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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. Who is Sam?

2. What was wrong with Mr. Thwaite's cow?

3. Who owns the cocker spaniel that the Dimmocks bring to Herriot?

4. What odd tools did Mr. Ross require to fix the animal?

5. What do the Horners feed Herriot for breakfast one morning when they call him out early?

Short Essay Questions

1. After Herriot and Granville attend the lecture, why is it challenging to return home?

2. Describe the process that Herriot goes through to anesthetize Walt Bennet's horse. How does Siegfried participate?

3. Describe the byre that Frank Metcalf builds for his cows. How is it different from most local byres?

4. Mr. Bentley arrives at the surgery to ask Herriot to come out and see his cow the next day. What is he doing that is odd and why?

5. Why was Herriot terrified after doing the tuberculin test on Mr. Dacre's bull?

6. Explain why Mrs. Bond was displeased with Tristan.

7. Explain why Gyp, the epileptic sheep dog barks for once in his life at the sheep dog trials.

8. Explain the relationship between Marmaduke "Duke" Skelton and Ewan Ross.

9. Explain why Herriot thought it might be a good idea to sedate Penny to cure her gastroenteritis, and where he got that idea.

10. How does Herriot feel after eating at the Horners? What lasting effect does it have on him?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay about breeds and selective breeding.

Part 1. Why do we create specific breeds of animals or plants?

Part 2. What do we do to create those breeds? What are some practices in selective breeding?

Part 3. Give some examples of plants or animals that have modified and bred to suit a specific purpose. What traits were selected for and which ones were lost?

Essay Topic 2

In All Things Bright and Beautiful we hear about the draft horse being replaced by a tractor and see a vision of agricultural business as it was in the early 1900s. Farming has changed significantly in more ways than just the tractor since then.

Part 1. What are some of the major changes that agriculture has undergone over the last century?

Part 2. What are the effects of these changes? Include a discussion of social and economic effects as well as the effects on the land and the goods produced.

Part 3. Has there been a change in the trends in agriculture over the last decade? What are they and what direction are they headed?

Essay Topic 3

The series of books by James Herriot are titled after and Anglican hymn called "All Things Bright and Beautiful."

Part 1. Provide a brief biography of Cecil Frances Alexander and her religious works.

Part 2. Discuss verse 3 and why it is not currently included in the hymn. What social structure did Cecil Frances Alexander belong to that would inspire such a verse?

Part 3. What are the possible sources of inspiration for the hymn? What do you think is likely?

(see the answer keys)

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