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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 Don offer to do if Ben will sit in on a special ed reading class?

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

3. Who did Mary's husband leave his money to in his will?

4. What second thing does Ben compare his reading lessons to?

5. How much of the business does Sir Louis advise Dick to buy?

Short Essay Questions

1. What trip does Whittington say he must take?

2. Why does Don think the special ed reading program might be good for Ben?

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

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

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

6. What does Mary Green look like?

7. How does Ben react to the prospect of being sent to special ed classes?

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

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

10. What women does the book Sir Louis gives Dick say are the most beautiful in the world?

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

Ben learns to take control of his life through his experience in the barn and the stories about Dick Whittington. Discuss the idea of taking control of your life in the novel.

1) How does Ben take control of his life? What does he have to do, and how does he have to change?

2) How does Dick Whittington take control of his life? How does Dick's example help Ben?

3) What things are in and out of the characters' control in life? What can characters take control of, and how can characters deal with things they can't control?

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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