View a FREE sample

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

Short Answer Questions

1. In an effort to survive, some people abandoned which way of life?

2. Who was Nicholas Cummins?

3. Where did many of the landlords live?

4. Most of Ireland's economy was based on what?

5. How many people were allowed into the kitchen area at one time?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did farmers protect their crops from theft?

2. What was the basic form of the educational system for the farmers' children?

3. What was one of the biggest benefits of the soup kitchens?

4. The author states that the potato famine had little to do with the shortage of food. What was the real issue?

5. Name at least two causes for the poverty in Ireland in the mid-1800s.

6. How did the British deal with the uprising by the revolutionaries?

7. Detail the events surrounding the arrest of Tom Flynn.

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

9. What was one of the most difficult decisions facing the laborers' families?

10. Explain the Irish Fever Act.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Mass burial was a necessity during the height of the famine and the ensuing disaster. What caused so many of the people to die? How were the corpses handled? How does mass burial go against Irish tradition and religion? What else could have been done with the bodies? Why was lime used in the process?

Essay Topic 2

By today's standards, the British government broke many moral and ethical laws. Rewrite the governmental reaction to the Irish Potato Famine if it were to take place today. What would be different? How would the United States participate in providing aid? Would the British government be more or less likely to give in to pressure from outside influences in a modern setting?

Essay Topic 3

Examine Ireland's class system. Who belonged in each class? How was the system affected by the British? Which class would you be in? Explain the hierarchy of the government as well as social entities.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 721 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample