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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 animal does the badger bring for Ben to eat that he cannot bring himself to eat in Chapter Ten?

2. The members of the search party agree before they begin that whomever finds Ben will fire how many shots?

3. As Chapter Seven opens, what are Ben's siblings doing?

4. As daylight breaks in Chapter Ten, the badger brings Ben what to eat?

5. What issue do the MacDonalds face at the end of Chapter Twelve?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is the bird in Chapter Seven leading Ben away from the house?

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

3. Why does the search team from North Corners not turn up any sign of Ben in the two days they spend looking?

4. Why does the author make a point of saying that Ben cries for his father at the end of Chapter Eight?

5. Why does Ben not recognize his brother when John first attempts contact with him in Chapter Eleven?

6. Describe the condition of the MacDonalds in the weeks after Ben's disappearance.

7. Describe the fight between Burton and William.

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

9. Why do both William and Ben believe they are responsible for William hitting Ben during the badger skinning?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Eckert includes some imagery--such as the deaths of animals--that may strike the reader as gruesome and unnecessary. Are these details unnecessary? Or are they essential to the story? What message does the author intend to convey with these descriptions? Is the author heartless? Or is he merely trying to present an accurate picture of nature?

Essay Topic 2

Are Eckert's animals lifelike and believable? Or are they too anthropomorphic to be real? Pick three animals from the story (aside from the badger) and discuss how realistic the animals seem.

Essay Topic 3

The author claims that Ben is able to survive--though he does lose a great deal of weight--for two months on a badger's diet. Analyze the possibility of this. Can a human receive adequate nutrition from the items the author says the badger feeds Ben? Why or why not?

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