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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

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

2. When Richard Allen Mesington is eleven and twelve years old what is his favorite hobby?
(a) Drawing
(b) Shooting a rifle
(c) Training dogs
(d) Building model airplanes and cars

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

4. According to the novel, what is the muzzle velocity of a black powder rifle's projectile?
(a) 1,200 feet per second
(b) About 30 long paces
(c) Mach 2
(d) The speed of light

5. According to the novel, how old was Richard Allen Mesinger "supposed" to be when he died?
(a) 60
(b) 74
(c) 14
(d) Old enough to know not to play with guns

Short Answer Questions

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

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

3. According to the novel, how long was Richard Allen Mesinger "supposed" to have lived?

4. About when were Harv Kline's two children born?

5. What can comparing the length of the ramrod to the length of the barrel demonstrate with a muzzle-loading rifle?

Short Essay Questions

1. How is Harv Kline characterized in the novel?

2. Why does the novel spend so much time characterizing Richard Allen Mesinger?

3. Tim Harrow owns the "sweet" rifle for a few days. He buys it, wraps it up in cloth, and trades it away a few days later. As a character, Harrow has no narrative function beyond transporting the rifle from point A to point B, just like Sarah, an editor, an antique dealer, and a gun collector. Yet the novel spends a significant portion of its space developing Harrow as a character. Why?

4. Tim Harrow is characterized as a fringe "crazy" person; the narrative openly mocks him. What actions does he perform in the novel that would make you shun him in the real world?

5. How does the rifle fire after 217 years?

6. The Mesinger family moves several times during the novel; what impact does this have on Richard Allen Mesinger?

7. Describe the several career paths that Mesinger contemplates during his early life.

8. What happens to the adults that survive the accidental death of Richard Allen Mesinger?

9. Throughout the 217 year history of the "sweet" rifle, what is it functionally used for?

10. Describe the early life of Richard Allen Mesinger .

(see the answer keys)

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