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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Where does Father keep the .22 rifle?
(a) In a closet.
(b) On deer horns on the porch.
(c) Behind the seat of the pickup.
(d) In the barn.

2. What was Mother saying as she rubbed Father's shoulders on the day Eldon sees them behind the barn?
(a) We should leave the farm because the work is too hard.
(b) The days are long, and the nights are short.
(c) Why they are we working so hard.
(d) I think Eldon is sick again.

3. How long does Mother stay at the quilting bee at the end of fall?
(a) All day.
(b) Four hours.
(c) Two hours.
(d) Three hours.

4. Why does the blacksmith have to sharpen the plows every summer?
(a) The plows rust over the winter months.
(b) The plows get dull from being used on frozen ground.
(c) The rocky land dulls the blades.
(d) It's the only time Uncle David goes to town.

5. What is the first animal to be killed each fall?
(a) Geese.
(b) A steer.
(c) A pig.
(d) Chickens.

Short Answer Questions

1. How many cleared acres are there on the family's farm?

2. What time of day does Father leave for the fields?

3. What does Wayne want to do when he grows up?

4. What does Eldon say makes the seagulls less pretty?

5. What is upstairs in the barn?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does the family eat at their annual picnic to the lake?

2. Why is the lake called Jenny's Lake and what does Eldon say about it?

3. Describe what Father is working on during his evenings in the winter room.

4. Describe the time when Wayne and Eldon carved their names into a tree. How did Eldon feel and what happened to the tree?

5. What are some of the smells Eldon describes in the opening chapter called "Tuning?"

6. What is the first thing Eldon describes doing after the first snow?

7. What does Mother say about Jerseys and Holsteins?

8. Compare Uncle David's side of the room with Nels' side.

9. When does Father take the plow shares in to be sharpened? Why does he do it then, and why does Eldon like to go along?

10. What prompts the fight between Eldon and Wayne in the opening paragraphs of "Winter," and what do the boys decide about their argument?

(see the answer keys)

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