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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. In Chapter 14, "A Casualty," which animal ends up being the "casualty" of the chapter title?

2. In Chapter 14, "A Casualty," what new outpost does the family build?

3. In Chapter 14, "A Casualty," what does the narrator do when he finds it difficult to train the animals to pull with a yoke?

4. In Chapter 13, "Unpleasant Tasks," what does the family pass the winter learning?

5. In Chapter 13, "Unpleasant Tasks," what does the narrator name the new donkey colt?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Chapter 13, "Unpleasant Tasks," what happens to Jack in the swamp?

2. In Chapter 12, "Anniversary," how do Jack and Fritz wake the family, and how do their parents respond?

3. In Chapter 10, "Changing Seasons," how does the narrator explain grafting to his sons?

4. In Chapter 11, "Our Estates," what new source of potential danger does the family discover, and what do they decide to do about it?

5. In Chapter 17, "Bounty and Peril," what new boat do they make and what is Elizabeth's reaction?

6. In Chapter 15, "We Explore Inland," how does Ernest kill the muskrats, and what does he intend to do with them?

7. In Chapter 11, "Our Estates," what are the improvements that the family makes to the cave before they move in?

8. In Chapter 17, "Bounty and Peril," what new method of skinning animals does the narrator devise, and why does he feel it is necessary?

9. In Chapter 18, "Repairs and Fortifications," what do the boys find has happened at Prospect Hill, and what is their response?

10. In Chapter 16, "A Winged Steed," what does the narrator feel as the boys ride away on their first solo expedition?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

This book was originally composed as a series of stories and then later compiled into a novel. Write an essay in which you analyze the impact this origin has had on the book's overall structure and effect on the reader.

Essay Topic 2

Consider the characterizations of the family members that are offered in the book; which family members do you get to know the best and the least? Write an essay that offers a theory about why this is. Be sure to offer textual support for your claims. If you use historical or biographical evidence in your essay, cite your sources in MLA format.

Essay Topic 3

Evaluate this story as a reflection of the philosophies of Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Which of Rousseau's ideas are being explored in this book, and does the book seem to accurately bring these ideas to life? Be sure to cite your sources in MLA format.

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