Novel Discovery Module:Dear Mr Kilmer– Sample Answers

Question 1 (SPM 2007)

‘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.

Sample answer Event

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 1
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. 4
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 2
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 5
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 (SPM 2008)

Using the details from the novel that you have studied,
• Describe what happens at the end of the novel.
• Explain why you find the ending either happy or sad.

Sample answer Event

The novel that I read was ‘Dear Mr Kilmer’ by Anne Schraff. At the end of the
story, Richard’s father finally supported his passion in writing poetry. This was a happy
ending.

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 2
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 5
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 7
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 ending of this story was truly heartwarming when a father
and a son finally got along through the love of poetry.
Question 3 (SPM 2009)
Using the details from the novel that you have studied, write about a difficult decision made by one of the
characters. With close reference to the text, do you think this was the right decision?

Sample answer Event

The novel that I studied was ‘Dear Mr Kilmer’ by Anne Schraff. A difficult
decision made by Richard was to tell people that he wrote poetry. This was the right
decision.

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 2
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 5
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.

The next day, Richard told Mrs Hansen that he wrote poetry. He showed her Mr 5
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, Richard was a brave boy when he decided to tell his secrets to
everyone.

Question 4 (SPM 2012)

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.
Sample answer Event
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 4
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 3
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 4
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 5 (SPM 2015  Similar to SPM 2007)

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.

Sample answer Event

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 4
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 2
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 5
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 6
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 6 (SBP Trial 2016)

Which character in the novel do you sympathize with? Explain whyyou sympathize with this
character with close reference to the text.

Sample answer Event

The novel that I read was ‘Dear Mr Kilmer’ by Anne Schraff. The character I
sympathized with was Hannah Schermer. There were three reasons why I sympathized
with her.

Firstly, her schoolmates called her ‘Dirty Hun’. They evenscrawled “Dirty Hun”
all over her book cover. Some Turtle Lake people believed that Huns were a barbaric
clan originated from Germany. They said that the Schermers were unpatriotic because 3
they spoke German and served Hun food at their tavern while a war was going on
against Germany. Starting from this incident, the Schermers were always being
mistreated by some of the Turtle Lake people.

Secondly, her parents’ tavern was vandalised. They painted “Dirty Huns” all
over the walls. Mrs Hansen asked her class to sign a sympathy card for the 4
Schermers. 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.
 Thirdly, people unfairly denied her role as Lady Liberty.Hannah won the roles 6
of Lady Liberty because she wrote the best essay. 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. Some parents
complained to the principal and demanded Mrs Hansen to choose someone else. Mrs
Hansen did not change her mind. 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.

In conclusion, although Hannah Schermer and her family was mistreated by

some Turtle Lake people, they remained calm and patient.

Question 7 (Kedah Trial 2016)

It is important to stand up for what is right. Discuss how this is portrayed in the novel you have
read.

Sample answer Event

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 1
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 4
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 6
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 8 (N9 Trial 2016)

“People should be allowed to follow their dreams.”
Write about a character who wants to realise his or her dream.

Sample answer Event

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 2
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 5
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 7
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 9 (Kelantan Trial 2016)
‘Family supports family.’
With close reference to the text, how far is this true of the novel you have studied?

Sample answer Event

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 2
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 5
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 7
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 10 (Pulau Pinang Trial 2016)
The main character is a strong-willed person. How is this shown in the novel? Support your
answer with close reference to the text.

Sample answer Event

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 2
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 5
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 7
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.