by Margaret Whisnant with
from
by Margaret Whisnant
ISBN 978-1-934538-04-3 from
by Margaret Whisnant

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
A Novel Teaching Pack by Margaret Whisnant
Taking Grades for Teachers, Inc.
Conover, NC

Chapter 1--Epilogue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-6
Chapter 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Chapter 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Chapter 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Chapter 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Chapter 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
Chapter 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Chapter 7. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Chapter 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
Chapter 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Chapter 10. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Chapter 11. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Chapter 12. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Chapter 13. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Chapter 14. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Chapter 15 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Chapter 16 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Chapter 17. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Chapter 18. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Chapter 19 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Epilogue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27-29
Chapter and Whole Book. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30-31
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Chapter Summaries Hatchet
By Gary Paulsen
Chapter 1
 Because of his parents’ divorce, thirteen-year-old Brian Robeson finds himself boarding a single engine Cessna 406 for the oil fields of northern Canada where he plans to spend the summer with his father, a mechanical engineer.

A bitter Brian knows a secret and blames his mother for the divorce.
 During the silent trip from New York to Hampton, Brian’s mother gives him a hatchet, which he is wearing on his belt when he boards the bushplane.

In the air, the pilot allows Brian to take control of the plane for a quick flying lesson.

Into the flight the pilot has a massive heart attack, causing the plane to veer to the side and fly off course.

Brian is alone, without a pilot, flying seven thousand feet in the air above the Canadian wilderness.
Chapter 2

The pilot is dead, and Brian tries to help himself by flying the plane but manages only to pull the nose up and push it down.
 Brian doesn’t know his location or the meanings of the dials in the cockpit.

B rian manages to make contact using the plane’s transmitter, but the signal is weak and soon lost.

Brian thinks about his choices of waiting for the plane to run out of gas or pushing the throttle to make the plane go faster and crash sooner. He decides to keep the plane going where at least he is safe.

Not only does Brian not know his original course, he has no idea how much the plane has gone off course.

Mentally Brian practices his plan for bringing the plane down when it runs out of gas by slowing it and landing in a lake.

As Brian is trying to make contact by radio, the plane runs out of gas.
Chapter 3

A series of errors causes the plane to drop too quickly so that it crashes through trees before it
slams into a lake.

Brian frees himself from the submerging plane and pulls himself out through the shattered front
window.

A screaming Brian struggles through the water to shore.
Chapter 4
 In Brian’s memory is the secret of seeing his mother with a man in a strange station wagon.

Brian remains on the shore halfway in the lake for most of the day until he crawls away from the water and sleeps.

Awake before dawn, Brian is bruised and in pain but grateful to be alive.

With the rising sun, Brian is attacked by swarms of mosquitos that clog his nostrils, pour into
his mouth, and cause his eyes to swell shut. They leave when the sun is fully up.

Brian sees that he is at the base of an L-shaped lake surrounded by small hills with evergreens, some leafy trees, small brush, and thick grass. A rocky ridge sticks out over the lake.

The lake contains fish and a beaver dam.

At first Brian thinks his new surroundings are silent, but then he begins to hear the noises of the
wilderness.

Drained of energy, Brian leans against a tall pine and sleeps.
Copyright © 2015 Margaret Whisnant
Taking Grades for Teachers, Inc., Conover, NC 28613
1

Chapter Summaries Hatchet
By Gary Paulsen
Chapter 5

Viciously thirsty and cooked by the sun when he wakes, Brian drinks too much from the lake and throws up most of the water.

Brian tries to convince himself that search planes will probably find him today.

Brian thinks about his English teacher named Perpich, who was always talking about being
positive, thinking positive, staying on top of things.

Brian takes inventory and sees that he has clothing, a watch, the hatchet, and himself.

The awful realization comes to Brian that the plane flew off course, which means the search planes will look in the wrong place, and his rescue might take days —maybe never—no,
soon.

For his own safety, Brian decides to get motivated and find something to eat and a shelter.
Chapter 6

Brian decides to build a lean-to near the lake in case someone spots the plane in the water. He chooses a scooped-out area under a rock ledge as his campsite.

Weakness from hunger drives Brian to search for food before building a wall for his shelter.
 Brian remembers his family’s last Thanksgiving meal before the divorce.

Memories of television survival shows lead Brian to think there must be berry bushes in the area.

For a moment, Brian blames his mother for his situation because she wanted the divorce.

By watching birds feed, Brian finds red berries growing in bunches, and he cannot stop eating them.

Brian makes a failed effort to start a fire by rubbing two sticks together.

Brian works over two hours building a wall of interlaced sticks and dead branches for his shelter.

As the sun goes down, the mosquitos attack again.

Brian goes to sleep with his stomach turning on the berries.
Chapter 7

The berries cause Brian to be sick for over an hour.

Brian thinks about seeing his mother kiss the blond man in the station wagon —the Secret that
his father does not know about.

Brian is frightened by his reflection in the lake. He cries from self-pity.

Hunger forces Brian to eat a few more gut cherries.

The shelter becomes home to Brian.

In a kind of clearing formed by trees that have lost their tops in a storm, Brian finds raspberries.
 A large black bear momentarily shares Brian’s berry patch, but quickly moves along indicating that it does not intend to harm him.
 Brian’s shelter keeps him safe and dry during a storm.

Brian sleeps with the hatchet by his head, his hand on the handle.
Chapter 8

Brian is awaken by a bad smell that tells him there is something in the shelter.

Frightened by the intruder, Brian throws the hatchet, which hits the wall and creates a shower of sparks.
 The porcupine in Brian’s camp slaps eight quills into his leg, which he painfully removes.
In a fit of crying, Brian learns that the most important rule of survival is feeling sorry for
your self doesn’t work.

Brian dreams about his father and his friend Terry who seem to be trying to tell him something.

In the morning light, Brian inspects the hatchet for damage and realizes that he can use it to make fire.

Striking the hatchet against the black rock creates sparks.
Copyright © 2015 Margaret Whisnant
Taking Grades for Teachers, Inc., Conover, NC 28613
2

Chapter Summaries Hatchet
By Gary Paulsen
Chapter 9

Brian makes unsuccessful attempts to ignite grass, twigs, and a twenty-dollar bill from the sparks he creates with the hatchet.

For several hours Brian works to strip birch bark into hair-like slivers until he has a spark nest as big as a grapefruit.

Brian remembers that fire needs oxygen, and he blows on the spark nest until it bursts into flame.

Brian gathers wood to feed the infant flame.

Brian thinks of the fire as his friend and guard, and he wishes there was somebody to tell and
show what he has done.
Chapter 10

At first Brian will not leave the fire, and he promises it he will never let it go out.

Before night, Brian leaves the shelter and chops limbs from three dropped white pines until he has what he thinks to be an enormous supply of fuel.

Brian discovers that the fire keeps the insects away.

Brian wakes in the night to find the fire almost out. He hears a slithering sound from outside.

At dawn, Brian finds a nest of seventeen turtle eggs buried in the sand.

Brian eats six of the eggs raw and then licks the inside of the shells.

