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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 does Traft Martin ask Hattie?

2. Who rides up with a cow?

3. Why do Chase and Mattie run past Hattie's house without stopping one day?

4. What is one of Hattie's daily challenges?

5. What has Hattie's uncle Holt been doing with her letters?

Short Essay Questions

1. Where does Hattie go on Sunday where she has not yet been, and how is she initially greeted?

2. With what does Perilee leave Hattie as they drop her off at her new home, and what does Hattie give her in return?

3. How does Hattie defuse Traft's aggression towards Mr. Saboe?

4. What neighbor does Hattie meet in the local grocery store and what does he tell her?

5. What does Leafie say about Traft Martin when Hattie sees Leafie at the dance?

6. What happens the next day after the dance to the Mueller's barn?

7. Who arrives to pick Mattie up in Wolf Point, and why do they spend the night there?

8. What does Hattie write to Uncle Holt and Charlie and who mails them for her?

9. Who helps Hattie in the field the next day and how does he respond to her thanks?

10. What is Hattie's newest challenge in homesteading, and how has Uncle Chester helped?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In most fiction, readers would like all the loose ends to be neatly "tied up." Discuss the following:

1. Do you think "Hattie Big Sky" is successful as a teen historical fiction? Why or why not.

2. What about this book would motivate you to read another of Kirby Larson's western novels? What would discourage you from doing so?

3. Were all the "loose ends" satisfactorily settled for you? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the following:

1. Who is/are the protagonists of "Hattie Big Sky" and why?

2. Who is/are the antagonists of "Hattie Big Sky" and why?

3. Which three secondary characters have the greatest impact on the plot?

4. Are any of the characters dispensable and which ones? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

There are a number of interesting questions raised by teen historical fiction--questions that Larson may wish readers to consider and think through carefully. Discuss the following:

1. What does the term "author agenda" mean?

2. Name one idea/concept you think may have been a part of the Larson's agenda. Analyze that idea throughout the book and discuss Larson's probable agenda concerning that idea.

2. Do you think writers who have an agenda for writing should point it out in a preface?

3. How often do you think fiction is written with a clear agenda in mind by the author?

4. Research the life of Larson and see if/where her life may have influenced her writing.

(see the answer keys)

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