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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. How does the female badger free herself from the trap?

2. Which Native American tribe used to inhabit the lands that make up the MacDonald farm?

3. At the beginning of Chapter Two, how old is the female badger?

4. How does William respond to Ben's reaction over the badger skinning?

5. How does Esther ask Ben to respond to the new neighbor?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Describe how the female badger escapes from the trap in Chapter Six.

3. Explain the development of the baby badgers as described in Chapter Four.

4. Why was the male badger unable to detect the danger of the trap?

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

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

7. Why does William hit Ben when Ben tries to stop him from skinning the badger?

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

9. How do the townspeople of Winnipeg react to the stories of Ben's relationship with animals?

10. Explain why the female badger did not run after her meeting with Ben.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analyze Ben's intelligence. The author states toward the beginning of the book that Ben is intelligent in his own way, meaning of course that he has some challenges. Overall, based on his actions and thoughts over the course of the novel, is the author correct? Give three examples of instances in which Ben demonstrates his intelligence and explain why these occurrences are relevant.

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

Are Eckert's animals lifelike and believable? Or are they too anthropomorphic to be real? Pick three animals from the story (aside from the badger) and discuss how realistic the animals seem.

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