Brian thinks the searchers would surely find him before he could eat all the eggs at one a day. He has to keep hoping.
Chapter 11

Brian finds that when he is busy he is not depressed over the fact that he has not been found.

Brian decides to have a three-day supply of firewood and works through the morning chopping
and stacking wood beneath the overhang.

Brian realizes that, not only has he lost a little weight, he also thinks, sees, and hears differently.

On the top of the rock ridge, Brian stacks wood for a signal fire, intending to run up with a burning limb and light it if he hears an engine.

Brian thinks the area is incredibly beautiful and almost unreal.

The lake is packed with life; and after an unsuccessful attempt to catch a fish, Brian plans to make a spear.
Chapter 12

Brian works hours on a fishing spear only to find that it does not work because the fish can sense his movements.
 Brian decides to “invent” a bow and arrow to catch fish.

The turtle eggs and the raspberries give Brian a feeling of being full, though he had thought he
would know only hunger.

While looking for wood for his bow, Brian almost steps on a bird.

Brian hears a plane and rushes to light the signal fire, but the plane turns before he gets the fire
going.

Realizing that the search plane will not come back, Brian thinks he might never be found and he falls to his knees and cries.

Hope of rescue is gone, and Brian feels he cannot play the game of surviving from day to day
without hope.
Copyright © 2015 Margaret Whisnant
Taking Grades for Teachers, Inc., Conover, NC 28613
3

Chapter Summaries Hatchet
By Gary Paulsen
Chapter 13

Brian has eaten enough fish, and on this morning he is looking for one of the foolbirds.

A new sense of danger has saved Brian from stepping between a mother bear and her cubs. This new sense helps him spot a large wolf standing halfway up the hill from the lake.

Brian recognizes the wolf and its companions as another part of the woods, an animal that owns him and chooses not to do anything to him.

It has been forty-seven days since the plane crash and forty-two days since the search plane, when he had died and was born as the new Brian.

After the search plane disappears, Brian lets the fire go out, forgets to eat, and tries to end it all
by cutting himself with the hatchet.

The plane passing changes Brian; he will not let death in again; he is new.

Brian makes many mistakes, including his first bow which almost blinds him.
 Brian learns to compensate for the water’s refraction and catches his first fish.

Brian is filled with pride that he has provided food with a bow and arrow fashioned by his own hands.

All day, Brian keeps going to the lake, catching a fish, cooking and eating it.

At the end of the day, Brian sleeps with hope in his knowledge to learn and survive and take care of himself, but hope of rescue is gone.
Chapter 14

Brian learns early in the new time that, in the forest, food is all and small mistakes can be deadly.
 A skunk, attracted by the turtle eggs, makes a night raid on Brian’s camp searing his lungs and blinding him with spray.

Brian improves his shelter by building a stronger wall and door.

Brian realizes that he cannot bury food and decides on a small ledge above the door to the shelter as a storage place.

A ladder made from a dead pine tree with branches gives Brian access to the food storage shelf.

Brian allows himself to feel proud of his shelter and food shelf.

Using rocks, Brian constructs a holding pen in the lake for fish, and he considers his idea of storing live fish a breakthrough because he is planning ahead.
Chapter 15

Brian begins to measure time in events rather than days.

Brian grows tired of fish and craves meat.

There are many small animals in the area, but they are too small and too fast.

The foolbirds are everywhere, and they exasperate Brian because their camouflage is so perfect they can remain hidden only two feet away.

Brian learns to spot the birds by concentrating on their shape rather than their color, and he kills the first one with his original two-pronged fishing spear.
 Brian almost throws up cleaning the bird, but he gets the job done, dumps the bird’s insides and feathers into his fish pond, and keeps some wing and tail feathers for his arrows.

To Brian, the first bite of cooked meat tastes better than anything he had ever eaten.
Chapter 16

After the first meat, there are many first days —First Arrow Day when Brian designs an arrow that flies correctly by adding slivers of feathers and First Rabbit Day when he uses his bow and arrow to kill a rabbit.
Copyright © 2015 Margaret Whisnant
Taking Grades for Teachers, Inc., Conover, NC 28613
4

Chapter Summaries Hatchet
By Gary Paulsen

Brian is senselessly attacked and injured by a moose when he goes to the lake to wash his hands after killing a foolbird.

Brian is able to escape the moose by moving away slowly, stopping, and moving again.

Because of the pain in his ribs, it takes Brian most of an hour to work his way back around the lake to his camp.
 During the night a tornado strikes, throwing Brian’s shelter, his tools, and the fire into the lake.

The tornado hits the lake, slamming the water and pulling it up in a spout into the night sky.

After the storm, Brian is back to where he was after the crash with only the hatchet, and without the fire, the mosquitos come back.

This time Brian knows things are different because he is tough in the head.

Brian sees the tail of the plane sticking out of the lake.
Chapter 17

In less than an hour Brian has a fire going. He constructs a crude version of the shelter wall.

In a sleeping state Brian remembers the survival pack on board the plane and how valuable its contents would be to him.

Remembering the food first rule, the next morning Brian makes a new spear and catches fish to eat.

Brian builds a raft, which he calls Brushpile, of interlocking limbs to use as a working base while he’s getting into the plane.

Brian tears his tattered windbreaker into narrow strips and ties them together to use as a rope to anchor the raft to the plane.

A late-evening attempt to move the raft to the plane convinces Brian that it was going to be much harder than he thought, and he decides to wait until the next morning.

Brian is struck by the great beauty around the lake, but the night chill and smell of fall make him wonder if he would ever get home and go back to the life he once lived.

The next morning with the hatchet at his belt, Brian kicks and pushes for over two hours to reach the plane.

Brian rests on the raft only to have thoughts of the dead pilot almost send him back to shore, but the image of the survival pack is stronger.

Brian is blocked when he can find no openings that will allow him inside the plane.
Chapter 18

Brian is able to cut through the aluminum frame of the plane with the hatchet.

Brian drops the hatchet into the lake, but is able to retrieve it after several dives.

Going underwater inside the plane, Brian finds the survival kit jammed into the backs of the seats.
 Brian’s mind screams in horror when he sees that fish have been nibbling on the pilot’s body.

After working in the water all day and bringing the raft back to shore with the added weight of the bag, Brian is too weak to stand and doesn’t notice the mosquitos that attack him.

It takes Brian almost three hours of dragging and stumbling in the dark to get the bag around the shoreline to camp.
Chapter 19

Brian thinks of the items in the survival kit as incredible wealth.

At first, Brian does not recognize the .22 rifle that is in the kit.

The rifle and other materials in the kit give Brian a feeling of being removed from his surroundings.

Brian misses hearing another voice and hopes that the emergency transmitter he finds in the kit is a radio or cassette player
Copyright © 2015 Margaret Whisnant
Taking Grades for Teachers, Inc., Conover, NC 28613
5

Chapter Summaries Hatchet
By Gary Paulsen

Brian puts the transmitter aside because nothing happens when he turns the switch.

Brian decides to have a feast with the large quantity of freeze dried food in the kit and be careful with it later.

As the smell of food cooking over the campfire reminds Brian of home, a plane appears and lands on the lake.

After having been in the wilderness almost two months, Brian sits motionless as the plane lands in front of him.

The pilot has been drawn by the emergency transmitter.

Brian invites the pilot to eat with him.
Epilogue

The pilot who finds Brian is a fur buyer mapping Cree trapping camps for future buying runs.

Without knowing it, Brian has turned on the emergency transmitter and left it going.

Brian has survived alone on the L-shaped lake for fifty-four days.

After his ordeal, many of the changes in Brian prove to be permanent.

Brian does research to learn more about what he had seen and known.
 The Canadian government sends a team in to recover the pilot’s body, reporters take pictures and film of the whole campsite, and the press makes much of Brian for a few months.
 A writer wants to do a book on Brian’s “complete adventure,” but he turns out to be a dreamer.

Brian has dreams about his experience.
 For a week it looks as if Brian’s parents might reconcile, but they do not; and his mother continues to see the man in the station wagon.

Brian does not tell his father about the Secret.
Copyright © 2015 Margaret Whisnant
Taking Grades for Teachers, Inc., Conover, NC 28613
6

Assessment
Objective Tests
Chapter 1
Pages 1-12
Hatchet
By Gary Paulsen
Write either True or False in the blank before each statement.
___________1. Brian was thirteen years old.
___________2. Brian had known the man who was flying the plane for several years.
___________3. The single engine plane, in which Brian was a passenger, was flying over small towns and villages in upper New York state.
___________4. Brian still cried every time he thought about the divorce that had separated his parents and changed his life.
___________5. The pilot talked to Brian almost constantly once the plane was in the air.
___________6. Brian was seated in the copilot's seat of the plane.
___________7. The pilot allowed Brian to take over the controls of the plane for a few minutes.
___________8. It was Brian's father who wanted the separation and divorce from his mother.
___________9. Brian lived with his mother during the school year, but his father had custody in the summer time.
__________10. Brian’s parents had been divorced for over a year.
__________11. The bush plane was taking Brian to spend the summer with his father in the oil fields
of Canada.
__________12. In addition to Brian, the plane was also carrying drilling equipment.
__________13. Brian noticed that the pilot rubbed his shoulder and arm and that he had gas, which made the plane smell bad.
__________14. Brian and his mother did not speak during the long drive to the airport.
__________15. Brian knew a secret about his mother, but he wouldn't talk to her about it.
__________16. Brian's mother bought the hatchet for him to use in the woods while he was with his
father.
__________17. Brian put the hatchet on his belt because his mother forced him to do it.
__________18. The pilot had a heart attack and died while the plane was in the air.
__________19. The pilot’s leg jerked during his last jolt, which turned the plane to the side.
__________20. When the pilot died, Brian immediately grabbed the plane’s controls.
Copyright © 2015 Margaret Whisnant
Taking Grades for Teachers, Inc., Conover, NC 28613
7

Assessment
Objective Tests
Chapter 2 Pages 13-25
Hatchet
By Gary Paulsen
Write the letter of the correct answer in the blank before each question.
______1. Brian hoped that the pilot was (A) unconscious, (B) in a coma, (C) asleep.
______2. The pilot was dead, and the plane (A) gained altitude, (B) flew on as if nothing had happened, (C) went into a nose dive.
______3. When Brian tried to steady the plane, he (A) went too far on his first few tries, (B) was successful on the first try, (C) couldn't remember what to do.
______4. From the plane, Brian could see (A) endless trees and lakes, (B) a logging road in the forest, (C) only one small village in the distance.
______5. Even with all the dials on the control panel, Brian (A) couldn't steady the plane, (B) didn't know where he was going, (C) knew which one was the compass.
______6. Brian had to touch the pilot in order to (A) see the whole control panel, (B) take his place in the pilot's seat, (C) get the radio.
______7. When Brian could not get the radio to work the first time, he (A) tried to remember what the pilot had done, (B) talked louder into the microphone, (C) screamed and cried.
______8. Brian remembered to turn off the mike switch because (A) he had once used a CB radio in his uncle's pickup, (B) he had seen the pilot use it, (C) he had read about it in a book.
______9. As Brian was making contact over the radio, the signal began to (A) grow faint, (B) break up, (C) get a bit stronger.
_____10. Brian tried the radio every ten minutes, but (A) the battery was dead, (B) he made no further contact, (C) it was no longer working.
_____11. Brian's choices were to let the plane run out of gas and go down or (A) wait for help,
(B) try to land, (C) stop the engine and go down now.
_____12. Brian didn't know where he had been or (A) the flight plan, (B) where he was going,
(C) how fast he was going.
_____13. Brian didn't want to stop the engine because, for the moment, (A) he was headed in the right direction, (B) he was safe, (C) he wasn't sure how to stop the engine.
_____14. Brian planned to let the plane glide down and then (A) try to head toward a road,
(B) restart the engine, (C) pull the nose up to slow the speed.
_____15. Since he had been flying over the forest, Brian had seen no roads, no trails, and (A) no clearings,
(B) no swamps, (C) no animals.
_____16. It came to Brian that he would have to land in (A) a swamp, (B) a lake, (C) a grove of scattered trees.
_____17. Once Brian made plans as to how he would land the plane, he (A) thought it was easy to say, hard to do,
(B) felt a little better, (C) still hoped the pilot was alive.
_____18. Brian knew the pilot was dead when he touched him on the face and (A) his eyes were closed, (B) his body slumped forward, (C) his skin was cold.
_____19. Brian visualized that he would fly the aircraft onto the water and (A) jump from the plane,
(B) get ready for impact, (C) slow the plane to reduce the impact.
_____20. When the plane's engine died, Brian pushed the nose of the plane down and
(A) screamed, (B) threw up, (C) prayed.
Copyright © 2015 Margaret Whisnant
Taking Grades for Teachers, Inc., Conover, NC 28613
8

Assessment
Objective Tests
Pages 26-30
Write either Yes or No in the blanks before each question.
Hatchet
By Gary Paulsen
______1. Did Brian think he was going to die?
______2. Was there a lake right in front of Brian?
______3. Did Brian turn the plane just a bit to the right in order to reach the lake?
______4. When Brian saw the lake above the nose of the plane, did this mean he had the right speed and altitude?
______5. Did the channel of fallen trees keep Brian from crashing into the forest before he reached the lake?
______6. Did the plane make its first contact with the earth when it hit the lake?
______7. Was the plane still in one piece when it went into the water?
______8. Were the screams that Brian heard coming from a wild animal?
______9. Did Brian escape from the plane through the broken windshield?
_____10. Did Brian start running when he reached the shore of the lake?
Copyright © 2015 Margaret Whisnant
Taking Grades for Teachers, Inc., Conover, NC 28613
9

Assessment
Objective Tests
Chapter 4
Pages 31-42
Write either True or False in the blank before each statement.
Hatchet
By Gary Paulsen
___________1. In his unconscious state, Brian remembered seeing his mother sitting in a station
wagon with a blond man he did not know.
___________2. Brian was in pain from the trauma of the crash, but he had no broken bones.
___________3. Brian slept the first night under the shelter of a blanket of pine needles.
___________4. With the warmth of the morning sun came clouds of insects that attacked Brian, causing his eyes and face to swell.
___________5. Brian was finally able to protect himself from the biting insects with the tattered bits of his windbreaker.
___________6. The water in the lake was murky and dull.
___________7. Green was the predominant color in Brian's surroundings.
___________8. The area where Brian crashed was flat and covered only with pine trees.
___________9. At the inside corner of the L-shaped lake was a beaver lodge.
__________10. There didn't seem to be many fish in the lake.
Copyright © 2015 Margaret Whisnant
Taking Grades for Teachers, Inc., Conover, NC 28613
10

