Little House in the Big Woods

What was the purpose of the crooked rail fence all around the house?
1. Ma always wanted a rail fence
2. to keep the children inside
3. keep the bears and the deer away
4. to keep Jack from running away.
Why did Pa have difficulty finding wild game in the bitter cold winter?
1. he had already found all the large game during the fall
2. he was not able to go hunting
3. the animals were hibernating
4. his traps were broken
After Pa and Uncle Henry butchered the hog, what did Pa blow up to make a little white balloon?
1. the hog's bladder
2. the hog's lungs
3. the hog's stomach
What did Mary and Laura take turns holding over the hot coals?
1. pig's tail
2. pork liver
3. pig's leg
4. pork chops
Which parts of the house were "bursting with good food" after Butchering Time was over? (Choose 4)
1. closets
2. attic
3. kitchen
4. parlor
5. cellar
6. pantry
7. shed
What did Pa do while he greased the traps?
1. tell Ma where he was going tomorrow
2. play his fiddle
3. tell jokes and stories
4. make Mary and Laura hold the traps
What did Laura think was the "Best time of all"?
1. when Ma started baking
2. when Pa told stories
3. when Ma sent the girls to bed
4. when Pa played the fiddle
Why did Mary wipe more dishes than her sister Laura?
1. Laura broke too many
2. Mary was bigger
3. Laura refused to help
4. Laura bribed her
What did each girl have on Saturdays when Ma made the bread?
1. plenty of free time
2. a little piece of dough
3. extra chores
4. a large muffin
Fill in the Blank:
"Pa and Ma and Mary and Laura and Baby Carrie were _____ and happy there, especially at night."
1. comfortable
2. chilly
3. miserable
4. tired
According to Pa, how does a panther scream?
1. like a woman
2. like a man
3. like a baby
4. like a little Laura
Where did the panther land when Grandpa slammed the door behind him?
1. on the roof
2. on all four legs
3. through the window
4. on the horse's back
What did Grandpa promise never to go into the Big Woods without?
1. an ax
2. his horse
3. his gun
4. Grandma
What did Pa do every evening as he told stories?
1. whittle
2. repair his gun
3. make bullets
4. cut wood
Why did Pa need to clean his gun in the evening?
1. it might be damp from the snowy woods
2. it was old and did not always fire correctly
3. Laura had been playing with it
4. he dropped it in the lake
What did Pa do before he replaced the gun on its hooks over the door?
1. dust it off
2. show Ma how to fire
3. load it
4. tell the girls never to touch it
What had happened to Pa as he ran through the woods towards home?
1. his little toe had been broken
2. he had lost his shoes
3. he had cut his foot
4. his big-toe nail had been torn off
What was Grandpa's response to Pa's scare in the woods?
1. he locked Pa outside
2. he was upset that the cows were lost
3. Pa should have obeyed
4. Pa should have been brave
What was Pa carving in the evenings before Christmas?
1. a mantle piece
2. a beautiful horse
3. a wooden shelf
4. a new table
What did Ma make so that Mary and Laura could pour it into pans of snow to make candy?
1. fudge
2. cream and sugar
3. maple syrup
4. boiled molasses and sugar
Who came to visit and spend Christmas with Laura's family?
1. Uncle Peter, Aunt Eliza, Peter, Alice, & Ella
2. Aunt Docia and Aunt Ruby
3. Grandma and Grandpa
4. Uncle Henry, Aunt Polly, & Charley
Where did the families find enough covers for everyone?
1. Ma had made plenty of extras
2. Pa purchased new ones in town
3. they borrowed Grandma's quilts
4. they brought in the buffalo robes from the sled
Why couldn't Aunt Eliza have shot Prince when he started acting very mean?
1. she didn't know how
2. she had ran out of bullets
3. Alice had hidden the gun
4. Uncle Peter had the gun
Why didn't Santa bring presents for the adults?
1. Pa had asked him not to
2. grownups give each other presents
3. they had misbehaved
4. they forgot to leave Santa cookies
The winter lasted so long that Mary and Laura were tired of _____.
1. playing in the snow
2. staying in the house
3. helping Ma with the chores
4. sledding down the hill
Why was Laura always the first to take a bath?
1. she was always in trouble
2. she was the littlest
3. Mary always hid
4. she was the dirtiest
What was the name of the big green book that Pa read from on winter evenings?
1. Little Women
2. The Wonders of the Animal World
3. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
4. Uncle Tom's Cabin
When did the Sunday begin when Grandpa was a boy?
