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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 should be recorded on paper when a homesteader is working a farm?

2. What did the Nearings call the dwarf peas they grew on trellises?

3. When the Nearings sent samples of their garden soil to be analyzed by the University of Maine, what were the results?

4. How many people visit the farm in Maine?

5. What were colonists who moved from England to New England not concerned with?

Short Essay Questions

1. What was the Nearings' attitudes toward doctors?

2. Why did the Nearings NOT chose a location in Europe for either one of their moves?

3. What point do the Nearings make about personal style in a home?

4. How was building the pond an exercise in patience?

5. What was the importance of Bretton Brubaker's work on the house in Maine?

6. How did the Nearings build a greenhouse? What were the important things to consider?

7. Why, according to the Nearings, do most people want old buildings?

8. What caused the leaks in the pond?

9. When the Nearings found a worn-out apple tree near the blueberries, how did they make it grow?

10. To bring the point home to her husband about the increasing number of visitors, how did Helen handle visitors who came to the door just before the move to Maine?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Why did the Nearings leave New York? What was the political climate in 1932? What was happening in the nation? What did the Nearings do before they moved to Vermont?

Essay Topic 2

What were the Nearings' personal beliefs regarding meat? How did their beliefs change through the years?

Essay Topic 3

As others viewed life as meaningless and looked for forms of escape after the war, how did the Nearings view life? What did they mean by "urgent?"

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This section contains 700 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample