‘It is important to have a person you look up to in your life.

From the novel that you have read, write about one character that you look up to. Give

reasons why you choose him/her.

ANSWER:

The novel that I read was ‘Dear Mr Kilmer’ by Anne Schraff. One character that I looked

up to was Richard. There were three reasons why I looked up to Richard.

Firstly, he loved animals. This was shown when Richard purposely missed

shooting a buck. Richard thought that hunting was not important. Richard could not

kill animals. Gus, Richard’s elder brother, was upset with Richard because Richard

purposely misfired. Richard’s father, Pa, was also disappointed with Richard. Pa asked

Richard why he purposely missed shooting the buck. Richard told Pa that he had no

right to kill it. Richard told Pa that he felt painful and sad to kill an animal. Pa told

Richard not to go hunting anymore if he did not like it.

Secondly, Richard was kind. One day, Mrs Hansen asked her class to sign a card for the

Schermers. Someone vandalised the tavern owned by Hannah’s parents. They painted

“Dirty Huns” all over the walls. Mrs Hansen brought a card to express regret for what

had happened. The troublemakers like Abner, Harry, Blanche and Peggy refused to sign

the card. They warned other classmates not to sign the card. The boys were afraid Abner

and Harry would hit them. The girls worry that popular girls like Peggy and Blanche

would not speak to them. However, Richard was the only student who signed the

sympathy card for Hannah Schermer. After school, Richard took the card from

Mrs Hansen. He wanted to give the card to Hannah. Hannah accepted the card

reluctantly. Later, Hannah apologised to Richard for being rude. This was the beginning

of their friendship.
Thirdly, Richard was brave. This was shown when Richard told his family and Mrs

Hansen that he wrote poetry. Before telling his secret to his family and Mrs

Hansen, Richard wrote a letter to Mr Kilmer. Mr Kilmer was Richard’s penpal.

Richard learnt about Mr Kilmer when Richard’s English teacher, Mrs Hansen read a

poem to the class. The title of the poem was “Trees” by Joyce Kilmer. In his letter,

Richard told Mr Kilmer that he wrote poems too. However, he kept this as a secret from

everyone. Richard asked for Mr Kilmer’s advice. He wanted to know whether he should

tell his secret to everybody. One day, Richard received a letter from Mr Kilmer. 

Mr Kilmer advised Richard to overcome his fear. Mr Kilmer advised Richard to share his

poetry with people around him. Nobody was interested when Richard told his

family about Mr Kilmer’s letter and his secret. Gus did not believe that Mr

Kilmer was famous. Pa did not believe that Richard wrote poetry. Richard asked

whether his family members wanted to read his poems. Nobody was interested. Richard

was sad. Gus advised Richard not tell anyone he wrote poetry. He wanted Richard to fit

in with other people. Everyone called him a Hun Lover after he signed the card for

Hannah. The next day, Richard told Mrs Hansen that he wrote poetry. He showed her

Mr Kilmer’s letter. Mrs Hansen helped Richard to choose a poem. Richard would send

the poem to Mr Kilmer. As advised by Mrs Hansen, Richard shared Mr Kilmer’s latest

letter and his poem with the class.Some of his classmates, including Blanche and Peggy,

were deeply moved by his poem. They started to respect Richard. Hannah suggested a

different ending to Richard’s poem.

In conclusion, I admired and respected Richard because he had good personalities.

QUESTION 2: EMOTION 

Based on the novel you have studied, write about an event that makes you

angry?
With close reference to the text, give reasons why the event makes you feel this way.

ANSWER:

The novel that I studied was ‘Dear Mr Kilmer’ by Anne Schraff. An event that made me

angry was when the Schermers’ tavern was vandalised. I was angry because of two

reasons.

Firstly, I was angry because some Turtle Lake people were being unfair to the

Schermers. They vandalized the Schermers tavern. They painted “Dirty Huns” all over

the walls. They said that the Schermers were Huns. Some Turtle Lake people believed

that Huns were a barbaric clan originated from Germany. They said that the Schermers

were unpatriotic because they spoke German and served Hun food at their tavern while

a war was going on against Germany.

