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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. How does Whittington initially feel about the deal between the animals and the rats?

2. Where does Dick Whittington's cat put his killed rats while aboard ship?

3. What do Ben, Bernie, and Abby use to get hot water down to the barn when the road is blocked with snow?

4. What type of goods does Fitzwarren sell?

5. Who taught Dick Whittington to read?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Whittington and the Lady's plan to stop Havey from always chasing the duck?

2. What horse operation does Bernie describe seeing?

3. How was Whittington separated from his boy?

4. Who brought the horses' ancestors to the Americas, and why?

5. What argument does the Lady give in favor of Whittington moving into the barn?

6. What does Whittington the cat look like?

7. What book does Abby bring for Ben's reading lesson?

8. What kind of reputation does Dick get at the London docks?

9. What worries Abby about the chickens' spring eating habits?

10. What is the livery of Fitzwarren's guild?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the danger and trials the characters go through in the novel.

1) What role do danger and trials play in Dick Whittington's life? What does danger teach him about the world?

2) What role does danger play in the animal world in the barn? Why is danger a part of life?

3) What dangers and trials do Abby and Ben face? How are the dangers they face different from those of the animals and of Dick Whittington?

Essay Topic 2

Ben struggles with reading. Discuss the role of reading in the novel and how it is portrayed.

1) What difficulties does Ben have with reading? What helps him learn to read?

2) Why is reading important in the novel? What are different characters' perspectives on reading, including Dick Whittington, the animals in the barn, the children, and their grandparents?

3) How do different characters learn to read? What variations are their in these characters relationships with reading?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss how the characters in the novel learn about the world.

1) How does Dick Whittington learn about the world outside his small town? What is good and bad about the experience that Dick gains?

2) How do Ben and Abby learn about the world through their experiences, through stories, and through life in the barn?

3) How do the animals in the barn learn about the world and about life?

(see the answer keys)

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