View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. In the section "September 23-26 The Garden," the author observes what about the green beans and squash he planted?

2. "The Time of Birdsong" describes the author's all-day observations of __________.

3. In the section "Election Time," the author's ______________ is visiting for a deer hunt.

4. The logging company uses dangerous ________________ to get rid of the trees.

5. In "September 13," how many miles does the author run as he observes caterpillars, ravens, and flies along the way?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does the author learn about living simply in his first two months?

2. Describe the author's relationship with Jack. What does this reveal about the author?

3. How does Jack act like other ravens? How does the author predict this?

4. What happens to the author's vegetables? How might he feel about this?

5. What is the purpose of "Beginnings"?

6. How might the author's annual rendezvous be important, especially this year?

7. How are trees a good source of energy? What can the reader learn from this?

8. What takes place in "August 4 Wanderers"?

9. What is Adam's Hill? What is the purpose of the information about Adam's Hill?

10. What do the author and his son do together in "Early September"? What does this reveal about them?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The author teaches a fifteen-day intensive course.

Part 1) Describe this course. Why does the author teach it? What does this reveal about him? What does this experience also reveal about him? What does this experience also reveal about his students? Describe the relationship between the author and his students.

Part 2) What are the benefits of a course such as this? Would you be interested in participating in something like this? Why or why not?

Part 3) How does this course compare to a regular college or high school course? What can teachers and professors of regular classroom-based classes learn from the course taught by the author? How might aspects of this course be incorporated into a regular classroom setting?

Essay Topic 2

Fishing is often discussed in this book.

Part 1) Describe the author's fishing expeditions. Why does he go fishing? How is fishing important in this book? What other activities pertaining to his relationship with nature are also important? Why?

Part 2) What else is also discussed a great deal in this book? Why? How is this important to the author and to this book?

Part 3) What activities in your own life are of importance? Why? How do these activities compare to those of the author?

Essay Topic 3

Much of the activities in the woods have to do with survival.

Part 1) Describe the activities of the author and other creatures. How are they necessary to survival? What parallels in behavior can be seen between the author and the wild animals? Why?

Part 2) What activities do you do that are related to survival? Are those activities based on instinct or on the way in which you were raised?

Part 3) How is survival a theme in this book? What does the author say about this theme? Why does he say this? What does this reveal about him?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,349 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample