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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In the discussion of religious fatalism, what is described as the most dangerous position in the infantry?
(a) Artilleryman.
(b) Rifleman.
(c) Drummer boy.
(d) Color bearer.

2. In the discussion of the officers' views on training, which of the following did a captain in the 85th New York NOT believe would get men to fight well?
(a) Food.
(b) Discipline.
(c) Drill.
(d) Leadership.

3. When talking about the relationships between enlisted men and their officers, McPherson notes a major from which state who visited his sick and wounded soldiers every day?
(a) New York.
(b) Illinois.
(c) Pennsylvania.
(d) Virginia.

4. From which state was the soldier who wrote religious poetry while lying in the trenches, during the battle of Vicksburg?
(a) Ohio.
(b) Maryland.
(c) Pennsylvania.
(d) Massachusetts.

5. After the discussion of "short-timers" psychology, McPherson notes what percentage of 3-year enlisted Union soldiers from 1861 reenlisted?
(a) 100%.
(b) 50%.
(c) 25%.
(d) 75%.

Short Answer Questions

1. When discussing various war memoirs, McPherson mentions that Wilbur Fisk, of the 2nd Vermont, wrote which of the following?

2. When McPherson recounts the tale of James and John Welsh, he says that James moved to what state in 1853 and became a Republican?

3. After the story from the soldier who experienced the glaze of war during the battle at Gaines Mill, McPherson notes that another term for this phenomenon is what?

4. While talking about religious fatalism, McPherson says that more soldiers were practical Arminians than strict __________________.

5. When discussing various war memoirs, McPherson mentions that James Gooding, a black soldier in the 54th Massachusetts, wrote which of the following?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did Civil War enlisted men respond to military discipline, as discussed in "Chapter 4: If I Flinched, I was Ruined"?

2. McPherson says that duty and honor were powerful motives for battle, and then goes on to say that they had to be because what modern elements were lacking in Civil War-era soldiers?

3. What can readers conclude about the use of alcohol as a motivational tool, during "Chapter 4: If I Flinched, I was Ruined"?

4. What questions did the Princeton students have when McPherson took them to Gettysburg in the spring of 1976?

5. After saying that Civil War soldiers were the most literate in history, what facts and figures does McPherson cite that lend legitimacy to his sources for the book?

6. As the war got underway, what feeling did soldiers have about "safe" positions in the rear of battles?

7. What effect did the prospect of death have on the Confederate army during the discussion of religion?

8. What methods did officers used after they were confronted with undisciplined troops early in the war?

9. In the discussion of religion, how did Christian soldiers reconcile the war with the commandment to "turn the other cheek"?

10. When McPherson discusses Civil War veteran John W. DeForest, what explanation do readers receive of the definition between a lunatic and a hero?

(see the answer keys)

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