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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 Europeans arrive, why do they clear the land?

2. The author observes a pair of swallows in a nest by his cabin and how quickly they move on with their lives when ____________.

3. Giant piles of gravel, steep ridges, and ponds are all evidence of ___________.

4. Now that the leaves have fallen, what can the author do?

5. "Beginnings" deals with the author's goals for the _________ he will spend in the cabin.

Short Essay Questions

1. How is "October 26-30" an important chapter?

2. What is the geologic history of the region? Why might the author give this information?

3. What is Adam's Hill? What is the purpose of the information about Adam's Hill?

4. What does the author do to prepare for winter in "June 12 Early Harvests"?

5. How does "August 9-13 Some Berries" lead to a reflection of the author's childhood?

6. What is the purpose of "Beginnings"?

7. How does the author feel about his housemates in "October 7 Housemates"? Why?

8. Why does chopping wood make the author happy? What does this reveal about him?

9. What happens to the author's vegetables? How might he feel about this?

10. What does the author learn about the life cycles of plants and animals in "The Urgency of Spring"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The author notices how perceptive the wild animals are.

Part 1) How does he begin to notice this? Is he surprised by how perceptive they are? Why or why not?

Part 2) How does the degree of the author's ability to perceive begin to mirror that of the animals? Why does this occur? Might reading this book make you more perceptive? Why or why not?

Part 3) How else might a reader be changed by this book? How does this support the purpose of this book?

Essay Topic 2

The author captures a raven and names him Jack.

Part 1) How does he go about catching the raven? Why does he capture Jack? Describe the author's experiences with Jack. What is learned about the author through his relationship with Jack?

Part 2) How does the author change because of Jack? What does he learn from Jack? How do ravens become a significant aspect of this book? Why?

Part 3) How is the author's relationship with all animals a significant part of this book? What does this reveal about the author?

Essay Topic 3

Fishing is often discussed in this book.

Part 1) Describe the author's fishing expeditions. Why does he go fishing? How is fishing important in this book? What other activities pertaining to his relationship with nature are also important? Why?

Part 2) What else is also discussed a great deal in this book? Why? How is this important to the author and to this book?

Part 3) What activities in your own life are of importance? Why? How do these activities compare to those of the author?

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