?

3. By what name does the stranger introduce himself?

4. What is the main source of noise Matt notices in the woods?

5. According to the stranger, what life experiences does this man have?

Short Essay Questions

1. After fishing and managing to catch four fish, how is Matt's good mood quickly ruined?

2. How does the story of Robinson Crusoe become more than a reading book for Attean and Matt?

3. Why might one argue that Matt underestimates the danger the bees could cause him when he is planning to get some honey?

4. Why is the absence of the rifle so terrible for Matt?

5. Why might Attean be so uninterested in learning to read and write the English language?

6. What does Matt reveal in the narration that reveals how sensitive he is to being without a gun?

7. Explain why the reader senses that Matt's rescuer is kind and that Matt is safe.

8. Attean, to say the least, is uncooperative in his first reading lesson. Explain his behavior and the feelings behind this behavior.

9. At the end of Chapter 10, Matt comments that Attean has smiled his first genuine smile. One must infer the reason for this smile. What is the reason behind this smile?

10. How do Saknis and his grandson differ in their opinions of the white man?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the role of women in Attean's village? What does Attean say about women that help the reader understand his view of women in a community?

Essay Topic 2

The wilderness is the setting of the novel, The Sign of the Beaver. In this novel, the wilderness is more than a backdrop for the action; it is a force. Discuss how the wilderness as it is described various times in the novel has the power to challenge, to motivate, to please, and to frighten characters. Use at least three specific examples from the text to show the role the wilderness plays in this novel.

Essay Topic 3

Until Matt read Robinson Crusoe to Attean, it was just the story of an adventure. What does Matt himself learn from reading Robinson Crusoe through Attean's eyes? How does the book ultimately become an educational tool for Matt?

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