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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 color silk does Fitzwarren give Dick Whittngton to tie around his neck for luck?

2. What part of the black hen is injured after she is revived?

3. What is Gregory's job in his flock?

4. How cold is it on the night the black hen is frozen?

5. What birds appear as the weather warms?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does the Lady tell Whittington about the horses, when Whittington first arrives in the barn?

2. How did Will Price get his scar?

3. What are the first two horses that Bernie buys?

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

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

6. How does the captain react to Dick Whittington's cat?

7. What trouble does Ben have with the first word he learns?

8. How do Abby and Ben change after the horses arrive?

9. How does Ben react when Gran gives him something to read?

10. How does Whittington take his bath?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The central characters of the novel are animals. Discuss this aspect of the story.

1) How are the animal characters in the novel similar to human beings? How are they non-human?

2) Why does the author choose talking animals as central characters? What do these animals show the reader about humanity and life as a human?

3) How is Dick Whittington's cat portrayed differently than the other animal characters? Why?

Essay Topic 2

The characters' heritage and ancestors are part of what makes them who they are. Discuss heritage in the novel.

1) What is Whittington's relationship to Dick Whittington? Why is his ancestry important to him? What does he gain from his heritage?

2) What do the other animals in the barn inherit from their ancestors? Why is history and heritage important to them?

3) What is Abby and Ben's heritage? What do they gain from their grandparents?

Essay Topic 3

The novel contains death and violence, which are a part of life. Discuss the death and violence in the novel.

1) Why is Whittington violent toward rats and other cats? How is his violent nature as a predator portrayed in the novel? What is its significance? How is his violence controlled?

2) What other elements of violence are there in the natural world, such as the violence of the rats, the hawks, and Havey? What causes this violence? How is it a part of life? Should or could it be eliminated?

3) How does Ben act out violently in the novel? What causes his violence? How is it different from the violence of the natural world?

(see the answer keys)

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