Assessment
Objective Tests
Chapter 5
Pages 43-55
Write either Yes or No in the blank before each statement.
Hatchet
By Gary Paulsen
______1. Was Brian desperately thirsty when he awoke?
______2. Did Brian get a bad sunburn on his face as he slept?
______3. Was Brian sure the water in the lake was safe to drink?
______4. Did Brian take just a sip of water from the lake?
______5. Did Brian know how far, or in what direction, his plane had flown into the Canadian north
woods?
______6. Did Brian think the searchers would follow the flight plan filed by the pilot?
______7. Did Brian hope the search planes would find him on the first day?
______8. When Brian realized he was hungry, did he know how to find food and what was safe to eat?
______9. Did Brian have matches to build a fire?
_____10. At first, did Brian think he had nothing to help him survive?
_____11. Was it Brian's English teacher who talked about staying positive and staying on top of things?
_____12. Was the hatchet Brian's mother had given him still attached to his belt?
_____13. To help him survive, did Brian have much more than the clothes he wore and himself?
_____14. Did the sound of Brian's yelling cause everything in the forest to go silent for a few seconds?
_____15. Did Brian keep thinking about eating a hamburger?
_____16. Was Brian confident he could survive another day without food as long as he had water?
_____17. Did Brian realize that the plane was jerked off course when the pilot died, and it could have strayed hundreds of miles off the flight plan?
_____18. Did it occur to Brian that the search planes might not find him at all?
_____19. Did Brian decide to seek some sort of shelter to protect himself from wild animals?
_____20. Did Brian have thoughts of giving up?
Copyright © 2015 Margaret Whisnant
Taking Grades for Teachers, Inc., Conover, NC 28613
11

Assessment
Objective Tests
Chapter 6
Pages 56-66
Hatchet
By Gary Paulsen
Write the letter of the correct answer in the blank before each question.
_______l. Brian decided to build (A) a tree house, (B) a cave shelter, (C) a lean-to.
______2. Brian wanted to build his shelter near the lake in case (A) someone spotted the plane in the water, (B) he needed to escape a wild animal, (C) he needed water in a hurry.
______3. On the north side of the stone ridge, Brian found (A) a cave, (B) a scooped-out area under a ledge, (C) a natural spring.
______4. In order to have a dry shelter, all Brian had to do was (A) build two walls, (B) dig away part of the sand, (C) build one wall and leave an opening for a door.
______5. Brian was weak from (A) lack of sleep, (B) hunger, (C) the bad sunburn and his blistered face.
______6. When Brian saw his father, he planned to (A) tell the secret about his mother,
(B) ask him about wilderness survival, (C) ask for a hamburger.
______7. The family meal that Brian remembered was their last (A) Thanksgiving, (B) Christmas,
(C) Fourth of July picnic.
______8. Brian remembered a television show about air force pilots who (A) made emergency landings, (B) were trained in search and rescue, (C) survived in the desert for a week.
______9. Brian decided he should be able to find (A) fish, (B) berries, (C) dead animals.
_____10. On Thursdays, Brian's mother (A) went to see the man who had caused the divorce,
(B) went to exercise class, (C) cooked spaghetti.
_____11. While Brian searched for food, he kept the lake or the rock ridge in sight because (A) he didn't want to miss a rescue party, (B) he could spot wild animals, (C) it kept him from getting lost.
_____12. Brian found berries by (A) following beaver tracks, (B) watching birds feed, (C) searching away from the lake.
_____13. The berries Brian ate were (A) blueberries, (B) red and grew in bunches, (C) a kind of wild grapes.
_____14. Brian took berries back to his camp because
(A) he thought the birds would eat all of them,
(B) he didn't want to come back in the dark,
(C) he was frightened away by a noise.
_____15. Brian had plenty of firewood but no (A) food to cook, (B) cooking utensils, (C) matches.
_____16. Brian tried to make fire by (A) striking rocks together, (B) rubbing two sticks together,
(C) using his watch crystal.
_____17. Brian had to stop working on his shelter once because (A) he needed a nap, (B) he heard a plane, (C) he had a twinge in his stomach.
_____18. The room Brian created was (A) really small, (B) about the size of a room in a house,
(C) too dark and cold to be comfortable.
_____19. As the sun was going down (A) the mosquitos came again, (B) there were noises, (C) it became uncomfortably cold.
_____20. In his shelter, Brian (A) fell asleep easily, (B) did not fall asleep quickly, (C) cried.
Copyright © 2015 Margaret Whisnant
Taking Grades for Teachers, Inc., Conover, NC 28613
12

Assessment
Objective Tests
Pages 67-78
Write either True or False in the blank before each statement.
Hatchet
By Gary Paulsen
___________1. Brian awoke with terrible abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea.
___________2. The secret Brian knew about his mother was that she kissed the blond man in the station wagon.
___________3. The mosquitos buzzed outside Brian's shelter, but did not come inside to attack him again.
___________4. When he saw his reflection in the lake. Brian was frightened by the sight of his injured and swollen face
___________5. Brian discovered that if he ate only the ripe gut cherries, they actually tasted good; but they still gave him a stomach ache.
___________6. Brian found a grove of trees torn apart by the wind much like the path where the plane had crashed.
___________7. In the grove of fallen trees, Brian found blackberries.
___________8. Brian frightened away the bear that was also feeding in the berry patch by shouting and waving his arms.
___________9. Brian's shelter kept him dry from the storm.
__________10. Brian slept with the hatchet by his head.
Copyright © 2015 Margaret Whisnant
Taking Grades for Teachers, Inc., Conover, NC 28613
13

Assessment
Objective Tests
Pages 79-86
Write the letter of the correct answer in the blank before each question.
Hatchet
By Gary Paulsen
______1. Brian knew there was something in the shelter with him because of the (A) clawing sounds, (B) smell, (C) high-pitched chattering.
______2. When Brian threw the hatchet, it hit the wall and (A) broke apart, (B) created a shower of sparks, (C) fell on the animal.
______3. Brian's leg hurt because (A) it had been clawed, (B) it had been bitten, (C) it had been stabbed with porcupine quills.
______4. How many quills were in Brian's leg? (A) eight, (B) ten, (C) twelve.
______5. After the painful ordeal of removing the quills from his leg, Brian (A) went into a deep sleep, (B) felt lucky, (C) cried.
______6. Brian learned that the most important rule of survival was (A) feeling sorry for yourself doesn't work, (B) always be prepared, (C) shelter is the most important thing.
______7. Brian's sleep patterns were changing to (A) a deeper sleep, (B) a light, resting doze,
(C) two hour naps.
______8. Brian dreamed about (A) his mother and father, (B) the bear and the porcupine, (C) his father and his friend Terry.
______9. Brian suddenly understood that he could make fire with (A) his hatchet, (B) the quills,
(C) sticks.
_____10. Sparks flew when Brian used his hatchet to strike (A) the sandstone, (B) the sand, (C) the darker stone in the wall of his shelter.
Copyright © 2015 Margaret Whisnant
Taking Grades for Teachers, Inc., Conover, NC 28613
14

