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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. Where was Richard Allen Mesington born?
2. When Richard Allen Mesington is fourteen years old he considers pursuing all of the following careers except?
3. What were prohibited in the powder magazine of Revolutionary War ships?
4. How does Richard Allen Mesington think about firearms?
5. Who lives next door to the Richard Allen Mesington family in Missouri?
Short Essay Questions
1. Was the "sweet" rifle fundamentally different from other rifles of the period?
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?
3. What happens when the rifle accidentally discharges above Harv Kline's fireplace?
4. Describe the early life of Richard Allen Mesinger .
5. Sarah steals the rifle from John Byam as he dies; does Tilson steal the rifle from Harv Kline?
6. The novel summarizes the life that Richard Allen Mesinger "would" have had if he had not been killed. Is this a valid narrative technique?
7. Throughout the 217 year history of the "sweet" rifle, what is it functionally used for?
8. Who is the most sympathetic character in the novel, and why?
9. Describe Richard Allen Mesinger's academic performance.
10. 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?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
Is the book a novel or a political screed? Defend your selection.
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 655 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) |
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