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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. How much would the insurance policy cost to insure the sugarhouse in Vermont?
(a) $550.00 per 6 months.
(b) $550.00 per month.
(c) $125.00 per year.
(d) $125.00 per month.

2. How high did the blueberry plants get?
(a) 12 feet.
(b) 7 feet.
(c) 3 feet.
(d) 1 foot.

3. How did the Nearings eat their bread?
(a) The grain unground and unkneaded.
(b) In loaves.
(c) With ots of butter.
(d) In whole wheat loaves.

4. How were the Nearings travel expenses paid when they were asked to speak or lecture?
(a) They had rich relatives.
(b) The borrowed the money.
(c) Their travel expenses were paid for by those who asked them to talk.
(d) They had a travel allowance in their budget.

5. How did the Nearings obtain a freezer?
(a) They traded for one.
(b) They inherited one.
(c) They bought one.
(d) The were given one.

6. How did the Nearings get most of the clothes they wore?
(a) They bought them on trips to New York.
(b) They bought them in thrift shops and rummage sales.
(c) They made them from their sheep.
(d) They too hand-me-downs from neighbors.

7. What kind of roof was on the greenhouse?
(a) A 10 degree sloping shingle roof.
(b) A 20 degree sloping tile roof.
(c) A 30 degree sloping plastic roof.
(d) A 10 degree sloping window glass roof.

8. How did the Nearings harvest Chinese cabbage in the cold weather?
(a) Pick them early and can them to add flavor.
(b) Wait until a sunny day with a southern wind and pick them then.
(c) Wait until cold days and pick them frozen.
(d) Wait until rainy days and pick them when wet.

9. What did Greg Summers, the man from Wisconsin with a background in art, do for cash?
(a) He painted.
(b) He took printshop jobs.
(c) He photographed the Nearings.
(d) He sold plants.

10. When the Nearings planted their first garden in Maine, what was the first problem they encountered with local animals?
(a) The deer were eating the seeds.
(b) The birds were eating the seeds.
(c) The kittens were eating the seeds.
(d) The racoons were eating the seeds.

11. How many blueberry plants did the Nearings plant their first spring in Maine?
(a) 1088.
(b) 5.
(c) 562.
(d) 228.

12. What, according to the Nearings, made a parsnip tasty?
(a) Syrup.
(b) Honey.
(c) A little sea salt.
(d) Freezing would convert their starch into sugar.

13. What is "heeling-in?"
(a) To train a dog.
(b) To be set in ones ways.
(c) To make a mark in the dirt with the heel of your foot for planting.
(d) The plant is dug up and then replanted with undamaged roots.

14. What is Celtus?
(a) A basketball team.
(b) A plant midway between celery and lettuce.
(c) A tempature devise.
(d) A red plant with berries.

15. What was Hancock County, Maine known for?
(a) As the "seaside getaway" county
(b) As one of Maine's "blueberry counties."
(c) As the "ski resort" county.
(d) As the "apple orchard" county.

Short Answer Questions

1. How deep was the stone garden wall in Maine?

2. How far apart were the Nearing's compost piles?

3. How long did it take for a compost pile to be ready to use in the garden?

4. How could a competent wood worker determine where a tree would fall?

5. What did the Nearings build in the corner of the walled-in vegetable garden?

(see the answer keys)

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