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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 common were firearms accidents prior to 1850?

2. What happens to black powder if it is exposed to the air for a long period of time?

3. What clears the "mummified grease" (p. 92) from the touchhole of the "sweet" rifle?

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

5. Richard Allen Mesington dreams of owing what kind of vehicle?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who is the most sympathetic character in the novel, and why?

2. Describe Richard Allen Mesinger's academic performance.

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

4. Describe the chain of events that leads to the rifle being above Harv Kline's fireplace.

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

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

7. Was the "sweet" rifle fundamentally different from other rifles of the period?

8. Imagine that you came into possession of the "sweet" rifle instead of Tilson. What would you do with the rifle if you did not know its history? What would you do with the rifle if you did know its history?

9. What does Richard Allen Mesinger think about his neighbor Harv Kline's antique gun?

10. How many people own the "sweet" rifle?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

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 3

The novel infers the rifle has a will of its own--after killing Richard David Mesinger it sits in a gun cabinet "Waiting" (p. 105). Describe the narrative effect of this anthropomorphizing of the rifle. Why is the rifle treated like this?

(see the answer keys)

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