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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. 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

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

3. According to the novel, what was the leading cause of death to voyagers along the Oregon Trail?
(a) Dysentery
(b) Indian attack
(c) Starvation and exposure
(d) Firearms accidents

4. According to the novel, how many movies did Richard Allen Mesinger watch in an average year?
(a) 12
(b) Over 100
(c) 52
(d) He didn't watch movies

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

6. How many close friends does Richard Allen Mesington have during the first few years of his life?
(a) Five
(b) None
(c) One
(d) Dozens

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

8. How does Richard Allen Mesington refer to the first bear he sees as an infant?
(a) "B... b... b..." (p. 73)
(b) "[B]ughoe" (p. 73)
(c) "[B]iiig dog" (p. 73)
(d) "Daddy!" (p. 73)

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

10. Where is Richard Allen Mesinger shot?
(a) In the British trenches
(b) Mexico
(c) The forehead
(d) The heart

11. What profession does Richard Allen Mesington first believe he will pursue?
(a) A heavy equipment operator
(b) Politics
(c) A veterinarian
(d) A United States Marine

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

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

14. Who lives next door to the Richard Allen Mesington family in Missouri?
(a) Cornish McManus
(b) Harv Kline
(c) John Byam
(d) Tim Harrow

15. What were the small boys called who hauled powder from the magazine to the cannon during the Revolutionary War?
(a) Sons of Guns
(b) Powder Monkeys
(c) Ship's Boys
(d) Swabs

Short Answer Questions

1. What were prohibited in the powder magazine of Revolutionary War ships?

2. According to the novel, how common were firearms accidents prior to 1850?

3. When Richard Allen Mesington is four years old, he has an exciting experience doing what?

4. How quickly does Richard Allen Mesinger die after being shot?

5. Just before the "sweet" rifle accidentally discharges, what is Harv Kline doing?

(see the answer keys)

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