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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. At the novel's conclusion, who is the owner of the "sweet" rifle?
(a) Harv Kline
(b) John Byam
(c) Nobody--Harv Kline destroys it
(d) Tilson

2. Why doesn't Richard Allen Mesington tell Peggy that he loves her?
(a) Because she is much older than he is
(b) He already has a jealous girlfiend in Sarah
(c) He is debilitatingly shy
(d) He is homosexual

3. What can comparing the length of the ramrod to the length of the barrel demonstrate with a muzzle-loading rifle?
(a) Whether it is a "sweet" rifle
(b) How accurate the rifle is
(c) Whether it is loaded
(d) Whether it is British or American manufacture

4. Richard Allen Mesington dreams of learning how to throw what kind of a baseball pitch?
(a) A strike
(b) A fastball
(c) A bodyline pitch
(d) A clean dropping curve

5. How old is Richard Allen Mesington when he has his first crush on Peggy?
(a) Nine years old
(b) Twenty years old
(c) Sixteen years old
(d) Fourteen years old

6. What does Harv Kline say after the "sweet" rifle accidentally discharges?
(a) "Take that..." (p. 95)
(b) "Bang!" (p. 95)
(c) "What--" (p. 95)
(d) He curses

7. According to the novel, how much time elapses between the spark setting off the "sweet" rifle and Richard Allen Mesinger's death?
(a) Less than 1.5 minutes
(b) Less than 1.5 hours
(c) Less than 1.5 days
(d) Less than 1.5 seconds

8. When Richard Allen Mesington is seven years old his family moves to what state?
(a) Utah
(b) Missouri
(c) Texas
(d) Alabama

9. When was Richard Allen Mesington born?
(a) The novel doesn't say
(b) October 13, 1979
(c) July 4, 1776
(d) In early 1993

10. What happens to black powder if it is exposed to the air for a long period of time?
(a) It explodes
(b) It gets much stronger
(c) It is ruined
(d) It turns a greyish white

11. What actually ignites the black powder in the "sweet" rifle as it hangs in Harv Kline's house?
(a) The flint striking the frizzen
(b) Harv Kline's cigarette
(c) A spark form the fire
(d) A candle flame

12. What were the small boys called who hauled powder from the magazine to the cannon during the Revolutionary War?
(a) Swabs
(b) Powder Monkeys
(c) Sons of Guns
(d) Ship's Boys

13. What does Richard Allen Mesington do as a small child that frightens his parents?
(a) Chases a bear in the forest around the family home
(b) Plays with a gun
(c) Likes to play with fire
(d) Explores the forest around the family home

14. Just before the "sweet" rifle accidentally discharges, what is Harv Kline doing?
(a) Stirring the fire with a poker
(b) Loading the gun
(c) Taking aim at a British officer
(d) Cleaning the gun

15. How many close friends does Richard Allen Mesington have during the first few years of his life?
(a) One
(b) None
(c) Five
(d) Dozens

Short Answer Questions

1. How quickly does Richard Allen Mesinger die after being shot?

2. Where is Richard Allen Mesinger shot?

3. According to the novel, how many movies did Richard Allen Mesinger watch in an average year?

4. What happened to Mrs. Mesinger after Richard Allen Mesinger's death?

5. What clears the "mummified grease" (p. 92) from the touchhole of the "sweet" rifle?

(see the answer keys)

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