3. In "December 12 Rump Steak," the author discovers that the steak that he thought a friendly neighbor left him to enjoy through the winter was actually what?

4. The author visits his son's school in __________________.

5. In "March 14 After the Storm," why does the author go into town again?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does the author notice about the squirrels in "March 20-21"? What are your thoughts regarding the squirrels' behavior?

2. What takes place in "Early February"? What is your reaction to this? Why?

3. What takes place in "March 31"? How might the author feel about this?

4. How does the author feel about the mice and flies? Why? How does this compare to how he feels about other animals?

5. What takes place in "December 29 Winter Ecology?" Why might the author do this?

6. What is taking place in "March 13 Storm Warnings"? Why do the people act and feel this way?

7. Describe "April 20." Is the author's life a simple one? Why or why not?

8. How does the author feel about celebrating Christmas? Why might he feel this way?

9. What does the author learn from this dissection? How is this important to him?

10. How important are these fishing expeditions for the author? Why?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

The author teaches a fifteen-day intensive course.

Part 1) Describe this course. Why does the author teach it? What does this reveal about him? What does this experience also reveal about him? What does this experience also reveal about his students? Describe the relationship between the author and his students.

Part 2) What are the benefits of a course such as this? Would you be interested in participating in something like this? Why or why not?

Part 3) How does this course compare to a regular college or high school course? What can teachers and professors of regular classroom-based classes learn from the course taught by the author? How might aspects of this course be incorporated into a regular classroom setting?

Essay Topic 3

The author rids himself of many modern conveniences.

Part 1) What are several modern conveniences he does away with? Why? What is the purpose of ridding his life of modern conveniences? Should he do this? Why or why not?

Part 2) How does this "simpler" life affect the author? What does he learn about himself, the natural world around him, and the modern world from doing away with most modern conveniences?

Part 3) Should people spend time without modern conveniences and technology? Why or why not? Would you choose to live without modern conveniences for a period of time? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

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