Dear Mr Kilmer Form 5 SPM Sample Answers

Please refer to:

1. Dear Mr Kilmer Important Event Notes
2. Dear Mr Kilmer Exam Practices

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.
1
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, Richards elder brother, was upset with Richard because Richard
purposely misfired. Richards 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. 4
Secondly, Richard was kind. One day, Mrs Hansen asked her class to sign a
card for the Schermers. Someone vandalised the tavern owned by Hannahs 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. 2
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 Richards penpal.
Richard learnt about Mr Kilmer when Richards English teacher, Mrs Hansen read a 5
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 Kilmers 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 Kilmers 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 Kilmers 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 Kilmers 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
Richards 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, Richards 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 2
family, teachers and schoolmates. One day, Richard learnt about Mr Kilmer
when Richards English teacher, Mrs Hansen read a poem to the class. The title of
5
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 Kilmers 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 Kilmers letter and his secret. Gus did not 7
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. Richards
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 Richards 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 fathers 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 Richards 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 2
family, teachers and schoolmates. One day, Richard learnt about Mr Kilmer
when Richards 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 Kilmers advice. He wanted to know 5
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 Kilmers letter and his secret. Gus did not believe that Mr Kilmer was famous. Pa 5
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 Kilmers 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
Kilmers 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 Richards 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 4
Schermers. They vandalized the Schermers tavern.They painted Dirty Huns all 3
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. 4

Secondly, I was angry because Richards classmates were being unkind to the
Schermers after the Schermerss 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 5 (SPM 2015 Similar to SPM 2007)

Suggest one character in the novel you have read who you think is a good 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 Knights son. He was Angie and Guss younger brother. He
was Mr Kilmers penpal and Hannahs best friend. He loved poetry. There were
three reasons why I chose Richard.
4
Firstly, he was kind. One day, Mrs Hansen asked her class to sign a card for
the Schermers. Someone vandalised the tavern owned by Hannahs 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 2
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 Richards penpal. Richard learnt about Mr Kilmer
5
when Richards 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 Kilmers 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 6
Mr Kilmers 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 6 (SBP Trial 2016)

Which character in the novel do you sympathize with? Explain why you 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.
3
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 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 4
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
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 6
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 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.
1
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, Richards elder brother, was upset with Richard because Richard
purposely misfired. Richards 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 4
disagreed with Richards 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
6
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 8 (N9 Trial 2016)
People should be allowed to follow their dreams.
Write about a character who wants to realise his or her dream. And

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. A
character who wanted to realise his dream was Richard. Richard wanted to be a
poet.
2
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 Richards 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 Kilmers advice. He wanted to know 5
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 Kilmers letter and his secret. Gus did not
believe that Mr Kilmer was famous. Pa did not believe that Richard wrote 7
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. Richards
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 Richards 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 fathers 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 Richards 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 2
when Richards 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 Kilmers advice. He wanted to know
whether he should tell his secret to everybody. A few days later, Richard received a 5
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 Kilmers 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. 7
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. Richards
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 Richards 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 fathers 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 Richards passion in writing poetry.

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

other.