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. According to the novel, how long was Richard Allen Mesinger "supposed" to have lived?
2. How does Richard Allen Mesington refer to the first bear he sees as an infant?
3. What is Harv Kline's favorite time of year?
4. What breed of dog is Sissy?
5. Who tells Peggy that Richard Allen Mesington has a crush on her?
Short Essay Questions
1. The Mesinger family moves several times during the novel; what impact does this have on Richard Allen Mesinger?
2. Describe Richard Allen Mesinger's academic performance.
3. How many people own the "sweet" rifle?
4. Sarah steals the rifle from John Byam as he dies; does Tilson steal the rifle from Harv Kline?
5. Why don't the Mesinger and the Kline children play together?
6. 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?
7. Do you think that Harv Kline feels he got a fair exchange with Tim Harrow?
8. Is the "sweet" rifle a work of art?
9. What does Richard Allen Mesinger think about his neighbor Harv Kline's antique gun?
10. 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?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
In the novel, the black powder rifle discharges after 217 of being loaded. Is this credible? Or is it merely a piece of melodrama to establish a political opinion within the novel?
Essay Topic 2
Is the book a novel or a political screed? Defend your selection.
Essay Topic 3
Why does the novel spend so much time characterizing Richard Allen Mesinger? After all, his interaction with the rifle lasts less than one second and the narrative makes it clear that Mesinger never even knew he was being killed. Within the narrative, what difference does it make that Mesinger was who he was?
|
This section contains 608 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) |
|
