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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. During which month was the first crop harvested?

2. To whom did the Prime Minister go to for help?

3. What agreement officially joined the United Kingdom?

4. What was the young man's offense?

5. According to some farmers, tribes of ___ must have been warring over the potatoes?

Short Essay Questions

1. What was the emigration rate from the time of the famine onward?

2. How did Peel attempt to get the Corn Laws repealed?

3. What was the Galway Act?

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

5. What was the Rate-in-Aid Act and when was it passed by Parliament?

6. How much time did the farmers spend working to pay the landlords?

7. Recount the story of Bridget O'Donnel.

8. Explain the purpose of the formation of Young Ireland.

9. How did the people react to the change in the weather?

10. Explain why the workhouses fell into chaos during the second year of the famine.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe the climate in Ireland. How does the weather affect the crops? What crops can be successfully planted and harvested? Which are the most valuable? Which crops might have saved the Irish from starvation? Where would the crops be sold? To whom would the crops be sold?

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

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?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 696 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample