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. From age seven to nine years old, Richard Allen Mesington believes he will pursue which profession?

2. What were prohibited in the powder magazine of Revolutionary War ships?

3. How old is Richard Allen Mesington when he stops believing in Santa Claus?

4. How does Richard Allen Mesington refer to the first bear he sees as an infant?

5. When he is an infant, how does Richard Allen Mesington get Sissy to stop walking?

Short Essay Questions

1. What message does the novel convey?

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

3. Describe the early life of Richard Allen Mesinger .

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

5. Why does the novel spend so much time characterizing Richard Allen Mesinger?

6. What happens to the adults that survive the accidental death of Richard Allen Mesinger?

7. What experiences does Mesinger have with firearms in his life?

8. Throughout the 217 year history of the "sweet" rifle, what is it functionally used for?

9. Describe Richard Allen Mesinger's academic performance.

10. Describe the several career paths that Mesinger contemplates during his early life.

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

Describe the processes that Cornish McManus used to manufacture the rifle.

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?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 535 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample