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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 does Richard Allen Mesington do as a small child that frightens his parents?
3. What does Mr. Mesington do for a living?
4. What constituted the "door" to the powder magazine in Revolutionary War ships?
5. What is Richard Allen Mesinger doing at the moment he is killed?
Short Essay Questions
1. Describe Richard Allen Mesinger's academic performance.
2. Describe the chain of events that leads to the rifle being accidentally discharged.
3. 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?
4. What message does the novel convey?
5. 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?
6. Describe the chain of events that leads to the rifle being above Harv Kline's fireplace.
7. What happens to the adults that survive the accidental death of Richard Allen Mesinger?
8. How many people own the "sweet" rifle?
9. Is the "sweet" rifle a work of art?
10. Why don't the Mesinger and the Kline children play together?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
Cornish McManus is described as an excellent gunsmith but an indifferent shot. Discuss how it is possible to be very good at one thing but not very good at something else that is closely associated.
Essay Topic 2
Describe the early life and the family life of Richard Allen Mesinger. Why is it important within the narrative that Mesinger is a likable and typical teenager?
Essay Topic 3
Is the book a novel or a political screed? Defend your selection.
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This section contains 690 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) |
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