Secondly, I was angry because Richard’s classmates were being unkind to the Schermers

after the Schermers’s tavern was vandalised. Mrs Hansen brought a card to express

regret for what had happened Mrs Hansen asked her class to sign the card. The

troublemakers like Abner, Harry, Blanche and Peggy refused to sign the card. They

warned other classmates not to sign the card. The boys were afraid Abner and Harry

would hit them. The girls worry that popular girls like Peggy and Blanche would not

speak to them. However, Richard was the only student who signed the sympathy card

for Hannah Schermer. After school, Richard took the card from Mrs Hansen. He wanted

to give the card to Hannah. Hannah accepted the card reluctantly. Later, Hannah

apologised to Richard for being rude. This was the beginning of their friendship.

In conclusion, the event where the Schermers was being mistreated infuriated me. I

truly believed that discrimination was unjust.

QUESTION 3: IMPORTANT CHARACTER/CHARACTERISTICS

Suggest one character in the novel you have read who you think is agood role

model for teenagers.

Briefly describe the character and give reasons for your choice with close reference to

the text.

ANSWER:

The novel that I read was ‘Dear Mr Kilmer’ by Anne Schraff. A good role model for

teenagers was Richard. Richard was 15 years old. He was tall, pale and slender. Richard

was Mr Knight’s son. He was Angie and Gus’s younger brother. He was Mr Kilmer’s

penpal and Hannah’s best friend. He loved poetry. There were three reasons why I chose

Richard.

Firstly, he was kind. One day, Mrs Hansen asked her class to sign a card for the

Schermers. Someone vandalised the tavern owned by Hannah’s parents. They painted

“Dirty Huns” all over the walls. Mrs Hansen brought a card to express regret for what

had happened. The troublemakers like Abner, Harry, Blanche and Peggy refused to sign

the card. They warned other classmates not to sign the card. The boys were afraid Abner

and Harry would hit them. The girls worry that popular girls like Peggy and Blanche

would not speak to them. However, Richard was the only student who signed the

sympathy card for Hannah Schermer.After school, Richard took the card from

Mrs Hansen. He wanted to give the card to Hannah. Hannah accepted the card

reluctantly. Later, Hannah apologised to Richard for being rude. This was the beginning

of their friendship.

Secondly, Richard was brave. This was shown when Richard told his family he wrote

poetry. Before telling his secret to his family, Richard wrote a letter to Mr

Kilmer. Mr Kilmer was Richard’s penpal. Richard learnt about Mr Kilmer

whenRichard’s English teacher, Mrs Hansen read a poem to the class. The title of the
poem was “Trees” by Joyce Kilmer. In his letter, Richard told Mr Kilmer that he wrote

poems too. However, he kept this as a secret from everyone. Richard asked for Mr

Kilmer’s advice. He wanted to know whether he should tell his secret to everybody. One

day, Richard received a letter from Mr Kilmer. Mr Kilmer advised Richard to overcome

his fear. Mr Kilmer advised Richard to share his poetry with people around

him. Nobody was interested when Richard told his family about Mr Kilmer’s

letter and his secret. Gus did not believe that Mr Kilmer was famous. Pa did not

believe that Richard wrote poetry. Richard asked whether his family members wanted to

read his poems. Nobody was interested. Richard was sad. Gus advised Richard not tell

anyone he wrote poetry. He wanted Richard to fit in with other people. Everyone called

him a Hun Lover after he signed the card for Hannah.

Thirdly, he was supportive. Hannah and Richard won the roles of Lady Liberty and the

Doughboy respectively because they wrote the best essays. Mrs Hansen asked the class

to write an essay as one of the activities for a patriotic programme which helped sell

Liberty bonds. Many students were angry when Hannah won the role. They regarded

Hannah as an unpatriotic German although she was an American citizen. Hannah told

Richard that her essay started a little war in Turtle lake. She did not want to cause any

more problems. So she declined the role of Lady Liberty. Richard wanted to support

Hannah. Therefore,Richard declined his part as the Doughboy. His family, his

schoolmates and the Turtle Lake People criticized him for turning down his role. They

called him unpatriotic and a traitor. These criticisms never stopped Richard from

standing up for what was right.

In conclusion, Richard was a good role model for teenagers because he had good

personalities.

QUESTION 4: ATTITUDE
It is important to stand up for what is right. Discuss how this is portrayed in

the novel you have read.

ANSWER:

The novel that I read was ‘Dear Mr Kilmer’ by Anne Schraff. The statement “It is

important to stand up for what is right” was portrayed by Richard in three different

events.

Firstly, this statement was portrayed when Richard purposely missed shooting a buck.

Richard thought that hunting was not important. Richard could not kill animals. Gus,

Richard’s elder brother, was upset with Richard because Richard purposely misfired.

