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 "January 31," the author must deal with extreme cold weather as well as the return of _______.

2. In "April 21," the author and Stuart, his son, take ___________.

3. While in town, for what does he find a lead?

4. When the elephants disappear, the author notices that the ground is covered with _______.

5. In the section "May 7," the author observes a few more nesting birds and notes their mating rituals are starting to _______.

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the author's dreams in "April 2 Dreams." What might these mean?

2. What is the most important aspect of hunting for the author? Why?

3. What takes place in "December 29 Winter Ecology?" Why might the author do this?

4. How does the author feel about celebrating Christmas? Why might he feel this way?

5. What does the author notice in "December 3"?

6. How does the book come to an end? After a year of living in the woods, how does the author feel about his life there? Why?

7. What takes place in "Cows"? What is your reaction to this? Why?

8. How does the author feel about the mice and flies? Why? How does this compare to how he feels about other animals?

9. What does the author think of himself and his students in comparison to other people? Do you agree? Why or why not?

10. What takes place in "Early February"? What is your reaction to this? Why?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The author spends much of the book observing changes in the seasons.

Part 1) Describe these various changes. How does the author feel about these changes? Why does he feel this way?

Part 2) How does the author's behavior reflect these changes in the seasons? Why are his actions a reflection of these changes?

Part 3) How is change a theme in this book? What other changes take place? Why do these changes take place?

Essay Topic 2

The author has developed a keen sense of only noticing the unique and new.

Part 1) Use details from the book to prove this statement to be true. How has he come to have this keen sense? How is he now like Jack? is he also like other wild animals? Why or why not? Are you surprised that he has grown to be more like the animals around him? Why or why not?

Part 2) What does this change in the author's senses reveal about the influence of one's environment? How much has the author been influenced by his environment? Explain.

Part 3) Can this change in one's senses take place in the civilized, modern world? If so, how? If not, why not?

Essay Topic 3

The weather is an important part of life in the woods.

Part 1) Describe the weather patterns discussed by the author. Why does he discuss them? How is the weather important to him?

Part 2) Is weather as important to us in the modern world as it is to someone living in the wilderness? Why or why not?

Part 3) How does weather affect our world today? What role do humans play in the changes in weather?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,336 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample