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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Why doesn't Richard Allen Mesington play with the next door neighbor Harv Kline's son?
(a) Harv Kline's son is too old
(b) Harv Kline's son doesn't like guns
(c) Harv Kline's son drowned as an infant
(d) Harv Kline's son is too young

2. How does Richard Allen Mesington refer to the first bear he sees as an infant?
(a) "Daddy!" (p. 73)
(b) "[B]iiig dog" (p. 73)
(c) "[B]ughoe" (p. 73)
(d) "B... b... b..." (p. 73)

3. How old is Richard Allen Mesington when he stops believing in Santa Claus?
(a) Six years old
(b) He never believes in Santa Claus because of his father's early death
(c) Two years old
(d) Sixteen years old

4. When the Mesington family moves away from Willow, Colorado, what state do they move to?
(a) Utah
(b) Colorado
(c) Texas
(d) Alabama

5. Who lives next door to the Richard Allen Mesington family in Missouri?
(a) Cornish McManus
(b) John Byam
(c) Tim Harrow
(d) Harv Kline

Short Answer Questions

1. According to the novel, what would Richard Allen Mesinger have done had he not been shot?

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

3. According to the novel, how long was Richard Allen Mesinger "supposed" to have lived?

4. How long does Sissy live?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the chain of events that leads to the rifle being accidentally discharged.

2. How is Harv Kline characterized in the novel?

3. Tim Harrow is characterized as a fringe "crazy" person; the narrative openly mocks him. What actions does he perform in the novel that would make you shun him in the real world?

4. Do you think that Harv Kline feels he got a fair exchange with Tim Harrow?

5. What happens when the rifle accidentally discharges above Harv Kline's fireplace?

6. Sarah steals the rifle from John Byam as he dies; does Tilson steal the rifle from Harv Kline?

7. Describe Richard Allen Mesinger's early teenage life.

8. The Mesinger family moves several times during the novel; what impact does this have on Richard Allen Mesinger?

9. Describe the early life of Richard Allen Mesinger .

10. What happens to the adults that survive the accidental death of Richard Allen Mesinger?

(see the answer keys)

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