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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. In this section, whom does the farmer meet with at the cabin?

2. On the way back to the car, what does the author find?

3. When the author goes for a walk in his snowshoes, what does he observe?

4. For how many days does the intensive class which the author teaches every winter at his cabin last?

5. The author also writes about the miniature plants left over from _________that make their homes close to the ground?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does the author spend Christmas? How does he feel about this? How does this experience compare to his other experiences throughout this book?

2. Describe the author's walk in "April 28 Free Search." Why does he do this?

3. What does the author learn from this dissection? How is this important to him?

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

5. 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?

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

7. How important are these fishing expeditions for the author? Why?

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

Essay Topic 2

The author studies life cycles.

Part 1) Describe the life cycles the author studies. What does he learn about them? Why does he study them? How are they connected to other things he studies while living in the Maine woods?

Part 2) How is this book, as a whole, a study of life cycles? Describe the author's life cycle at this point. What might his life be like once he leaves the woods? Why?

Part 3) What have you learned about life and life cycles because of this book? How is this new information important in your life? What can you do with this new information?

Essay Topic 3

Although the author's life may seem more simple, he is often very busy.

Part 1) What is he often busy doing? Why? What does this reveal about the "simple" life? Is it truly all that simple? Explain.

Part 2) How is the author affected by this simple life? How does he feel about his new routine and daily activities? Why does he feel this way?

Part 3) How might you be changed by simplifying your life? Would your life slow down if you simplified it? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

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