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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. Where does the bullet hit the badger when Burton first shoots her?

2. Who tackles Burton while William is recovering from the bullet wound?

3. What animal alarms Ben in his hiding spot during the storm in Chapter Seven?

4. In the first week after Ben's disappearance, how many hours does William spend looking for Ben each day?

5. Who does Ben see on a horse in the distance that sends him scurrying for the burrow in Chapter Eight?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Ben retreat to the burrow and hide when he sees Burton and Lobo riding nearby?

2. What are William's thoughts when Ben asks if the badger will live?

3. Describe why the MacDonald family finally accepts Ben's story as complete truth.

4. Why is Ben afraid of the badger when she returns to her den and finds him there?

5. Describe the fight between Lobo, Ben, and the badger.

6. In Chapter Thirteen, why is Burton coming to visit the MacDonalds?

7. Describe the change in the MacDonald family's behavior toward Ben after the incident with Burton's badger, and Ben's response to the change.

8. Why does the search team finally call off their search for Ben after two days?

9. Describe the process by which Ben cleans the badger's injured paw.

10. Describe Ben's appearance when John finds him and returns home.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare and contrast the characters of George Burton and Ben MacDonald. Are they good versus evil? Or something else? In what ways are their motivations alike and different? Do they have anything in common at all?

Essay Topic 2

Based on his treatment of each group in the novel, does the author prefer humans or animals? What evidence supports your theory? Which group does the author spend more time describing, and why?

Essay Topic 3

Readers can, to an extent, determine the strength of Ben's relationships with those around him by examining the extent to which Ben speaks with them. To which characters is Ben closest? Which characters does he not have much of a relationship with? Analyze Ben's relationship with each of his family members using his communication as evidence of his feelings.

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