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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What happened to Harv Kline after Richard Allen Mesinger's death?
(a) He fled the country and lived in Bermuda
(b) The British soldiers hung him also
(c) He went to jail for murder
(d) He became an alcoholic

2. According to the novel, how common were firearms accidents prior to 1850?
(a) They were very rare
(b) They were virtually non-existent
(c) They were almost unheard of
(d) They were common

3. What happened to Mrs. Mesinger after Richard Allen Mesinger's death?
(a) The British soldiers hung her also
(b) She went insane
(c) She forgot about the "sweet" rifle in her attic
(d) She moved to California

4. According to the novel, how much pressure does a black powder charge generate?
(a) Very little
(b) 11,000 pounds per square inch
(c) Two British tonnes
(d) Enough to blow up the average gun

5. How does Richard Allen Mesington get along with Harv Kline?
(a) They fight about nearly everything
(b) They are best friends
(c) They like each other as neighbors
(d) They like to hunt together

6. Richard Allen Mesington dreams of learning how to throw what kind of a baseball pitch?
(a) A clean dropping curve
(b) A fastball
(c) A strike
(d) A bodyline pitch

7. In the novel, how many people actually fire the "sweet" rifle?
(a) Eighteen
(b) None
(c) Dozens and dozens
(d) Two

8. About when were Harv Kline's two children born?
(a) 1993 and 1995
(b) 1982 and 1984
(c) 1865 and 1867
(d) 1776 and 1778

9. When he is an infant, Richard Allen Mesington imitated which animal?
(a) Deer
(b) Fish
(c) Bear
(d) Dog

10. In Missouri, one of Richard Allen Mesington's neighbors tells him stories about what historical world event?
(a) World War II
(b) Custer's Last Stand
(c) The Seminole War
(d) The 9-11 terror attacks

11. Who tells Peggy that Richard Allen Mesington has a crush on her?
(a) Dennis
(b) Tim Harrow
(c) Harv Kline
(d) Tilson

12. What happens to black powder if it is exposed to the air for a long period of time?
(a) It explodes
(b) It gets much stronger
(c) It turns a greyish white
(d) It is ruined

13. Academically, how does Richard Allen Mesington perform?
(a) He is below average
(b) He is failing out of school
(c) He is a superior performer
(d) He is a little above average

14. How much linear distance in the bore of the "sweet" rifle is used by a typical loading of powder and patched ball?
(a) None
(b) The entire length of the bore
(c) Two inches
(d) Two feet

15. How does Richard Allen Mesington think about firearms?
(a) He thinks he's like to learn how to make them
(b) He doesn't think about them
(c) He loves them
(d) He is terrified of them

Short Answer Questions

1. How long does Richard Allen Mesington own the "sweet" rifle?

2. What does the Mesinger family do in the early evening of Christmas Eve, 1993?

3. What breed of dog is Sissy?

4. What does Richard Allen Mesington do as a small child that frightens his parents?

5. When the Mesington family moves away from Willow, Colorado, what state do they move to?

(see the answer keys)

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