April Morning Practice Test 2 „09
Ms. Plummer knows that ____________________ is going to do really well!!
Section I: Multiple choice and fill in the blank.
1. ___C___ Which of the following men were still alive after the Battle of
Lexington?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Jonas Parker, Jonathan Harrington, Cousin Simmons (Jonas Parker died)
Moses Cooper, Caleb Harrington, the Reverend (Moses Cooper died)
Cousin Simmons, the Reverend, Adam Cooper
Adam Cooper, Sam Hodley, Isaac Muzzy (Sam Hodley died)
2. ___D___ According to the Paul Revere legend, how should the blanks be filled:
“____if by land; _____ if by sea.”
A. fight, run
B. run, fight
C. two, one
D. one, two (see poem)
3. ___C___ Lt. General Thomas Gage, the British Commander-in-Chief in North
America, was told in March of 1775 to send eight hundred British soldiers into
the surrounding areas of Boston (areas like Lexington and Concord)
to_______________________:
A. confiscate contraband like alcohol
B. control the riots and help enforce the Coercive Acts (This happened in January)
C. confiscate all stockpiled arms and supplies
D. terrorize the colonists
4.
A.
B.
C.
D.
___D___ When does April Morning begin?
afternoon on April 18th, 1776 (This is the wrong year)
dawn on April 19th, 1775 on the Lexington Common
afternoon on April 19th, 1776
afternoon on April 18th , 1775
5. ___C___ Which of the following people doubt that the British are actually
coming?
A. Sam Hodley and Jonas Parker
B. Adam Cooper and Simon Casper
C. Moses Cooper and Sam Hodley (see pp. 62 & 74) Adam doesn‟t believe it
either. See p.69
D. Jonas Parker and Adam Cooper
6. ___D___ Which of the following characters would agree with this statement: “If
the redcoats were defeated, it was because God willed their defeat.”
A. The Reverend and Cousin Simmons
B. Solomon Chandler and Moses Cooper
C. Cousin Simmons and Moses Cooper
D. Sarah Cooper and Solomon Chandler (see pp. 174 and 139)
7.___D___ Which of the following was Not a reason for the growing tension between
the British and the colonists before April 19, 1775?
A. The Tea Act
B. Attack on the “Gaspee”
C. The Boston Massacre
D. The Declaration of Independence (This happened in 1776)
8. Give two examples of changes that Howard Fast made to the Battle of Lexington in
April Morning. Once you’ve identified two differences between the battle according
to the history books and the battle according to Fast, explain why you think Fast
made those changes.
1.
See your historical packet from Mr. Kwasny. Look at things like how many
minute men were supposedly at the Battle of Lexington, Parker‟s words to
his men on the common, and Pitcairn‟s orders (or lack thereof) to the
redcoats once the shot “heard „round the world” happened.
Why:
2.
Why:
9. Put the following events in order:
___3___ Moses dies
___5___ The battle along Menotomy Road
___4___ Adam meets Solomon Chandler
___2___ Adam signs the muster book
___1___ Adam overhears his father say that he loves him
10. Name two rights that we have thanks to the constitution of the United States that
Moses and the Committees were really fighting for during the Revolutionary War.
Tell me what the rights are and tell me how they were threatened by the British.
A. The British were going to Concord to confiscate their weapons (we now have
the right to bear arms.)
The concern about whether or not to keep the minutes of their meetings
stemmed from the fear that they could be found by the British and then
punished for treason (we now have freedom of speech)
B. The British wanted to end the Committee Meetings as well. (we now have the
freedom to assemble)
BONUS
Give two examples of dynamic characters from April Morning and two examples of
static characters from April Morning. Explain why they are either static or dynamic.
See your notes on Literary Terms
Section II: Quotations
Directions: (A) Give the context for the following quotations (who’s talking, to whom,
why are they discussing this, and approximately when in the plot does this occur). If there
is more than one speaker, identify both. (B) Translate the quotations. Put them in your
own words and pay attention to the specifics. Make sure that you have addressed every
part of the quotations. (C) Tell why they are important, both in themselves and to the
story as a whole. Consider who’s speaking. Choose TWO of the following four. (I will
grade all of the ones you answer.)
9.
“But they could come back, couldn’t they, and then it could happen all over
again?”
“No. It couldn’t happen all over again.”
“Why not?”
“Because it isn’t the same any more. We aren’t the same. This morning, we
knew that we wouldn’t fight. But now we know that we must fight, and we’re learning
how.” pp.197-198 “The Evening” (last chapter)
A) Who‟s speaking: Ruth and Adam are conversing. When: (See the pages for
context- what‟s happening when it happens.) Why: Ruth is scared and
Adam is able to comfort her.
B) Translation: The “they” that Ruth mentions is the redcoats. The “it” she is
referring to is what happened on the common during the battle of Lexington
when so many of their people were killed. The “We” that Adam refers to
himself and all of the colonists.
C) Significance: Character development: Adam and the colonies have clearly
grown through their experiences over the course of the novel. As Adam
suggests, they are no longer naïve, and they know what they must do now.
Adam knows that he has new responsibilities as well- to both his fellow
colonists and his family as well. And like Adam, who recognizes that he‟s
still learning how to be a man, the colonies are still learning how to assert
their independence effectively through war. And while they have not become
what they are all destined to become (for Adam, a man, and for the colonies,
an independent nation), things can change quickly. In a matter of hours,
they have all changed and grown significantly.
Plot development: This is a part of our conclusion.
10. “We had won the battle. But there is less joy in winning a battle than the history
books tell you.” (Consider the question of whether Fast is a pro-war or anti-war writer as
you discuss the significance/ importance of this quotation.) p.169 “The Afternoon”
A) Who‟s speaking: Adam To whom: The Reader When: Adam is heading
home from battle Why: Adam is reflecting on his incredible experiences that
day.
B) The “We” is the colonists. “The battle” he refers to is the one along
Menotomy Rd. They had won because they had successfully wounded the
British enough to make it necessary for the redcoats to send reinforcements
in from Boston to help the remaining troops that were still around from the
morning. And the “you” is us, the reader.
C) This is significant because it reveals part of the author‟s agenda. It is clear
that Fast wants to make it clear that war, even winning a war, is not all glory
and joy. There is often a great deal of loss involved in the process, and
therefore it must be entered into soberly. The fact that both Cousin
Simmons and Adam make it clear that they must think long and hard about
reentering the war suggests as much. (I will leave the pro-war or anti-war
piece to you to consider.)
11. “For her, I had to be a man with terrible urgency; there was no time to dream about
the games I had played on the common…she had to tell herself that here was a man,
Adam Cooper, fifteen years old, but overnight a man. But I wasn’t. It doesn’t work that
way.” p. 193 “The Evening”
A) Who‟s speaking: Adam, To whom: the Reader, When: Look at the page to see
what‟s going on, Why: Adam believes that his mother needs a man in the house
since her husband was killed in the Battle of Lexington.
B) Translation: The “her” is Adam‟s mother, the “I” is Adam, and although he
knows that she has to tell herself that he is a man, he articulates clearly that he‟s
not. He recognizes that “it” (meaning growing up) doesn‟t work “that way”
(meaning overnight or because of one traumatic experience.)
C) Significance:
Historical Meaning Revealed: The place of women in society in the 18th Century is
made clear in this quotation. Women did not live independently from men. Granny
lived with her son once her husband died. Mrs. Simmons‟ widow sister Susan lives
with her sister because her sister‟s husband is still alive. The loss of men in this
society was a big deal, especially for the women.
Character Development: Adam‟s recognition that becoming a man overnight is
impossible is ironically one of the clearest signs of his maturity. When the novel
began, Adam wanted to be treated like a man despite his unwillingness to take on
the responsibilities (doing his chores, for example) that come with that title. By the
end of the book, Adam is willing to take on the responsibilities (fighting to protect
the rights that he and his fellow colonists would like to enjoy and taking on the
chores of his father without being asked to do so) and yet, he know that he still have
a lot to learn and that growing up takes time.
12. “Why didn’t you kill the British?” p. 106 “The Morning”
A) who‟s speaking: Levi, to whom: Adam, when: see page for context, why: Levi is
grieving over the death of their father and this question reveals his wish that things
had turned out differently, as if Adam could have prevented it.
B) Translation: the “you” is Adam, and he wants to know why Adam didn‟t kill the
British at the Battle of Lexington that morning.
C) Significance: Character Development. This passage illustrates how naïve Levi is.
He (and probably everyone else who wasn‟t there) can have no idea what the
experience of that morning was like for the people involved. This question hurts
Adam a great deal for many reasons, not the least of which is his idea that they
behaved like cowards that morning. Adam feels tremendous guilt for not having
defended his father or exacting payment for his death from the redcoats. It takes
more experience in war for Adam to realize that running away is often the smartest
thing you can do because it allows you to survive and fight again another day.