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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. What does Ben notice when he examines the badger's body that assures him it's not the badger he met?

2. At the beginning of Chapter Four, how old are the badger's babies?

3. As Chapter Four opens, which of the following reasons does the author NOT say kept the badger from attacking Ben?

4. By the time she gets to her den after escaping the trap, how many of the badger's pups are still alive?

5. In Chapter One, what is William's attitude toward Ben?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does the hawk not frighten the badger while she searches for a site for her den?

2. Describe the den the badger creates for herself and her litter.

3. Describe Ben's behavior when the family goes inside to dinner and he is left alone with the dead badger's body.

4. What does Esther suggest in Chapter One as the real reason Ben acts as though he is afraid of his father?

5. According to the townspeople of Winnipeg, why does Burton take his dog, Lobo, with him wherever he goes?

6. As the prologue ends, what does the author say is the MacDonald family's greatest problem and why is that problem strange?

7. What happened to the badger's last litter?

8. Describe how the female badger hunts prairie dogs, and what problem she might encounter in the process.

9. What occurrence leads the MacDonalds to name the site for the new farm?

10. What reasons does William give Esther for why he agreed to let Burton run traps on their land?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Ben communicates with humans and with animals, but does not completely communicate with either group. Compare and contrast Ben's communication methods between these groups and explain why he cannot communicate completely with either.

Essay Topic 2

Compare and contrast the characters of George Burton and Ben MacDonald. Are they good versus evil? Or something else? In what ways are their motivations alike and different? Do they have anything in common at all?

Essay Topic 3

William and Esther have very different approaches to dealing with their son's disability. Compare and contrast their methods and examine which method seems to be more effective. Be sure to use supporting information from the text.

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