1. on Wednesday morning
2. on Tuesday evening
3. on Sunday morning
4. on Saturday night
Which is NOT a reason that the boys had to tiptoe out the door?
1. they didn't want to wake up their father
2. they were not supposed to be leaving
3. their mother has asked them to be quiet
4. Sunday was a day for being quiet and solemn
What did the boys sneak out of the house to do?
1. go sledding with their new sled
2. go for a horseback ride
3. to play baseball
4. to play with the animals
What walked out in front of their sled?
1. big brown bear
2. large black pig
3. the family bull
4. a family of kittens
What sound woke up the boys' father?
1. Squee-ee-ee-ee-ee!
2. Hurray!
3. Moo-oo-oo-oo!
4. Bang!
Why did Laura need a spanking?
1. she forgot to do her chores
2. it was her birthday and she would not grow properly without one
3. she had misbehaved on Sunday
4. she said, "I hate Sundays!"
How did Pa make the POP sound in "Pop Goes the Weasel?"
1. Laura clapped her hands
2. Pa's finger on the string
3. Mary snapped her fingers
4. Carrie banged on a pan
Why did Pa need to go to town?
1. to purchase a surprise for Ma
2. to trade the furs of the animals he had trapped
3. he needed to return some equipment he had borrowed
4. to sell some of the excess bear meat
How big was the bundle of furs that Pa had packed?
1. as big as Mary
2. as big as Pa
3. as big as Grandpa
4. as big as Ma
What was Laura's job while helping Ma with the milking?
1. holding the lantern
2. petting the cow
3. feeding the cow some hay
4. watching Baby Carrie in the house
What did Laura notice as being different about the cow by the gate? (Choose 2)
1. large brown ears
2. large heavy antlers
3. long shaggy black fur
4. little glittering eyes
How did the house seem without Pa?
1. quiet and joyful
2. warm and sunny
3. cold and still
4. lively and loud
Fill in the Blank:
That night, Ma did something she had never done before. She _____.
1. secured the latch on the door
2. allowed the girls to stay up
3. left a lantern burning
4. sent the girls to bed early
What was all around the yard the next morning?
1. bear tracks
2. horse tracks
3. tree limbs
4. wolves
Why did Pa have to wait at the store?
1. the storekeeper was missing
2. the storekeeper was ill
3. the storekeeper was visiting relatives
4. the storekeeper was busy
Why are bears hungry and cross this time of year?
1. people tend to disturb their hibernation
2. they are extremely cold
3. they cannot find any food
4. they have been sleeping in their dens
What did the creature do when Pa waved his arms and ran toward it?
1. chased him
2. didn't move
3. growled loudly
4. ran away
The creature in the road turned out to be something completely different. What was it?
1. huge pile of furs
2. big, black stump
3. small, gray puppy
4. large, brown moose
What did Pa bring home to Ma and the girls?
1. a new pet
2. new clothes
3. maple syrup
4. ice cream
What did Grandpa do with all the little troughs he had made?
1. dug out the tree roots
2. hooked them on the tree branches
3. hammered them into the maple trees
4. connected them to make a feeding trough for the animals
What makes leaves grow once the weather begins to warm?
1. sap moves from the roots to the tip of each branch
2. seeds
3. the sunlight
4. the roots shoot water all through the branches
What does Grandpa do with the sap that he collects each day?
1. pours it all over the garden patch
2. combines it with water in a large kettle
3. boils it in an iron kettle
4. presents each bucketful to Grandma for pasteurizing
Why do they call this a sugar snow?
1. the snow is perfect for ice cream
2. Grandpa is making sugar
3. snow is soft and sweet
4. people can make more sugar
What will happen at Grandma's and Grandpa's house next Monday?
1. planting party
2. barn building
3. a dance
4. Grandma's birthday
Where had mother gotten her delaine dress?
1. Mary and Laura had saved their money to buy it
2. her mother had made it
3. Pa had purchased new material for her
4. a dressmaker back East
What did Pa's fiddle need?
1. a new handle
2. a new bow
3. many repairs
4. a new string
What did Pa NOT show Laura the tracks of on the way to Grandpa's?
1. rabbits
2. bears
3. snowbirds
4. mice
Where were Grandpa and Uncle George?
1. in town for supplies
2. on a hunting trip
3. already in the maple woods
4. already in the fields
Who did NOT live at Grandma & Grandpa's house?
1. Aunt Ruby
2. Uncle George
3. Aunt Polly
4. Aunt Docia
Where did Uncle George get his blue coat with brass buttons?
1. his wife had stitched it
2. Grandma made it
3. the navy
4. the army
What had made Uncle George "wild"?
