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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. Where does the bullet hit the badger when Burton first shoots her?

2. How does the badger react when John pulls Ben from the tunnel and heads toward his horse?

3. Burton says, when the search party is unable to locate Ben, that the boy must have gone where?

4. William decides during Chapter Nine that further help is needed. Which of the following men does William NOT ask for help?

5. Why does Ben initially decide not to head for home in Chapter Seven?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the fight between Lobo, Ben, and the badger.

2. In Chapter Eight, does the badger intend to bring the prairie chicken for Ben or does he essentially steal it from her?

3. Why do both William and Ben believe they are responsible for William hitting Ben during the badger skinning?

4. Describe the condition of the MacDonalds in the weeks after Ben's disappearance.

5. In Chapter Thirteen, why is Burton coming to visit the MacDonalds?

6. Describe the fight between Burton and William.

7. Why does John decide to use his prized rifle to mark the spot where he found Ben's shoe, as the rifle will certainly be ruined?

8. Describe how Ben gets clean after his first night in the badger den.

9. Why is the bird in Chapter Seven leading Ben away from the house?

10. Esther is concerned about her son all morning in Chapter Nine, and yet she does not go look for him. Why?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The author claims that Ben is able to survive--though he does lose a great deal of weight--for two months on a badger's diet. Analyze the possibility of this. Can a human receive adequate nutrition from the items the author says the badger feeds Ben? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

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 3

George Burton is banished but not necessarily defeated at the end of the novel. Does this negate his status as the embodiment of evil in the novel? Or is the author trying to say that good is not always completely victorious?

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