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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. Who steps in to help care for Theo?

2. Who helps Whittington train his children in the autumn?

3. What is Fitzwarren's policy in his business?

4. How many kittens does Dick's cat leave behind after the squall at sea?

5. How often does the school principal bring his car to the Texaco for inspection?

Short Essay Questions

1. What causes the ship to turn back after reaching Palermo?

2. What does the Lady say to the other animals after the attack by the predator?

3. What is Ben's plan to stay with his class?

4. What does Ben think, when he observes the special reading lesson?

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

6. What happens to Gent when autumn arrives?

7. What does Dick do in memory of his cat after the cat disappears?

8. After Ben talks to the animals in the barn about what his reading lessons were like, what do they all do?

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

10. What does Mary Green look like?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

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 3

The characters in the novel have different types of adventures. Discuss the role of adventure in the novel.

1) What kinds of adventures does Dick Whittington have in the novel? What do the characters learn from Dick Whittington's adventures?

2) What types of adventures do the animals in the barn have? How are their adventures different from the stories about Dick Whittington?

3) What role do adventures play in the novel? How do they contribute to its structure? How do they affect the reader and characters?

(see the answer keys)

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