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| Name: _________________________ | Period: ___________________ |
This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.
Short Answer Questions
1. How much does Tim Harrow pay for the "sweet" rifle when he buys it at an Arkansas gun show?
2. What kills most of the soldiers during the American Revolutionary War?
3. What kills Tim Harrow?
4. What function does the tang perform on the rifle that Cornish McManus built?
5. What type of shot is Cornish McManus?
Short Essay Questions
1. In order to fire properly, the following things must be true: "the powder is dry and in good shape" (p. 16); "the flint is clean and with a new sharp edge" (p. 16); "the frizzen is wiped dry" (p. 16); "the spring on the hammer is strong" (p. 16); "the flint [slams] hard against the frizzen" (p. 16); "the powder is positioned correctly in the pan" (p. 17). Explain how all of these things happen to occur on Christmas Eve, 1993.
2. In reviewing John Byam's actions in the novel, would you consider him a hero?
3. Does the "sweet" rifle have a will of its own?
4. How long does Cornish McManus own his "sweet" rifle before he sells it?
5. Most gunsmiths would test their barrels early in the manufacturing process, to avoid wasting time finishing faulty barrels. Cornish McManus does not test his barrel until the entire gun is finished. Why?
6. Do you think that John Waynewright would have valued Cornish McManus's "sweet" rifle?
7. Describe how the British are presented in the novel.
8. What was the leading cause of death among American Revolutionary War soldiers?
9. Why does John Byam offer so much wealth in exchange for Cornish McManus' "sweet" rifle?
10. Cornish McManus is astounded when his "sweet" rifle puts three balls into one ragged hole at thirty paces (about 75 feet) while shooting from a solid rest. By today's accuracy standards is McManus' rifle's performance astounding?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
The novel openly mocks Tim Harrow's personal philosophy that draws from firearms and American history, the United States Constitution, and Christianity. Do you think that these sources of information are suitable for mockery?
Essay Topic 2
Describe the early life and the family life of Richard Allen Mesinger. Why is it important within the narrative that Mesinger is a likable and typical teenager?
Essay Topic 3
Why does the novel spend so much time characterizing Richard Allen Mesinger? After all, his interaction with the rifle lasts less than one second and the narrative makes it clear that Mesinger never even knew he was being killed. Within the narrative, what difference does it make that Mesinger was who he was?
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This section contains 716 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) |
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