1. he was born that way
2. the war
3. his fight with Pa
4. a bear had injured him
Why was Laura afraid to touch Ma?
1. Mary had scolded her
2. she thought she might get her dirty
3. she was supposed to be in bed
4. she looked so rich and fine
What was the name of Uncle James and Aunt Libby's little girl?
1. Charlotte Ingalls
2. Nellie Ingalls
3. Laura Ingalls
4. Carrie Ingalls
What was Grandma doing all by herself in the kitchen?
1. cooking supper
2. baking cookies
3. stirring the syrup
4. washing dishes
Grandma poured the syrup into the saucers. What was in the saucers?
1. snow
2. pancakes
3. candy
4. pudding
What happened when the syrup was poured onto snow?
1. it mixed with the snow
2. the snow melted into tea
3. it snapped and popped
4. it cooled to candy
What did the "girls" do once the syrup grained?
1. poured it back into the buckets
2. poured it on buttermilk pancakes
3. poured it into pans to cool into maple sugar
4. used it to bake bread
What did Laura beg to do as soon as the days were warm?
1. climb trees
2. run barefoot
3. play outside
4. go swimming
What did the girls have to do every night before going to bed?
1. clean their room
2. wash their hair
3. wash their feet
4. wash their dresses
Was the swing hanging from Mary's tree or Laura's tree?
1. Mary's tree
2. they both had a swing in their tree
3. neither one, it was hanging from the barn rafters
4. Laura's tree
When will Pa go hunting again?
1. when the wild animals have grown up
2. when the baby animals arrive
3. when Grandpa comes to visit
4. this week
Why did Mary and Laura have to take a bath in the middle of the week?
1. they always take a bath in the middle of the week
2. they were going to town
3. they had played in the mud
4. they had been swimming in the creek
What did Laura think was wrong about her hair?
1. it was brown
2. it was blond
3. it was shorter than Mary's
4. it was too curly
How far away was town, and what was it called?
1. 10 miles, Pepin
2. 7 miles, Walnut Grove
3. 7 miles, Pepin
4. 10 miles, Walnut Grove
What did Ma purchase at the store?
1. a broom and mop
2. new fabric for clothing and sheets
3. sugar and flower
4. new dishes for the kitchen
What did Pa purchase for himself?
1. a new gun
2. galluses and tobacco
3. gun powder and a saddle
4. a new plow
What happened when Pa lifted Laura up into the wagon?
1. her pocket ripped and she lost her pebbles
2. her dress tore on the wagon edge
3. her pocket ripped and she lost her candy
4. she fell out again
Why didn't Laura eat her candy heart?
1. she had dropped it on the ground
2. she gave it to Baby Carrie
3. she didn't like the flavor
4. it was too pretty to eat
What happened in the Big Woods now that it was summertime?
1. people moved away
2. new families arrived
3. people went visiting
4. Mary and Laura had more chores
What would Ma do when visitors showed up?
1. people went visiting
2. send Laura to fetch Pa
3. new families arrived
4. Mary and Laura had more chores
Which neighbors have just moved it?
1. the Huleatts
2. Uncle George and Aunt Ruby
3. the Petersons
4. Uncle James and Aunt Lotty
What did Laura and Mary do with their cookies from Mrs. Peterson?
1. save half for Baby Carrie
2. feed it to the puppy
3. saved them until after dinner
4. eat them before they left her home
What did Mary and Laura always hate to do?
1. gather wood chips for the fire
2. feed and water the dog
3. collect the eggs from the chickens
4. sweep the floor
What did Laura do to Mary after Aunt Lotty had gone?
1. threw away her doll
2. slapped her face
3. pulled her hair
4. tattled on her to Ma
What did Laura decide was a thing to be glad about getting in trouble?
1. Mary had to gather the chips by herself
2. Mary went to bed early
3. Laura had to do extra chores
4. Pa's hair was brown, like hers
Why did Ma need Pa to bring her a piece of rennet?
1. to make a new balloon
2. to make ice cream
3. to make butter
4. to make cheese
What was Laura afraid Pa would do?
1. make her weed the garden
2. whip her again
3. kill one of the calves in the barn
4. kill one of the calves at Grandpa's
Why did Ma say that their cheese was green?
1. it still had whey in it
2. it was made of buttermilk
3. it was new and not yet ripened
4. it is like the moon
How did Old Grimes die?
1. an east wind blew him away
2. the west wing blew him away
3. his wife used too much whey
4. his wife loved skim milk
Why did Pa need to go to Uncle Henry's tomorrow?
