View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Tim Harrow call knives?

2. How much money does Tim Harrow have hidden in his mobile home?

3. Why does Cornish McManus choose a small caliber for his "sweet" rifle?

4. On the rifle that Cornish McManus builds, what is the name of the part that holds the flint?

5. What is the irregular mark called that is left on a bullet after it is cast?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Cornish McManus decide to sell the "sweet" rifle, one of his most-cherished possessions?

2. What types of uses is Cornish McManus' "sweet" rifle put to during the novel?

3. Imagine you are the "sweet" rifle. Who would you rather be owned by--Cornish McManus or John Byam?

4. What does John Byam use the "sweet" rifle for?

5. Cornish McManus is a superb gunsmith with great vision and skill. Describe his shooting ability.

6. Why does it take Cornish McManus so long to build the "sweet" rifle?

7. Do you think that John Waynewright would have valued Cornish McManus's "sweet" rifle?

8. The cover image of several common editions of the book shows a highly-engraved flintlock rifle. Does the book describe the rifle as being engraved?

9. The novel spends many pages describing the construction of the rifle. Do you have a clear mental image of the processes involved in hand-making a muzzle-loading rifle?

10. Why does John Byam kill the first British officer that he kills?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe the appearance of the rifle. Explain why it looks the way that it looks.

Essay Topic 2

Of the major characters in the novel (Cornish McManus, John Byam, Tim Harrow, Harv Kline, and Richard Allen Mesinger), are any of them villains? If not, why not. If so, who is a villain and why do you consider them to be a villain?

Essay Topic 3

Describe the process of loading a muzzle-loading rifle. Describe why John Byam loaded the rifle the way that he did.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 525 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample