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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. What does Billy realize when he hears Old Dan bay while out on the ice?

2. Why do the Pritchard boys refuse to give Billy his money back?

3. What does Billy finally notice about his mother as the family discusses the hunting competition over dinner?

4. How does Rainie Pritchard characterize Billy's grandfather?

5. What surprises the hunting contest judge about Billy's dogs' final catch?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the role Old Blue plays in Chapter 13.

2. What does Billy do to prepare for the final round of the hunting competition?

3. Why doesn't Billy follow his dogs to the third raccoon in the final round of the hunting competition? What does he do instead?

4. Describe the legend of the red fern.

5. What does Billy notice about the other dogs in the hunting competition?

6. What does Mr. Benson tell Billy that concerns him? What does Billy discover is actually true?

7. Describe how Billy's dogs catch the first two raccoons of the final round of the hunting competition.

8. What are the rules of the hunting competition?

9. What does Billy do to try and rescue Little Ann from the freezing river?

10. Years after leaving the Ozarks, what does Billy imagine he would find if he should ever visit the dogs' graves?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Billy goes through several rites of passage in this novel. Describe at least two events that help usher him into adulthood. Then discuss how these events help make him a "man." Be sure to cite several examples from the novel to support your ideas.

Essay Topic 2

In Where the Red Fern Grows the author presents viewpoints on the themes of man vs. nature and man vs. man. Discuss the role that each of these conflicts plays in the novel. Then discuss which the author thinks is more powerful. Support your ideas with specific examples from the novel.

Essay Topic 3

In Where the Red Fern Grows the author uses several recurrent symbols. Choose two of the following symbols (red fern, raccoons, the lantern, the ax, the abandoned campsite, the river) and

1) describe how the symbol is presented in the novel

2) discuss the significance and impact of the symbol on the plot and character development.

Be sure to cite specific examples from the novel to support your ideas.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,091 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample