Print
Word
PDF
|
| Name: _________________________ | Period: ___________________ |
This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.
Short Answer Questions
1. What is Tim Harrow doing when he hears about the bloody end of the Waco Siege on 19 April 1993?
2. On the rifle that Cornish McManus builds, what is the name of the part that holds the flint?
3. Why does Cornish McManus decide to sell his "sweet" rifle?
4. What is the name of the hand tool that Cornish McManus used to cut the barrel channel into the stock of his "sweet" rifle?
5. Over what distance does John Byam shoot when he kills his first British soldier?
Short Essay Questions
1. In order to fire properly, the following things must be true: "the powder is dry and in good shape" (p. 16); "the flint is clean and with a new sharp edge" (p. 16); "the frizzen is wiped dry" (p. 16); "the spring on the hammer is strong" (p. 16); "the flint [slams] hard against the frizzen" (p. 16); "the powder is positioned correctly in the pan" (p. 17). Explain how all of these things happen to occur on Christmas Eve, 1993.
2. The last time he loaded his rifle, John Byam used an extraordinary amount of care during the process. Do you think he always was so careful when loading?
3. 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?
4. How long does Cornish McManus own his "sweet" rifle before he sells it?
5. Does the "sweet" rifle have a will of its own?
6. The cover image of several common editions of the book shows a left-handed flintlock rifle. Does the book describe the rifle as being left-handed?
7. When John Byam uses the rifle to kill British officers, who is doing the killing--Byam or the rifle?
8. What was the leading cause of death among American Revolutionary War soldiers?
9. Cornish McManus is astounded when his "sweet" rifle puts three balls into one ragged hole at thirty paces (about 75 feet) while shooting from a solid rest. By today's accuracy standards is McManus' rifle's performance astounding?
10. Why do the British hang Cornish McManus?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
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 2
In the novel, is the "sweet" rifle a character or an object? Defend your selection.
Essay Topic 3
The novel argues that during the Colonial period rifles were needed tools but that in today's society they are no longer useful. Discuss this contrast.
|
This section contains 672 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) |
|