Assessment
Objective Tests
Pages 87-93
Write either Yes or No in the blank before each question.
Hatchet
By Gary Paulsen
______1. Could Brian get the spark from the rock to ignite in the grass and twigs?
______2. Did Brian rip up the twenty-dollar bill and try to use it as kindling?
______3. Did Brian work for over two hours tearing the birch bark into hair-like slivers?
______4. Was Brian's spark nest the size of a quarter?
______5. Did Brian position the spark nest at the base of the rock that he struck with his hatchet?
______6. Did Brian realize his sparks had to have oxygen in order to ignite?
______7. Was Brian able to ignite the sparks by fanning them with his hand?
______8. Did the flames quickly consume the fuel Brian had in the shelter?
______9. Did Brian use part of his shelter wall to feed the infant flame?
_____10. Was the fire both a friend and a guard to Brian?
Copyright © 2015 Margaret Whisnant
Taking Grades for Teachers, Inc., Conover, NC 28613
15

Assessment
Objective Tests
Pages 94-102
Write either True or False in the blank before each statemen t.
Hatchet
By Gary Paulsen
___________1. Even though he was hot, Brian would not leave the fire for fear it would go out.
___________2. Brian cut two large trees to use as firewood.
___________3. An added advantage of the fire was that the insects wouldn't come near the smoke.
___________4. Brian made plans to build a signal fire on top of the rock.
___________5. Brian awoke in the dark to find the fire almost out.
___________6. During the night, Brian saw the porcupine outside his camp, but his campfire frightened it away.
___________7. Brian found a nest of turtle eggs in the sand near his camp.
___________8. There were only three eggs in the nest.
___________9. Brian ate the eggs raw because he had no way to cook them.
__________10. Brian hoped the searchers would find him before he could eat all of the eggs at the rate of one a day.
Copyright © 2015 Margaret Whisnant
Taking Grades for Teachers, Inc., Conover, NC 28613
16

Assessment
Objective Tests
Pages 103-109
Write either Yes or No in the blank before each question.
Hatchet
By Gary Paulsen
______1. Was it easier for Brian to control his hunger when the eggs were out of sight?
______2. Was Brian depressed about not being rescued when he was thinking about or taking care of the things he had to do?
______3. Did Brian plan to always have a three-day supply of firewood?
______4. Had Brian lost a tremendous amount of weight since he had been stranded in the wilderness?
______5. Had the greatest change in Brian taken place in his mind?
______6. Did Brian decide to make a signal fire every day?
______7. Did Brian think the area where he was stranded was incredibly beautiful?
______8. Was the lake literally packed with life?
______9. Was Brian able to catch one of the small fish with his hands?
_____10. Did Brian decide to make a spear for catching fish?
Copyright © 2015 Margaret Whisnant
Taking Grades for Teachers, Inc., Conover, NC 28613
17

Assessment
Objective Tests
Chapter 12
Page 110-118
Hatchet
By Gary Paulsen
Write the letter of the correct answer in the space before each question.
______1. The fishing spear (A) caught two fish at a time, (B) was made from oak, (C) didn't work.
______2. The fish escaped the spear because (A) they sensed Brian's motion, (B) the water was too deep, (C) they were so small.
______3. It occurred to Brian that, in order to catch the fish, he needed (A) a net, (B) a bow and arrow, (C) a fish hook.
______4. The raspberries were starting to (A ) disappear, (B) dry up, (C) become overripe.
______5. After eating the turtle egg and the raspberries, Brian was (A) still hungry, (B) full,
(C) worried about running out of food.
______6. While he was Iooking for wood to make a bow, Brian almost stepped on (A) a bird, (B) a snake, (C) a turtle.
______7. As Brian was cutting a limb for a bow, he heard the whine of (A) a mother bear, (B) a huge swarm of insects, (C) a motor of a plane.
______8. Brian's signal fire was (A) not large enough, (B) in the wrong place, (C) too late for the plane to spot.
______9. Brian began to think that (A) the plane was coming back, (B) he would never be rescued, (C) there were no search planes looking for him.
_____10. Brian knew the search plane (A) would not come back, (B) might be searching in a circle, (C) was probably off course.
Copyright © 2015 Margaret Whisnant
Taking Grades for Teachers, Inc., Conover, NC 28613
18

Assessment
Objective Tests
Chapter 13
Pages 119-127
Write either True or False in the blank before each statement.
Hatchet
By Gary Paulsen
___________1. Brian had eaten enough fish so that he was tired of them.
___________2. Brian developed a sense that warned him of danger.
___________3. The wolf that Brian saw was about the size
of a small dog.
___________4. Brian felt the wolf claimed him as part of his territory.
___________5. Brian frightened the wolf away with a burning stick.
___________6. The wolf was traveling alone.
___________7. Forty-seven days had passed since the crash.
___________8. Brian felt that he died and was reborn on the day the search plane passed over
him.
___________9. After missing the search plane, Brian made sure the campfire did not go out.
__________10. Brian tried to take his life by cutting himself with the hatchet.
__________11. When Brian awoke from his night's sleep on the rock, he knew he was not the same.
__________12. Brian decided, after his disappointment with the search plane, that it didn’t matter
if he died.
__________13. Brian now used partially rotten wood in his fire because it smoldered for hours.
__________14. Brian made a bow string out of grass fiber.
__________15. Brian's first bow broke and nearly blinded him.
__________16. Brian was finally able to catch fish when he remembered that light is refracted in
water and things aren't where they appear to be.
__________17. When he speared his first fish, Brian was proud because he had gotten food solely
by his own efforts.
__________18. Brian ate only two fish the day of his first catch.
__________19. Brian found that his fish scraps acted like bait for other fish.
__________20. Though he had given up hope of being rescued, Brian gained confidence that he could survive.
Copyright © 2015 Margaret Whisnant
Taking Grades for Teachers, Inc., Conover, NC 28613
19

Assessment
Objective Tests
Chapter 14
Pages 128-136
Write the letter of the correct answer in the blank before each question.
Hatchet
By Gary Paulsen
______1. Brian was aware that small mistakes (A) would sometimes happen, (B) could be disastrous, (C) weren't important.
______2. Brian realized that the driving force in nature was the constant search for (A) food,
(B) shelter, (C) mates.
______3. Brian awoke to find a skunk in his camp (A) trying to make a nest in his windbreaker,
(B) lured by the warmth of the fire, (C) digging up his turtle eggs.
______4. The skunk's spray (A) missed Brian and got in the fire, (B) seared Brian's lungs and blinded him, (C) didn't last long.
______5. Brian improved his shelter by (A) finding a place farther from the water, (B) building a stronger wall and a door, (C) building a permanent fire place.
______6. After he improved his shelter, Brian worked on finding a place to (A) watch for rescuers,
(B) escape from large animals, (C) store food.
______7. Brian made a ladder from (A) a dead tree, (B) a stack of rocks, (C) woven vines.
______8. When Brian looked at his shelter and food shelf, he allowed himself to feel (A) at home,
(B) satisfied, (C) proud.
______9. What material did Brian use to make the holding pen for the fish? (A) rocks, (B) dead trees, (C) a mud and stick dam.
_____10. Brian thought his accomplishment of storing live fish was a breakthrough because it was
(A) complicated engineering, (B) planning ahead, (C) not easily destroyed.
Copyright © 2015 Margaret Whisnant
Taking Grades for Teachers, Inc., Conover, NC 28613
20

Assessment
Objective Tests
Chapter 15
Pages 137-146
Write either True or False in the blank before each statement.
Hatchet
By Gary Paulsen
___________1. Brian began to measure time in events rather than days.
___________2. Brian grew tired of eating fish and craved meat.
___________3. There were very few animals suitable for eating in the area.
___________4. Brian had trouble spotting the foolbirds because they flew long before he could get
close.
___________5. Brian went hunting for foolbirds with his bow and spear.
___________6. Brian learned to spot the birds by concentrating on their shape.
___________7. The bow and arrow did not work for bird hunting because the animals were startled
by Brian's movement and flew away.
___________8. Brian killed his first foolbird with his original fishing spear.
___________9. Brian almost threw up while he was cleaning the bird.
__________10. To Brian, the first bite of meat tasted better than anything he had ever eaten.
Copyright © 2015 Margaret Whisnant
Taking Grades for Teachers, Inc., Conover, NC 28613
21

Assessment
Objective Tests
Chapter 16
Pages 147-160
Write the letter of the correct answer in the blank before each question.
Hatchet
By Gary Paulsen
______1. Brian designed an arrow that would fly correctly by (A) making it shorter, (B) using a more pliable wood, (C) adding slivers of feathers.
______2. Brian killed a rabbit with (A) the hatchet, (B) the bow and arrow, (C) the spear.
______3. In order to kill a foolbird, Brian had to move toward it (A) from the back, (B) at an angle,
(C) from above.
______4. When Brian went to the lake to wash his hands after
killing the bird, he was attacked by (A) a moose,
(B) a bear, (C) a wolf.
______5. The second time the animal attacked, Brian (A) was
hurt, (B) got away, (C) fought with his hatchet.
______6. Brian escaped further attack by (A) running and shouting, (B) swimming slowly, (C) moving slowly, stopping, and moving again.
______7. The word Brian used to describe the attack was
(A) terrifying, (B) insane, (C) unbelievable.
______8. Brian's injury was in (A) his legs, (B) his back, (C) his ribs.
______9. Brian was grateful he had wood, food, and (A) his life,
(B) a sturdy shelter, (C) a fire.
_____10. The noise from the wind woke Brian because (A) it was high pitched, (B) it was new, (C) it
was so strong.
_____11. The sound made Brian feel that he should (A) stay in his shelter, (B) seek higher ground,
(C) get ready.
_____12. The sound was (A) a hurricane, (B) an unknown animal, (C) a tornado.
_____13. The storm took Brian's shelter, tools, and fire and (A) threw them into the lake, (B) pushed them back against the rock wall, (C) lifted them up into the trees.
_____14. In the lake, the water (A) rose into a spout, (B) rolled into a great wave, (C) flooded out of the lake bed.
_____15. After the storm, Brian was (A) ready to give up, (B) back to where he was after the crash,
(C) angry.
_____16. Because the fire was gone (A) Brian was shivering, (B) there was danger of wolf attack,
(C) the mosquitos came back.
_____17. All Brian had left was (A) firewood, (B) his hatchet, (C) the foolbird.
_____18. This time Brian knew things were different in that he was (A) tough in the head,
(B) stronger physically, (C) knew how to build.
_____19. Although his bow was broken, Brian found (A) the arrows had survived the storm,
(B) plenty of new wood, (C) the precious string was still intact.
_____20. In the lake, Brian saw (A) a dead moose, (B) large tree limbs, (C) the tail of the plane.
Copyright © 2015 Margaret Whisnant
Taking Grades for Teachers, Inc., Conover, NC 28613
22

Assessment
Objective Tests
Chapter 17
Pages 161-172
Write either True or False in the blank before each statement.
Hatchet
By Gary Paulsen
___________1. Using the skills he had acquired, Brian had a new fire going in less than an hour.
___________2. Except for Brian's camp, the storm hadn't done much damage to the area.
___________3. In a sleeping state, Brian remembered that there was a survival pack stored inside the plane somewhere near the tail.
___________4. Brian knew it was important to have food first and then to explore the plane.
___________5. Because Brian's new fishing spear was crude and the fish not plentiful, he had difficulty catching the animals.
___________6. Brian designed a fish board for cooking so he didn't have to hold a stick over the fire.
___________7. Brian needed the raft because it was the only way he could get out to the plane.
___________8. The logs of Brian's raft were held together by interlocking limbs.
___________9. Brian called his raft Brushpile.
__________10. Brian's first attempt to swim to the plane was in the late afternoon.
__________11. Brian used the tattered piece of his windbreaker, which he tore into strips and tied back together, to attach the raft to the plane and keep it in place.
__________12. The raft glided easily through the water.
__________13. Brian found his tendency to be impatient had completely left him.
__________14. Brian wondered if he did get back home would he sometimes suddenly remember the beauty of the wilderness.
__________15. The night and morning chill signaled the coming of fall.
__________16. Brian did not eat breakfast before he began making his way out to the plane.
__________17. In less than twenty minutes, Brian pushed the raft out to the plane.
__________18. Brian rested on the raft because he knew he had to be strong when he went into the aircraft.
__________19. At the thought of the dead pilot still in the plane, Brian almost decided to forget the whole thing and swim back to shore.
__________20. There was no opening that would allow Brian to get inside the plane.
Copyright © 2015 Margaret Whisnant
Taking Grades for Teachers, Inc., Conover, NC 28613
23

Assessment
Objective Tests
Chapter 18
Pages 173-183
Write either Yes or No in the blank before each question.
Hatchet
By Gary Paulsen
______1. Did Brian discover how thin the plane's aluminum covering was when he slammed his fist against it?
______2. Was Brian able to cut through the aluminum with the hatchet?
______3. Did Brian drop the hatchet into the lake?
______4. Did Brian think he could survive without the hatchet?
______5. Was the actual depth of the lake about seven feet?
______6. Was Brian able to reach the bottom of the lake on his first dive?
______7. Did Brian find the hatchet?
______8. When Brian looked into the hole he had carved into the tail of the plane, did he see the survival pack?
______9. Did Brian remember exactly what the survival pack looked like?
_____10. Did Brian reason that the survival kit must have moved when the plane crashed?
_____11. Did Brian drop the bits of aluminum into the lake as he cut them from the plane?
_____12. Was Brian afraid that the plane could settle back to the bottom while he was inside?
_____13. Did Brian have to go underwater inside the plane to find the survival pack?
_____14. Did Brian find the survival pack caught on the pilot's body?
_____15. Had fish been eating the flesh from the pilot's body?
_____16. Was Brian horrified when he saw the condition of the pilot's remains?
_____17. Did the sights on the shore help Brian calm down before he left the plane?
_____18. Was the trip back to shore easy for Brian?
_____19. Was Brian aware of the mosquitos that attacked him when he reached shore?
_____20. Did Brian spend the night in his shelter with the survival pack by his side?
Copyright © 2015 Margaret Whisnant
Taking Grades for Teachers, Inc., Conover, NC 28613
24

