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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. According to the novel, why were all guns kept loaded prior to 1850?
(a) Because gun owners lacked common sense
(b) Because they took so long to load
(c) Because powder would spoil if not loaded immediately
(d) It was the law

2. What does Richard Allen Mesington do as a small child that frightens his parents?
(a) Likes to play with fire
(b) Chases a bear in the forest around the family home
(c) Plays with a gun
(d) Explores the forest around the family home

3. According to the novel, how fast does a black powder charge burn?
(a) About 1100 feet per second at sea level
(b) 25,000 feet per second
(c) 186,000 miles per second
(d) In about 1.45 seconds

4. What does Richard Allen Mesington call the first heavy equipment he sees moving earth?
(a) A "Harley" (p. 75)
(b) Savage and destructive (p. 74)
(c) A "[B]iiig dog" (p. 75)
(d) A "bughoe" (p. 75)

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

6. After John Byam, what act is never performed on the "sweet" rifle?
(a) Firing it
(b) Selling it
(c) Checking to see if it is loaded
(d) Cleaning it up

7. What does Harv Kline say after the "sweet" rifle accidentally discharges?
(a) "Take that..." (p. 95)
(b) "What--" (p. 95)
(c) "Bang!" (p. 95)
(d) He curses

8. When Richard Allen Mesington is fourteen years old he considers pursuing all of the following careers except?
(a) Soldier
(b) Major-league pitcher
(c) Doctor
(d) Teacher

9. What is Harv Kline's favorite time of year?
(a) The Christmas season
(b) Spring
(c) The hunting season
(d) Just after tax season

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

11. How old is Richard Allen Mesington when he has his first crush on Peggy?
(a) Sixteen years old
(b) Nine years old
(c) Fourteen years old
(d) Twenty years old

12. When he is an infant, how does Richard Allen Mesington get Sissy to stop walking?
(a) He says he'll tell his mom if she doesn't do what he says
(b) He pulls her fur
(c) He asks her to stop
(d) He sits down and cries

13. According to the novel, how many baseball games did Richard Allen Mesinger watch in an average year?
(a) 16
(b) He didn't watch baseball
(c) Over 100
(d) Two or three a week, all season long

14. After whom was Richard Allen Mesington named?
(a) A famous artist
(b) His maternal grandfather
(c) A famous British officer of the American Revolutionary War
(d) A well-known gunsmith

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

Short Answer Questions

1. When Richard Allen Mesington is fourteen years old, who is his girlfriend?

2. What profession does Richard Allen Mesington first believe he will pursue?

3. What happens to black powder if it is exposed to the air for a long period of time?

4. How long does the "sweet" rifle stay loaded before it is finally discharged?

5. What happened to Harv Kline after Richard Allen Mesinger's death?

(see the answer keys)

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