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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 age is Boone Caudill when the story begins?

2. What does Dick give to Boone in Chapter 14?

3. What does Boone use to hit Pap with in Chapter 1?

4. What weapon does Streak have in the fight with Boone?

5. What intention does Boone tell Zeb he and the other men have?

Short Essay Questions

1. What takes place when Boone and Dick have a confrontation with twelve Indians in Chapter 14?

2. How is Boone sentenced during his trial in Paoli?

3. How does Boone meet Jim Deakins?

4. What is causing the men to consider making their current rendezvous the last one in Chapter 24?

5. What lesson is learned when Boone meets Jonathan Bedwell?

6. Which issues do Jourdonnais and McKenzie discuss at Fort Union?

7. What is Boone's reputation when the story begins, and what trouble is he in as a result of his actions?

8. Who do Boone, Jim, and Dick encounter in Chapter 22 and what precautions are being taken to prevent another Indian attack?

9. How does Jim help Boone in his fight with Streak?

10. What happens in Chapter 12 between Boone and Teal Eye?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Boone leaves home for the second time in the book, bringing the story to a complete circle and returning it to a similar starting point.

1) Describe the interaction that Boone has with his family while he is staying with them towards the end of the story.

2) Explain what happens during the conversation between Boone and Nancy and why it is a significant part in Boone's decision to leave.

3) Compare and contrast the similarities and differences of Boone's reasons for leaving home in the beginning and the end of the story.

Essay Topic 2

The beginning of The Big Sky is also the beginning of Boone's journey to the West on his own.

1) Describe the events that lead to Boone's decision to leave home for the first time.

2) Explain Boone's options and what might have happened if he had chosen to stay.

3) Analyze Boone's decision to leave and its importance to the overall plot of the story.

Essay Topic 3

Another Indian attack in Chapter 19 confirms the warnings that Boone and the other men of the Mandan were given about the Indian territory.

1) Describe the plan for returning Teal Eye to her people and the risks involved with it.

2) Explain the signs of the pending Indian attack as well as the similarities between them and other Indian attacks in the book.

3) Analyze the effects of the Indian attack and what happens to Boone, Jim, and Dick.

(see the answer keys)

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