Assessment
Objective Tests
Chapter 19 Pages 184-191
Hatchet
By Gary Paulsen
Write the letter of the correct answer in the blank before each question.
______1. Which of the following items from the survival pack was not useful to Brian? (A) butane lighters, (B) a fork and knife, (C) a compass.
______2. Brian thought of the survival kit as (A) incredible wealth, (B) a lucky find, (C) a nice addition to his handmade tools.
______3. The object that Brian did not recognize right away was (A) an aluminum cookset, (B) a
.22 survival rifle, (C) a fishing kit.
______4. The materials in the kit gave Brian the feeling of (A) being removed from his surroundings, (B) high hopes of surviving the winter,
(C) anger at having been so helpless before.
______5. Brian hoped he had found a radio or cassette player because
(A) he thought rescuers might hear it, (B) he could use it to frighten away dangerous animals, (C) he missed hearing another voice.
______6. What Brian thought was a radio was actually a (A) gas cooker,
(B) a sleeping bag, (C) an emergency transmitter.
______7. Brian put the transmitter aside because (A) he could tell it was broken,(B) nothing happened when he turned the switch,
(C) the batteries were dead.
______8. The scissors and soap Brian planned to use to (A) repair and wash his clothes, (B) cut and wash his hair, (C) trim his nails and take a bath.
______9. All the food was (A) freeze dried, (B) ruined, (C) canned.
_____10. How much food was in the survival kit? (A) about a week's supply, (B) six packages,
(C) a large quantity.
_____11. Brian decided that before he was careful with the food, he would (A) store it on the food shelf, (B) have a feast, (C) try the transmitter once more.
_____12. The only object Brian used from the survival pack before his rescue was (A) one of the aluminum pots, (B) the .22 rifle, (C) the scissors.
_____13. How long had Brian been in the wilderness? (A) almost two months, (B) one month,
(C) six months.
_____14. As the smell of food cooking over the campfire reminded Brian of home, (A) he saw the wolves again, (B) a rescue plane appeared, (C) the tail of the plane sank.
_____15. The plane (A) flew low, (B) circled Brian's campsite twice, (C) landed on the lake.
_____16. The only food from the survival kit that Brian had consumed before the bushplane landed was (A) chicken, (B) orange drink, (C) a peach dessert.
_____17. As the plane landed in front of him, Brian (A) shouted, (B) sat motionless, (C) cried.
_____18. The pilot had been drawn by (A) the emergency transmitter, (B) smoke from the campfire, (C) a desire to locate Brian.
_____19. The pilot (A) knew who Brian was, (B) wanted to know what Brian was doing all alone,
(C) knew Brian's father.
_____20. Brian invited the pilot to (A) see his shelter, (B) tour the area, (C) eat with him.
Copyright © 2015 Margaret Whisnant
Taking Grades for Teachers, Inc., Conover, NC 28613
25

Assessment
Objective Tests
Pages 192-195
Hatchet
By Gary Paulsen
Write either Yes or No in the blank before each question.
______1. Was the pilot in the area because he was searching for Brian?
______2. Did Brian know the emergency transmitter was sending out a signal?
______3. Had Brian survived for fifty-four days?
______4. Did Brian immediately gain back all the weight he had lost?
______5. Did Brian return to his old self within a few months of his rescue?
______6. Did Brian do research to find out more about what he had seen and known?
______7. Was there a book written about Brian's adventure?
______8. Were pictures and film of Brian's campsite taken when a team went to recover the
pilot's body?
______9. Did Brian have nightmares about his experience?
_____10. Did Brian eventually tell his father about his mother and the man in the station
wagon?
Copyright © 2015 Margaret Whisnant
Taking Grades for Teachers, Inc., Conover, NC 28613
26

Assessment
Objective Tests
Hatchet
By Gary Paulsen
the hatchet the lake shoe string a skunk gut cherries birch bark food raspberries a wolf a bear a moose mosquitos a porcupine a turtle a tornado fish foolbirds a heart attack his father his mother a rock ledge
Canadian oil fields the survival pack self-pity
Brushpile the signal fire a bow and arrow
From the list above, choose the word, name, or phrase that fits each of the clues below and write it in the blank. All answers will be used at least once.
Some answers will be used more than once.
_____________________1. Brian gave this name to the raft he built.
_____________________2. This animal caused Brian to be blind for almost two hours.
_____________________3. This was the first food Brian found. He ate too much and it made him sick.
_____________________4. This was the person who gave Brian the hatchet.
_____________________5. When the plane crashed, it came to rest here.
_____________________6. Brian shared the berry patch with one of these.
_____________________7. The smoke from Brian's campfire kept these away.
_____________________8. This place was Brian's original destination and where his father
worked.
_____________________9. Brian built his camp shelter under one of these.
____________________10. Brian made one of these to catch fish and other game.
____________________11. This animal laid the eggs that Brian found.
Copyright © 2015 Margaret Whisnant
Taking Grades for Teachers, Inc., Conover, NC 28613
27

Assessment
Objective Tests
Book Test -Continued
Hatchet
By Gary Paulsen
____________________12. It destroyed Brian’s camp and threw all his possessions into the lake.
____________________13. In his research after his rescue, Brian discovered that these make good jelly.
____________________14. It was the first animal that Brian caught and ate.
____________________15. Brian was on his way to spend the summer with this person when he became stranded in the wilderness.
____________________16. It was the animal that attacked Brian in the lake and injured his ribs.
____________________ 17. This was the only tool in Brian's possession when he escaped from the plane crash.
____________________18. The animal that injured Brian's leg was one of these.
____________________19. Brian used this as a bow string.
____________________20. They had eaten most of the flesh from the dead pilot's body.
____________________21. Brian learned to spot these by looking for their shape.
____________________22. It raided Brian's camp and took the eggs he had stored in the sand.
____________________23. Brian made a nest for sparks out of finely shredded pieces of this.
____________________24. Brian struck this against a dark rock to create sparks for making fire.
____________________25. This was the second food that Brian found.
____________________26. Brian found out this wasn't of any value in helping him survive.
____________________27. The rescue plane didn't see this.
Copyright © 2015 Margaret Whisnant
Taking Grades for Teachers, Inc., Conover, NC 28613
28

Assessment
Objective Tests
Book Test -Continued
Hatchet
By Gary Paulsen
____________________28. The pilot of the plane in which Brian was a passenger died because of this.
____________________29. Brian saw this animal and felt he was accepted as part of its territory.
____________________30. Brian retrieved this the day before he was rescued.
____________________31. When it went across the lake, it pulled the tail of the crashed plane up into view.
____________________32. Brian realized that, for survival, this was everything.
____________________33. Brian kept a secret about this person.
Copyright © 2015 Margaret Whisnant
Taking Grades for Teachers, Inc., Conover, NC 28613
29

Keys Hatchet
By Gary Paulsen
Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5
1. True 1. C
2. False 2. B
3. False 3. A
4. False 4. A
5. False 5. B
6. True 6. C
7. True 7. C
8. False 8. A
9. True 9. B
10. False 10. B
11. True
12. True
11. C
12. B
1. Yes
2. No
3. Yes
4. No
5. Yes
6. No
7. No
8. No
9. Yes
1. True
2. True
3. False
4. True
5. False
6. False
7. True
8. False
9. True
10. No 10. False
1. Yes
2. Yes
3. No
4. No
5. No
6. Yes
7. Yes
8. No
9. No
10. Yes
11. Yes
12. Yes
Chapter 6
1. C
2. A
3. B
4. C
5. B
6. A
7. A
8. C
9. B
10. A
11. C
12. B
13. True
14. True
15. True
16. True
13. B
14. C
15. A
16. B
17. False 17. A
18. True 18. C
19. True 19. C
20. False 20. B
13. No
14. Yes
15. Yes
16. Yes
17. Yes
18. Yes
19. Yes
20. No
13. B
14. A
15. C
16. B
17. C
18. B
19. A
20. B
Chapter 7 Chapter 8
1. True
2. True
1. B
2. B
3. False
4. True
5. False
6. True
7. False
8. False
9. True
10. True
3. C
4. A
5. C
6. A
7. B
8. C
9. A
10. C
Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12
1. No 1. True 1. Yes 1. C
2. Yes
3. Yes
2. False
3. True
2. No
3. Yes
2. A
3. B
4. No
5. Yes
6. Yes
7. No
8. Yes
9. No
10. Yes
4. True
5. True
6. False
7. True
8. False
9. True
10. True
4. No
5. Yes
6. No
7. Yes
8. Yes
9. No
10. Yes
4. C
5. B
6. A
7. C
8. C
9. B
10. A
Copyright © 2015 Margaret Whisnant
Taking Grades for Teachers, Inc., Conover, NC 28613
30

3. B
4. A
5. C
6. C
7. B
8. B
9. A
10. C
11. B
12. A
13. A
14. B
15. C
16. B
17. B
18. A
19. A
20. C
Keys
Chapter 13
1. True
2. True
3. False
4. True
5. False
6. False
7. True
8. True
9. False
10. True
11. True
12. False
13. True
14. False
15. True
16. True
17. True
18. False
19. True
20. True
Chapter 19
1. C
2. A
Copyright © 2015 Margaret Whisnant
Taking Grades for Teachers, Inc., Conover, NC 28613
Chapter 14
1. B
2. A
3. C
4. B
5. B
6. C
7. A
8. C
9. A
10. B
Epilogue
1. No
2. No
3. Yes
4. No
5. No
6. Yes
7. No
8. Yes
9. No
10. No
Hatchet
By Gary Paulsen
Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18
1. True 1. C 1. True 1. Yes
2. True 2. B
3. False 3. B
2. False
3. True
2. Yes
3. Yes
4. False 4. A
5. True 5. A
6. True 6. C
7. False 7. B
4. Tue
5. False
6. True
7. False
4. No
5. No
6. No
7. Yes
8. True
9. true
10. True
8. C
9. A
10. B
11. C
12. C
13. A
14. A
15. B
16. C
17. B
18. A
19. C
20. C
8. True
9. True
10. True
11. True
14. True
15. True
16. True
18. True
19. True
20. True
8. No
9. No
10. Yes
11. No
12. False 12. Yes
13. False 13. Yes
14. No
15. Yes
16. Yes
17. False 17. Yes
18. No
19. No
20. No
Whole Book Test
1. Brushpile
2. a skunk
3. gut cherries
4. his mother
5. the lake
6. a bear
7. mosquitos
8. Canadian oil fields
9. a rock ledge
10. a bow and arrow
11. a turtle
12. a tornado
14. fish
13. gut cherries
15. his father
16. a moose
17. the hatchet
18. a porcupine
19. shoe string
20. fish
31
21. foolbirds
22. a skunk
23. birch bark
24. the hatchet
25. raspberries
26. self-pity
27. the signal fire
28. a heart attack
29. a wolf
30. the survival pack
31. a tornado
32. food
33. his mother

Written in present tense, the chapter-by-chapter summaries are more detailed than those found in most teachers’ guides or other sources. Important points of the plot, character motivation and development, and story clues are all included. For quick reference, the summaries are presented in bulleted format. These synopses are a valuable resource for quickly becoming familiar with a title when time is limited managing a reading program that involves multiple titles/reading groups facilitating independent study refreshing memory when using a novel from year to year.
Objective Tests
The objective tests have multiple functions. In addition to their obvious application, they also serve as tools that can improve comprehension skills by providing practice in understanding plot structure and recognizing important story elements .
Rationale:
Focus on the Plot. . .
Whether they are aware of their ability or not, all good readers sense the rhythm of the connected events that compose the plot of a novel, and consequently comprehend the story. They are in tune with cause and effect, behavior and consequence, sequence —the heartbeat of the narrative.
This “plot rhythm” forms the framework for the objective tests. The chain of events that tell the story have been pulled from the novel and reformatted into a series of sequential questions, none of which require interpretation . They are intended to draw student attention to the fact that something happened , not to what the incident means. That comes later.
In addition to their testing function, teachers may use the pages to strengthen their students’ ability to
Summarize: With only the questions as a guide, have students write a summary of the chapter. For a set of ten questions, limit the number of sentences they may write to seven or fewer. When they work with twenty or more questions, allow no more than twelve sentences.
Report the News: Ask your students to write a newspaper article based on the events identified in a set of questions and the who, what, when, where, why elements. Some information needed to complete this assignment may be located in previous chapters.
Twist the Plot: Choose one or two questions from each chapter and change its answer —true to false, no to yes, etc.
—to demonstrate how changing a single (or several) events would (or would not) change the story. This process can be used to help students become proficient in distinguishing major plot movers from minor story details.
The Characters. . .
Questions that identify a character’s personality and/or motivation are purposely and carefully included with the plot movers. Again, the questions do not require interpretation . They simply establish that someone did or said something —knowledge that is invaluable when character analysis is required.
Implied Meaning and Story Clues. . .
The objective tests include items that establish the existence of story components carrying implied meaning .
Story clues that tantalize the reader with hints of future events also appear as question. At this point in the novel study, as before, interpretation is not the goal. Awareness of the facts is the target.
Developing/Improving Listening Skills. . .
Listening skills are rightfully included on every list of state competency requirements. Rather than always requiring students to answer test questions on a printed page, why not surprise them occasionally by doing the test orally and meeting competency goals at the same time?
Discussion Guide Capability. . .
The objective tests are helpful discussion guides. Use individual items on these pages to draw student attention to sequence, cause and effect, story clues (foreshadowing), character traits, recognizing and interpreting implied meanings, etc. These “thinking out loud” sessions are an important building block for the next learning phase.
Copyright © 2015 Margaret Whisnant
Taking Grades for Teachers, Inc., Conover, NC 28613
32