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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. In what year did Lincoln serve in the military?

2. Lincoln states that the government shall not ______________.

3. How many paragraphs are contained in Everett's speech?

4. Which of the following does not describe the Gettysburg Address?

5. How many paragraphs are in the speech?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why did it take so long for the Hay text to be discovered?

2. What was the proposition made by the Founding Fathers?

3. Lincoln believed that it would not be of much consequence what was said in Gettysburg. What would be most remembered?

4. Why was it important to state that the living should be devoted to the dead?

5. Which version of the speech is the most popular? Why?

6. How many parts are contained in Everett's speech and what is the significance of the number?

7. Who is currently in charge of the Gettysburg battlefield and cemetery? Why is this the logical choice?

8. What advice did Pericles give to the living?

9. Wills makes it a point to compare what theme in both speeches by Lincoln and Pericles?

10. What does Everett believe caused the defeat of the South?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Lincoln often avoided the topics of abolition, slave ownership and interracial marriage. Why? Was the restriction a personal choice or made for the benefit of Lincoln's political career? How might the Democrats have responded if Lincoln had addressed these issues at Gettysburg? Since these topics were avoided, what main topic did Lincoln speak about at Gettysburg?

Essay Topic 2

Compare and contrast the personalities, strengths and careers of Robert E. Lee and George Meade. Who had the biggest impact on the Civil War?

Essay Topic 3

How did Lincoln react to the misuse of words? What was his method of expressing himself on a personal level? How did Lincoln's friends and colleagues feel about his obsession with language? What contributions did this obsession make to political speech and to society as a whole?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 478 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample