View a FREE sample

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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. From age nine to ten, Richard Allen Mesington believes he will pursue which profession?
(a) Law
(b) Veterinary science
(c) Airplane pilot
(d) Medicine

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

3. According to the novel, how much time elapses between the spark setting off the "sweet" rifle and Richard Allen Mesinger's death?
(a) Less than 1.5 minutes
(b) Less than 1.5 days
(c) Less than 1.5 seconds
(d) Less than 1.5 hours

4. Why doesn't Richard Allen Mesington play with the next door neighbor Harv Kline's son?
(a) Harv Kline's son doesn't like guns
(b) Harv Kline's son drowned as an infant
(c) Harv Kline's son is too old
(d) Harv Kline's son is too young

5. What breed of dog is Sissy?
(a) Yorkshire Terrier
(b) Greyhound
(c) Collie
(d) She's a mutt

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

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

8. When Richard Allen Mesington is seven years old his family moves to what state?
(a) Texas
(b) Alabama
(c) Utah
(d) Missouri

9. In what sport is Richard Allen Mesington not interested?
(a) Soccer
(b) Baseball
(c) Basketball
(d) Football

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

11. With which relative is Richard Allen Mesington particularly close?
(a) His cousin
(b) His adopted little sister
(c) His grandfather
(d) His son

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

13. According to the novel, how long was Richard Allen Mesinger "supposed" to have lived?
(a) To age forty
(b) To age fourteen
(c) An additional 60 years
(d) Long enough to discover a genetic cure for cancer

14. Which of the following does not describe the loading process used by John Byam to load the "sweet" rifle?
(a) He used a needle to clean out the touch hole
(b) He used a greased patch
(c) He swaged out the greased patch
(d) He dabbed grease into the touch hole

15. What was Richard Allen Mesington's first pet dog named?
(a) Bughoe
(b) Peggy
(c) Sarah
(d) Sissy

Short Answer Questions

1. What actually ignites the black powder in the "sweet" rifle as it hangs in Harv Kline's house?

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

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

4. When he is an infant, how does Richard Allen Mesington get Sissy to stop walking?

5. In Missouri, one of Richard Allen Mesington's neighbors tells him stories about what historical world event?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 557 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample