My Side of the Mountain

Multiple Choice and Long Answer questions create ideal opportunities for whole-text review, unit exam, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. What is unique about the way the novel begins?

A) It opens with the story’s climax.

B) It is written in a linear format.

C) It is cyclical, beginning where it ends.

D) It frequently foreshadows important events.

2. How does Sam experience growth in the novel?

A) He learns to cooperate with others.

B) He uses resources from the library to obtain knowledge.

C) He becomes adept at surviving in the wilderness.

D) He begins to understand the importance of family.

3. Why does Sam experience self-doubt in his early days?

A) He does not know the very basics of survival.

B) Other characters laugh at his dreams to become self-sufficient.

C) The animals frighten Sam, causing him to doubt his abilities.

D) The characters in the woods believe he is incapable.

4. What is the role of reliance on others in the narrative?

A) Individuals teach Sam important survival skills he did not previously know.

B) Individuals serve an important purpose in encouraging Sam to return to society.

C) Individuals teach Sam how to mimic the survival techniques of animals in the forest.

D) Individuals intermittently provide Sam with knowledge and companionship.

5. What motivates Sam to leave his family?

A) Need for independence and space

B) Need for contact with his peers

C) Curiosity and knowledge

D) Resentment and rebellion

6. Which plot scenario best reinforces the importance of thinking ahead and planning?

A) Sam learns the proper way to fish.

B) Sam prioritizes preparations for winter.

C) Sam gets a haircut in the library.

D) Sam realizes Mr. Jacket has revealed his home.

7. Why does Sam think of Frightful as a captive rather than a wild bird?

A) She hunts for her own food.

B) She speaks to him in his thoughts.

C) She warns him when others are nearby.

D) She cannot survive on her own.

8. How does Sam begin to emulate animalistic traits in the wilderness?

A) He develops a sixth sense to identify strange happenings in the forest.

B) He communicates effectively with animals by copying their sounds.

C) He becomes like the animals by living in a tree in the forest.

D) He begins to behave like an animal, going so far as to create deerskin clothing.

9. What is the need Sam increasingly desires to fill?

A) Survival instincts

B) Knowledge

C) Comfort

D) Human interaction

10. What does Sam’s interaction with Mr. Jacket foreshadow in the novel?

A) Mr. Jacket’s friendship with Sam.

B) The angry hunters’ realization Sam is stealing their deer.

C) His lifestyle has been exposed to the townspeople.

D) The harsh winter will soon be upon him.

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating text details to support your response.

1. Sam explains to the reader that he is embarrassed about the mistakes he made when he first wandered into the wilderness. Do you think Sam should be embarrassed about the mistakes he made? Use details from the novel to support your claim.

2. How do the animal friendships Sam forms benefit him? How does Sam benefit the animals in return?