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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. What did John do when the farmer’s son asked for his help in Chapter 13?

2. Who was credited for saving Mrs. Gordon’s life?

3. What phrase did Thomas use in Chapter 19 that upset John?

4. Who did Merrylegs throw off of him in Chapter 9?

5. When Ginger was young, what would small boys passing by throw at her?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did Merrylegs see boys and girls differently, and why might that be?

2. How did Ginger’s childhood compare to Black Beauty’s childhood?

3. What was the understanding among everyone at Birtwik Park, which no one acknowledged aloud to the Gordons?

4. Ginger admitted to Black Beauty that she was bad to her past masters by kicking and biting. What was her reasoning for behaving this way?

5. How did the author use the weather as a writing tool in Chapter 12?

6. How is the theme of cruelty introduced in Chapter 13?

7. What does the mention of Rob Roy in Chapter 5 tell readers about Black Beauty?

8. What was John’s opinion of Black Beauty and Ginger, based on what he told Mr. York?

9. How is the idea of fashion represented in Chapter 10?

10. How did John get his point across to Thomas in Chapter 19?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Symbolism is literature means to inject a symbolic meaning into something else. What examples of symbolism are there in Black Beauty?

Essay Topic 2

Alcohol is a motif throughout Black Beauty. How is alcohol generally presented in the book? How does alcohol affect Black Beauty?

Essay Topic 3

Many sacrifices were made for the sake of fashion throughout Black Beauty. Who was making the sacrifices? What sort of sacrifices were made? How did the humans feel about sacrificing for fashion? How did the horses feel about it?

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