Richard’s father, Pa, was also disappointed with Richard. Pa asked Richard why he

purposely missed shooting the buck. Richard told Pa that he had no right to kill

it. Richard told Pa that he felt painful and sad to kill an animal. Pa told Richard not to go

hunting anymore if he did not like it. Even though Pa disagreed with Richard’s opinion

about hunting, he did not force Richard to do what he hated.

Secondly, this statement was portrayed when Richard was the only student who signed a

sympathy card for the Schermers. When the Schermers’ tavern was vandalized, Mrs

Hansen asked her class to sign a sympathy card for them. The troublemakers like Abner,

Harry, Blanche and Peggy refused to sign the card. They warned other classmates not to

sign the card. The boys were afraid Abner and Harry would hit them. The girls worry

that popular girls like Peggy and Blanche would not speak to them. However, Richard

was the only student who signed the sympathy card for Hannah Schermer. Richard

believed that the Schermers were discriminated by some Turtle people because they

were Germans.

Thirdly, this statement was portrayed when Hannah declined the role of Lady

Liberty. Hannah and Richard won the roles of Lady Liberty and the Doughboy
respectively because they wrote the best essays. Mrs Hansen asked the class to write an

essay as one of the activities for a patriotic programme which helped sell Liberty bonds.

Many students were angry when Hannah won the role. They regarded Hannah as an

unpatriotic German although she was an American citizen. Hannah told Richard that

her essay started a little war in Turtle lake. She did not want to cause any more

problems. So she declined the role of Lady Liberty. Richard wanted to support

Hannah. Therefore,Richard declined his part as the Doughboy. His family, his

schoolmates and the Turtle Lake People criticized him for turning down his role. They

called him unpatriotic and a traitor. These criticisms never stopped Richard from

standing up for what was right.

In conclusion, Richard was truly a character who stuck to his principles to do what was

right.

QUESTION 5: PERSONAL OPINION ON CHARACTER

“People should be allowed to follow their dreams.”

Write about a character who wants to realise his or her dream.

ANSWER:

The novel that I read was ‘Dear Mr Kilmer’ by Anne Schraff. A character who wanted to

realise his dream was Richard. Richard wanted to be a poet.

Richard Knight had a secret. Nobody knew that he wrote poetry including his family,

teachers and schoolmates. One day, Richard learnt about Mr Kilmer when Richard’s

English teacher, Mrs Hansen read a poem to the class. The title of the poem was “Trees”

by Joyce Kilmer. Mr Kilmer was a famous poet. He enlisted in the army. He wrote a

letter to Mr Kilmer. In his letter, Richard told Mr Kilmer that he wrote poems

too. Richard asked for Mr Kilmer’s advice. He wanted to know whether he should tell his
secret to everybody. A few days later, Richard received a letter from Mr Kilmer. Mr

Kilmer advised Richard to overcome his fear. Mr Kilmer advised Richard to share his

poetry with people around him. Nobody was interested when Richard told his family

about Mr Kilmer’s letter and his secret. Gus did not believe that Mr Kilmer was

famous. Pa did not believe that Richard wrote poetry. Richard asked whether his family

members wanted to read his poems. Nobody was interested. Richard was sad.

One day, Richard received a bad news about Mr Kilmer.Mr Kilmer was killed in the war

between the Allies and the Germans. Richard wrote a poem as a tribute to Mr Kilmer. In

the poem, Richard likened Mr Kilmer to the “world”. The tribute was printed in the local

newspaper, “The Turtle Lake Weekly”. Richard’s father read the poem. Richard was

afraid that his father was going to be angry at him. His father did not like Richard

writing poems. After reading the poem, his father told Richard about what happened to

Richard’s uncle, Roland. His father never told Richard about this story. Roland was

killed in a war in Cuba. His father regarded Roland as his “world”. His father was

amazed how Richard could use the same word in his tribute. Richard continued writing

poems about farm life for the local newspaper. Richard got his father’s help as he was an

experienced farmer. Every night, Richard read his poems aloud. His father would

correct or give suggestions to improve the poems. His father finally supported Richard’s

passion in writing poetry.

In conclusion, Richard faced many obstacles in his journey of becoming a poet. In the

end, he managed to realise his dream.

QUESTION 6: FAMILY MATTERS

‘Family supports family.’

With close reference to the text, how far is this true of the novel you have studied?

