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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 Pa see in the treetops on his way home from the Scotts’?

2. Who does Pa say has ridden past the house in the night?

3. What does Ma do when the girls hear the Indians in the distance?

4. Who is giving Laura medicine when she wakes up one day?

5. What does Pa tell the Scotts is the reason he came to their house in the middle of the night?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Pa do after the Indians quiet down and some leave? Who does he meet and what does Pa find out about the Indians?

2. What happens one day when the chimney catches on fire?

3. Where does Pa take Mary and Laura in Chapter 14 and what do they find there?

4. Why does the family worry about Pa getting back from Independence and what does he manage to bring with him without breaking it?

5. How do Mary and Laura find out there is something going on with the Indians and what does Pa say is happening?

6. What do Mr. Scott and Mr. Edwards think about the prairie and what how do they feel about the Indians getting together?

7. What keeps the family awake for several nights and what does Laura see when it finally stops?

8. Why do the girls worry about Christmas and the family worry about Mr. Edwards?

9. Who helps the Ingalls family when they are sick and how do they help them?

10. What does Pa eat when he feels better and what does Mrs. Scott think of his choice of foods?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Foreshadowing is used in almost all works of fiction. Discuss the following:

What is foreshadowing? Identify three instances of foreshadowing in Little House on the Prairie and what they foreshadow? How does foreshadowing contribute to a book's suspense? Are there any incidences that you thought foreshadows a future event, but it does not do so?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss one of the following:

Trace and analyze the theme of self-reliance in Little House on the Prairie. Consider the following questions as you write: Examine which characters are most concerned with being independent and how they demonstrate independence? What might drive them to be self-reliant?

Trace and analyze the theme of joy in one’s life in Little House on the Prairie. How is joy found in a difficult life? How are the joys in the Ingalls lives different from those in modern America? How might finding the good in everyday help a family survive a harsh environment? Use examples from Little House on the Prairie to support your answer.

Essay Topic 3

Choose two significant symbols and trace and analyze their appearance in Little House on the Prairie. Are these universal symbols that would have the same meaning in any culture? What other symbols could portray the same idea? Why do you think Wilder chooses the symbols she does? Consider symbols such as the animals on the prairie, the Indians, the prairie fire and the panther.

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