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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. Neither Captain took Sacagawea along to meet the Indians

2. Lewis spoke to the Shoshone chief through

3. To follow the large keelboats up the river, the expedition made use of

4. When he reached Louisville, Kentucky, Lewis

5. Lewis and Clark secretly planned to send three men back to St. Louis to deliver

Short Essay Questions

1. How did the expedition manage to drag its boats over land?

2. Why was progress down the Ohio River so abominably slow?

3. Discuss the punishment meted out to the two soldiers who drank whiskey while on guard duty. Was it fair?

4. Why did it take so long for Lewis' keelboat to be built?

5. What is Lewis' goal in trying to make peace between the Arikaras and the Mandans? Why does he involve himself in their dispute?

6. Given that he was an educated man, how can we account for Lewis' lack of spelling ability?

7. Is it obvious why Clark's commission stayed that of lieutenant and not captain? How did that affect the two leaders?

8. Discuss Lewis' mental meanderings on his 32nd birthday.

9. What was ironic about the government's response to the Whiskey Rebellion of 1794?

10. Discuss the large keelboat and its journey back to St. Louis.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Lewis and Clark's original journals are priceless, invaluable items of American history.

1) Where are they today? Have they been preserved?

2) What kind of materials were they written on and with?

3) How much of the journals are missing, if any?

4) Has anyone, besides Biddle, tried to edit and rewrite them for general consumption? Why, or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Thomas Jefferson gave birth to the idea of an expedition to find the Northwest passage. Write a persuasive essay about any or all of the following:

1) Did Jefferson prove to be a fair weather friend to Lewis & Clark?

2) What did Jefferson do upon Lewis' return to help distribute his findings? Was Lewis properly credited?

3) Did Jefferson get what he wanted out of the expedition, besides the answer to his question about a waterway to the Pacific?

4) Jefferson claims to have known that Lewis had some mental illness all his life. Did he take any measures to help Lewis?

Essay Topic 3

Sacagawea's notoriety as one of the the expedition members only came about through history after she was gone. Write a narrative to examine the following:

1)What were her major contributions to the expedition?

2) Was she afforded special treatment?

3) Were her interpreter's skills used wisely? When? Could they have been better used?

4) Was the presence of her child a distraction to the expedition? Did it not create extra work in the portage process?

5) Was the identify of Cameahwait as Sacagawea's brother surprising? Why did she not leave, or stay, with him?

(see the answer keys)

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