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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. When Richard Allen Mesington is fourteen years old he considers pursuing all of the following careers except?

2. What does Richard Allen Mesington do as a small child that frightens his parents?

3. What does Richard Allen Mesington call the first heavy equipment he sees moving earth?

4. How many close friends does Richard Allen Mesington have during the first few years of his life?

5. How does Richard Allen Mesinger die?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens when the rifle accidentally discharges above Harv Kline's fireplace?

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

3. How is Harv Kline characterized in the novel?

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

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

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

8. Sarah steals the rifle from John Byam as he dies; does Tilson steal the rifle from Harv Kline?

9. 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?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In today's terms, John Byam would be called a sniper. Discuss the role of snipers in today's military actions. Is the role of a sniper somehow immoral? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

The novel argues that during the Colonial period rifles were needed tools but that in today's society they are no longer useful. Discuss this contrast.

Essay Topic 3

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.

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