1. to return his grubbing hoe
2. to take them some new cheese
3. to borrow his horse and plow
4. to borrow his grubbing hoe
How did Pa find the honey tree?
1. he heard buzzing
2. a baby bear cub was crying
3. the bees chased him
4. a big bear
Why was there so much honey?
1. the bear's paw was too big to get it
2. there were five trees full of it
3. there were a million bees
4. the tree was hollow from top to bottom
What were Pa and Uncle Henry doing in the field?
1. cutting oats and gathering them into bundles
2. plowing the ground for planting
3. harvesting the corn
4. clearing the land for farm ground
What did Charley do in the fields with Pa and Uncle Henry?
1. caused trouble
2. helped shock the oats
3. ran errands
4. sharpened the blades
What did Charley do when Pa and Uncle Henry ran to see what was wrong?
1. pretended to be injured
2. fell asleep in the oats
3. threw a snake at them
4. laughed at them
What surprised Pa about Uncle Henry's reaction to Charley's "joke"?
1. Uncle Henry sent Charley back home
2. Uncle Henry ignored Charley's screams
3. Uncle Henry did not spank Charley
4. Uncle Henry spanked Charley
When Charley screamed the fourth time, Uncle Henry and Pa ignored him. What was wrong this time?
1. he had fallen in the creek
2. Aunt Polly came running from the house
3. he was chased by a bear cub
4. he had stepped on a yellow jacket nest
What were the only parts of Charley showing after Aunt Polly and Ma bundled him up?
1. his eyes
2. his hair
3. his nose and mouth
4. his fingers and toes
Why couldn't they stay for dinner?
1. the girls were falling asleep
2. Pa had to milk the cows
3. Charley was too ill for company
4. Pa thought there was trouble at home
What did Ma do to the straws that she soaked in water?
1. she wove a new basket
2. she braided them into a long rope
3. she braided them to make a small mat
4. she burned them in the fire
During Harvest time, what did they often have for supper.
1. hulled corn and milk
2. fresh butter and muffins
3. bread and water
4. smoked ham and potatoes
What was the big machine called? What was the little machine called?
1. tractor, tumbler
2. combine, separator
3. harvester, horsepower
4. separator, horsepower
Fill in the Blank:
This was a(n) _____ machine. It had eight horses hitched to it to make it run.
1. eight-horsepowered
2. sixteen-horsepowered
3. horse-operated
4. motorized
What was the job of the little machine?
1. to thresh the wheat
2. to turn the tumbling rod and operate the big machine
3. to keep the horses in shape
4. to harvest the fields
What was the job of the big machine?
1. to keep the horses in shape
2. to grind up the wheat into meal
3. to separate the wheat from the straw
4. to turn the tumbling rod and operate the big machine
What was the job of the man sitting on the little machine?
1. to keep the horses moving
2. to collect the wheat in large barrels
3. to turn the tumbling rod
4. to manage everyone else
What was Ma doing while all the men were in the fields?
1. collecting more wheat
2. preparing dinner for everyone
3. doing the daily chores
4. caring for Baby Carrie, who was ill
How did Pa pay the men before they moved onto the next farm?
1. animal furs
2. sacks of wheat
3. cash money
4. room and board
How long would it have taken Henry, Peterson, and Pa to do the work that the machines did that day?
1. two days
2. a couple of weeks
3. a few hours
4. a month
What is the purpose of a deer-lick?
1. home for deer
2. attract deer for hunters
3. feed deer in the winter
What did Pa spend the day doing?
1. building a smoke house to preserve the deer meat
2. banking the house and barn with leaves and straw
3. butchering the deer he had found
4. tracking a deer through the woods
Why couldn't Pa kill the deer that he saw in the moonlight?
1. the deer looked too strong, free, and wild
2. Pa saw a baby deer waiting for it in the timber
3. Pa fell asleep and did not wake up until morning
4. the deer was too small to kill
Why couldn't Pa kill the bear that he saw in the moonlight?
1. the bear ran too fast for Pa to get his sight on it
2. Pa was too interested in watching the bear
3. Pa saw a bear cub waiting for it in the timber
4. Pa fell asleep and did not wake up until morning
Why couldn't Pa kill the doe and yearling that he saw in the moonlight?
1. he watched them look at each other with wide shining eyes
2. Pa saw a buck waiting for them in the timber
3. the yearling ran too fast for Pa to get his sight on it
4. Pa fell asleep and did not wake up until morning
What songs did Pa play on his fiddle that night? (choose 2)
1. "Auld Lang Syne"
2. "Oh, Susanna"
3. "Pop! Goes the Weasel"
4. "Camptown Races"