2. Which of the following was not a common ailment among the starving Irish?
(a) Malnourishment.
(b) Diarrhea.
(c) Consumption.
(d) Scurvy.

3. Who did not pay for the upkeep on the workhouses?
(a) Landlords.
(b) Merchants.
(c) Middling farmers.
(d) Large farmers.

4. Many farmers believed that the blight could not survive what?
(a) Pesticides.
(b) God's grace.
(c) Winter.
(d) Heat.

5. What group was the most helpful in supplying aid to the starving Irish?
(a) Knights Templar.
(b) Tories.
(c) Quakers.
(d) Congregationalists.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who was hit the hardest by the famine?

2. What kind of container was used to transport the harvested crops?

3. A "dip-at-the-stool" meal consisted of dipping potatoes into which liquid?

4. Who was James Mahony?

5. The author writes about which county?

Short Essay Questions

1. What was the cause of the increased expenses for the landlords?

2. The author states that the potato famine had little to do with the shortage of food. What was the real issue? The real issue was that people were being denied access to available food, through the stubbornness of the British to import corn and the skyrocketing prices and almost non-existent wages being paid to laborers. After the majority of the crops were destroyed, Prime Minister Russell finally decided to take action. What was the action?

3. Why was the summer of 1845 considered to be particularly fickle?

4. What are cash crops? Why were they important to the farmer?

5. Who was most affected by the British tax hikes and lack of assistance?

6. Recount the story of Bridget O'Donnel.

7. Describe the conditions on the ships sailing to America.

8. What does the author mean when she stated "entire families disappeared?"

9. Who else had been influenced by the British government?

10. The Scientific Commission made several erroneous findings regarding the blight. What were they?

(see the answer keys)

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