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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. Does the dear show fear?

2. While driving along the way to take his son back, what does the author see?

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

4. What is the mood of the people as they stock up for a big storm in "March 13 Storm Warnings"?

5. In "December 21," the author discovers that a local squirrel has stashed __________ all along the path.

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What experiment does the author perform with the squirrels? Why?

3. What is taking place in "March 13 Storm Warnings"? Why do the people act and feel this way?

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

5. How do Stuart's classmates respond to his father? How important might their reactions be to how he perceives his father? Why?

6. What does he author say about his favorite season? Why might he feel this way?

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

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

9. Describe the metamorphosis taking place in the Maine woods. How might the author feel about this?

10. 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?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The author observes the seeds blowing off of a maple tree.

Part 1) Describe this observation. How is he affected by this observation? How does this affect his view of mankind?

Part 2) What other observations encourage him to contemplate other aspects of human life? Explain.

Part 3) What has happened in your own life that has made you take notice of the quality of human life and mankind's abilities? How has this affected you? How does it compare to the author's observations and revelations about mankind?

Essay Topic 2

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?

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

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