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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 old is Dick when he returns to England from Constantinople?

2. How long does the Lady stay in her sleeping place without eating or drinking?

3. What do the kittens drink after their mother goes missing?

4. What does Miss O'Brian do with the words of Keith's story?

5. What type of bead is on the necklace that Dick gives Mary?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Bernie react to finding the new animals in the barn after the livestock auction?

2. What did Dick Whittington spend his fortune on in his last years?

3. Why is Dick's cat allowed to come home to Dick?

4. What does Dick notice about the cat while the operation is going on?

5. What advice does Bernie tell Ben that the principal gave?

6. What trip does Whittington say he must take?

7. What happens to Gent when autumn arrives?

8. What does the tabby from down the road bring to the barn?

9. What proposition does Sir Louis have for Dick?

10. What does Sir Louis do when he notices that Dick is interested in his daughter?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In the novel, Ben and Abby are growing up, and the reader also sees Dick Whittington grow up from a small boy to a man. Discuss growing up in the novel.

1) How does Dick grow up in the novel? How does he change as he grows up?

2) How does Ben grow up and get more mature? How does he change, and what does he learn?

3) How do the other characters grow and change in the novel? Do the animals grow up in some ways, similarly to the children?

Essay Topic 2

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?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss conflict in the novel, and how conflicts are resolved.

1) What kinds of conflicts exist between the characters in the novel, such as the conflict between the rats and the barn animals, and between Havey and the Lady? Why do these conflicts exist and how are they resolved?

2) What kinds of internal conflicts exist for the characters? How is Ben conflicted about learning to read? How does he struggle with himself to do what he needs to do to learn? How does Ben resolve his conflict?

3) What conflicts does Dick Whittington face? How are they resolved?

(see the answer keys)

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