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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. How does Shecker celebrate the buffaloes release?

2. What did the pet piranha eat most frequently?

3. In the end, how many full grown buffalo were freed by the Bedwetters?

4. Which of the following alcoholic beverages do the Bedwetters drink after freeing the buffalo from their pens?

5. How many trucks of rangers head toward the boys at the final fence?

Short Essay Questions

1. What camp animal did Lally Two bond with, and how?

2. How did Teft end up at Box Canyon Boys' Camp?

3. What is so surprising about the final fence the Bedwetters encounter at the south end of the buffalo reserve?

4. How did the Bedwetters finally win the Apache buffalo head?

5. How do the Bedwetters feel about guiding the buffalo to safety while sitting in the back of the truck bed?

6. How do the Bedwetters celebrate their achievement of opening the buffalo pens?

7. Who climbs up on the catwalk at the buffalo reserve?

8. Who do the Bedwetters imagine seeing them as they drive toward the final fence?

9. What was Wheaties reaction to the buffalo hunt?

10. What emotions do the Bedwetters exhibit in the final scene of the novel?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does Swarthout define manhood in the novel? First, describe the definitions of manhood present in Box Canyon Boys' Camp. How does one act like a man in this setting? Then, compare / contrast that to the definition of manhood the Bedwetters have. Which definition do you think is closer to Swarthout's as the author? Be sure to include examples from the text to help strengthen your arguments.

Essay Topic 2

At the opening of the novel, Glendon Swarthout leads with an epigraph of the nursery rhyme "Little Boy Blue". Why do you think Swarthout chose this nursery rhyme to open his novel? What symbolism can be found in these opening lines to the major themes of the novel? Finally, explain whether or not you believe this epigraph is appropriate for the novel, and why. Be sure to include examples from the text to help strengthen your arguments.

Essay Topic 3

How does Swarthout use both the Bedwetters and the buffalo to represent the powerless in society? Based on these comparisons, what comments is Swarthout making about the way society treats the powerless? How is the annual buffalo hunt symbolic of the emotional turmoil the Bedwetters are experiencing? Be sure to include examples from the text to help strengthen your arguments.

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