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

2. What constituted the "door" to the powder magazine in Revolutionary War ships?
(a) A wet blanket
(b) A porthole
(c) The sentry's crossed bayonets
(d) A black line on the floor

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

4. Who is Richard Allen Mesington's best friend?
(a) Cornish McManus
(b) Dennis
(c) Tilson
(d) Tim Harrow

5. 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

Short Answer Questions

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

2. In what sport is Richard Allen Mesington not interested?

3. Why does Harv Kline have candles on display for Christmas?

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

5. Who lives next door to the Richard Allen Mesington family in Missouri?

Short Essay Questions

1. What message does the novel convey?

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

3. Describe the chain of events that leads to the rifle being accidentally discharged.

4. Who is the most sympathetic character in the novel, and why?

5. What happens when the rifle accidentally discharges above Harv Kline's fireplace?

6. Do you think that Harv Kline feels he got a fair exchange with Tim Harrow?

7. Why don't the Mesinger and the Kline children play together?

8. How does the rifle fire after 217 years?

9. 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?

10. Was the "sweet" rifle fundamentally different from other rifles of the period?

(see the answer keys)

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