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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 happened to Mr. Wolfinger?

2. How many people were in the group when it was at its full strength?

3. What did the travelers encounter as they climbed the Sierra Nevada?

4. Where was the family going to move to?

5. What did the men do to the wagon wheels after crossing the Platte?

Short Essay Questions

1. What did the Donner party find when they emerged from the Cutoff?

2. How did the women feel about the decision, and how was their opinion factored in?

3. How many miles a day did the Donner Party plan to go, and what with their actual pace?

4. Why was Independence, Missouri so famous?

5. What did the families do in the evenings?

6. What happened with Edward Breen?

7. What did James Reed say that persuaded the man to take Hastings' Cutoff?

8. What happened to Mr. Hardcoop?

9. How did Virginia feel about her traveling clothes?

10. How did Charles Stanton helped the traveling party?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What disrupted James Reed's attempt to put together rescue teams? How did he manage to eventually get help?

Essay Topic 2

How did the descendants of the Donner Party feel about their relatives? What reputations did they have to live down?

Essay Topic 3

What did the travelers have to do to prepare for their journey, and how long did it take them?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 539 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample