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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. Why did Palmer have trouble concentrating at school?
(a) He was thinking about Dorothy.
(b) He was thinking about sledding.
(c) He was thinking about who had been tapping on his window.
(d) He was getting sick.

2. While he is with the gang deciding what to do next, what amazing thing happens to Palmer in front of the gang?
(a) Nipper bites Beans on the nose.
(b) He falls and breaks his leg.
(c) Nipper lands on his head.
(d) Palmer kisses Dorothy.

3. What does Palmer try to convince the gang about the pigeon?
(a) He wants them to believe it was a crow.
(b) He wants them to believe it did not happen.
(c) He wants them to think he has never seen a pigeon.
(d) He wants them to think his father is practicing for the shoot.

4. Who do Palmer and the gang attack with snowballs on their way to school one morning?
(a) Dorothy.
(b) Mutton.
(c) Arthur.
(d) Henry.

5. Why does Nipper fly around the house once or twice before flying away in the morning?
(a) To tease Beans and the rest of the gang.
(b) To set the compass in his head in order to return.
(c) To look for other pigeons before leaving.
(d) To say goodbye to Palmer.

Short Answer Questions

1. Where did Arthur put the body of the first ever pigeon whose neck he had rung?

2. As Palmer and the gang continue treestumping and teasing Dorothy, what does Palmer expect to happen?

3. Who is tapping at Palmer's window early one morning?

4. How does Palmer's dad respond when Palmer asks him if he was a wringer?

5. What is the thing Palmer does not want to do?

Short Essay Questions

1. When Palmer returns from Beans' birthday party he finds Dorothy waiting in his room. She sarcastically calls him Snots and talks about his gang. What does she say, and what does she really mean?

2. Once he has decided to name and keep Nipper, Palmer realizes he must divert the gang from coming to his house. Why does he want to keep the boys away? What are some of the excuses he invents?

3. What are some of Palmer's memories of his first pigeon shoot? What does this tell us about Palmer?

4. Palmer comes home after the boys see a pigeon flying overhead and he cries. Why is he crying? What does he admit about his day?

5. How do Palmer's parents react to The Treatment?

6. In Chapter Three, Palmer joins his new friends out on the street. When Beans asks about Dorothy, Palmer does not answer at first. How does Palmer initially react to the gang's behavior toward Dorothy? Why does he join them as they run down the street after their prank?

7. In Chapter 15, Palmer goes through a series of emotional reactions to the pigeon tapping on his window. What are some of those reactions?

8. How does Palmer react when the gang tell him they believe he has a pigeon for a pet? What does Palmer want the gang to believe and why?

9. Palmer finally becomes old enough to read the inscription on his father's trophy in the den. What did he pretend it said when he was younger? What does it really say? How does Palmer respond to learning what the words actually are?

10. When Beans has his tenth birthday party, he invites the gang to his house and then leaves with them to find Farquar. Again, The Treatment is part of the story. How does Beans anticipate The Treatment and his birthday in general? How is Beans' reaction different from that of Palmer?

(see the answer keys)

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