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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. What does Hettie Ogle see sweep past her and slam into a pier near the end of Chapter 3?

2. What is the name of the engineer who sits in the cab of train No. 2 at Buttermilk Falls in Chapter 4?

3. How many years had the yardmaster, Walkinshaw, been working the day of the flood?

4. What height is the water that Seibert observes coming over the top of the dam near the end of Chapter 3?

5. How many communities does the mud and debris go through before reaching Johnstown?

Short Essay Questions

1. How are the hundreds of families in the streets of Johnstown just after the water begins to rise described?

2. How is the founding of Johnstown described?

3. How is the rain described when it starts in Johnstown at 4 p.m. on May 31st?

4. What does Hettie Ogle do when she receives the flood warning?

5. What reasons does the author say allowed the water to flow freely down the mountains in Johnstown?

6. How does John G. Parke describe the weather at the beginning of Chapter 1?

7. How are the events of the townsfolk on the day of the flood between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. described?

8. What happens to the city of Woodvale in Chapter 4?

9. In what way is Johnstown booming financially before the flood?

10. What do passengers on the Night Off do during their ride?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Examine the role of the journalists in the crisis. What information could be gathered based on their reports? Are these reports mostly factual? What negative aspects were involved in these reports?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the charitable donations given to the flood victims of Johnstown. What was the nature of these donations? What did these donations say in regards to the outpouring of support from the rest of the nation?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the role of Clara Barton and the Red Cross in the crisis. What was the nature of their portrayal? What role did they play in the success of the Johnstown relief efforts?

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