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| 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 happened to Harv Kline after Richard Allen Mesinger's death?
2. According to the novel, how old was Richard Allen Mesinger "supposed" to be when he died?
3. With which relative is Richard Allen Mesington particularly close?
4. What was Richard Allen Mesington's first pet dog named?
5. How does Richard Allen Mesington refer to the first bear he sees as an infant?
Short Essay Questions
1. What does Richard Allen Mesinger think about his neighbor Harv Kline's antique gun?
2. Throughout the 217 year history of the "sweet" rifle, what is it functionally used for?
3. The novel summarizes the life that Richard Allen Mesinger "would" have had if he had not been killed. Is this a valid narrative technique?
4. Who is the most sympathetic character in the novel, and why?
5. 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?
6. Is the "sweet" rifle a work of art?
7. What happens to the adults that survive the accidental death of Richard Allen Mesinger?
8. The novel openly mocks Tim Harrow's personal philosophy that draws from firearms and American history, the United States Constitution, and Christianity. Do you think that these sources of information are suitable for mockery?
9. How many people own the "sweet" rifle?
10. Was the "sweet" rifle fundamentally different from other rifles of the period?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
Describe the processes that Cornish McManus used to manufacture the rifle.
Essay Topic 2
The novel openly mocks Tim Harrow's personal philosophy that draws from firearms and American history, the United States Constitution, and Christianity. Do you think that these sources of information are suitable for mockery?
Essay Topic 3
Why does the novel "need" to have the accidental discharge come from an old muzzle-loading, black powder rifle? Wouldn't the novel work just as well with an AK-47 hanging above Kline's mantel? Why or why not?
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This section contains 677 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) |
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