ANSWER:
The novel that I read was ‘Dear Mr Kilmer’ by Anne Schraff. The statement “Family

supports family” was not true in the beginning of the story. However, it became true at

the end of the story.

Richard Knight had a secret. Nobody knew that he wrote poetry including his family,

teachers and schoolmates. One day, Richard learnt about Mr Kilmer when Richard’s

English teacher, Mrs Hansen read a poem to the class. The title of the poem was “Trees”

by Joyce Kilmer. Mr Kilmer was a famous poet. He enlisted in the army. He wrote a

letter to Mr Kilmer. In his letter, Richard told Mr Kilmer that he wrote poems

too. Richard asked for Mr Kilmer’s advice. He wanted to know whether he should tell his

secret to everybody. A few days later, Richard received a letter from Mr Kilmer. Mr

Kilmer advised Richard to overcome his fear. Mr Kilmer advised Richard to share his

poetry with people around him. Nobody was interested when Richard told his family

about Mr Kilmer’s letter and his secret. Gus did not believe that Mr Kilmer was

famous. Pa did not believe that Richard wrote poetry. Richard asked whether his family

members wanted to read his poems. Nobody was interested. Richard was sad.

One day, Richard received a bad news about Mr Kilmer.Mr Kilmer was killed in the war

between the Allies and the Germans. Richard wrote a poem as a tribute to Mr Kilmer. In

the poem, Richard likened Mr Kilmer to the “world”. The tribute was printed in the local

newspaper, “The Turtle Lake Weekly”. Richard’s father read the poem. Richard was

afraid that his father was going to be angry at him. His father did not like Richard

writing poems. After reading the poem, his father told Richard about what happened to

Richard’s uncle, Roland. His father never told Richard about this story. Roland was

killed in a war in Cuba. His father regarded Roland as his “world”. His father was

amazed how Richard could use the same word in his tribute. Richard continued writing

poems about farm life for the local newspaper. Richard got his father’s help as he was an

experienced farmer. Every night, Richard read his poems aloud. His father would
correct or give suggestions to improve the poems. His father finally supported Richard’s

passion in writing poetry.

In conclusion, the bond in a family strengthened when family supported each other.

QUESTION 7: CHARACTER/CHARACTERISTICS

The main character is a strong-willed person. How is this shown in the novel?

Support your answer with close reference to the text.

ANSWER:

The novel that I read was ‘Dear Mr Kilmer’ by Anne Schraff. The statement “Family

supports family” was not true in the beginning of the story. However, it became true at

the end of the story.

Richard Knight had a secret. Nobody knew that he wrote poetry including his family,

teachers and schoolmates. One day, Richard learnt about Mr Kilmer when Richard’s

English teacher, Mrs Hansen read a poem to the class. The title of the poem was “Trees”

by Joyce Kilmer. Mr Kilmer was a famous poet. He enlisted in the army. He wrote a

letter to Mr Kilmer. In his letter, Richard told Mr Kilmer that he wrote poems

too. Richard asked for Mr Kilmer’s advice. He wanted to know whether he should tell his

secret to everybody. A few days later, Richard received a letter from Mr Kilmer. Mr

Kilmer advised Richard to overcome his fear. Mr Kilmer advised Richard to share his

poetry with people around him. Nobody was interested when Richard told his family

about Mr Kilmer’s letter and his secret. Gus did not believe that Mr Kilmer was

famous. Pa did not believe that Richard wrote poetry. Richard asked whether his family

members wanted to read his poems. Nobody was interested. Richard was sad.

One day, Richard received a bad news about Mr Kilmer.Mr Kilmer was killed in the war

between the Allies and the Germans. Richard wrote a poem as a tribute to Mr Kilmer. In
the poem, Richard likened Mr Kilmer to the “world”. The tribute was printed in the local

newspaper, “The Turtle Lake Weekly”. Richard’s father read the poem. Richard was

afraid that his father was going to be angry at him. His father did not like Richard

writing poems. After reading the poem, his father told Richard about what happened to

Richard’s uncle, Roland. His father never told Richard about this story. Roland was

killed in a war in Cuba. His father regarded Roland as his “world”. His father was

amazed how Richard could use the same word in his tribute. Richard continued writing

poems about farm life for the local newspaper. Richard got his father’s help as he was an

experienced farmer. Every night, Richard read his poems aloud. His father would

correct or give suggestions to improve the poems. His father finally supported Richard’s

passion in writing poetry.

In conclusion, the bond in a family strengthened when family supported each other.