View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. At the end of the section, where is the author when he encounters a deer?

2. The author cooks mice for the students. How do they feel about eating mouse?

3. The author notes how perceptive the ravens are to _____________.

4. Whom does the author ask to go fishing with him in "May 4 Smelting"?

5. What does the author see the squirrels licking?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does the author realize about the ravens in "December 23 Ravens"? How does this affect his behavior?

2. What is the most important aspect of hunting for the author? Why?

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

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

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

6. How does the author deal with his "cabin fever"?

7. How does the book come to an end? After a year of living in the woods, how does the author feel about his life there? Why?

8. What does the author think of himself and his students in comparison to other people? Do you agree? Why or why not?

9. How does the author spend Christmas? How does he feel about this? How does this experience compare to his other experiences throughout this book?

10. Describe the metamorphosis taking place in the Maine woods. How might the author feel about this?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The author keeps records of his experiences for one year in the woods of Maine.

Part 1) Describe these records. Why does he want to do this? Why does he decide to spend a year in Maine? Do you see this as a beneficial experience? Why or why not?

Part 2) How did the author change throughout this year? What caused these changes? How might the author have been permanently affected by his experiences in the Maine woods?

Part 3) What have you learned from the author's experiences during this year? How might you benefit from this? Has reading this book changed you? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Much of the activities in the woods have to do with survival.

Part 1) Describe the activities of the author and other creatures. How are they necessary to survival? What parallels in behavior can be seen between the author and the wild animals? Why?

Part 2) What activities do you do that are related to survival? Are those activities based on instinct or on the way in which you were raised?

Part 3) How is survival a theme in this book? What does the author say about this theme? Why does he say this? What does this reveal about him?

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,344 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample