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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. Farmers were given specific instructions on how to do which of the following:

2. How much did moneylenders charge in interest?

3. How many days per year did the average farmer work to pay the landlord?

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

5. How often did farmers pay the rent?

Short Essay Questions

1. What were the weather conditions like in the spring?

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

3. Who replaced Peel as Prime Minister? What was the man's view on the famine?

4. How did farmers protect their crops from theft?

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

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

7. Name at least two of the groups that supplied the most help to the farmers.

8. New diseases began to plague the people. Describe the new illnesses and how they spread.

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

10. How did the British retaliate against the revolutionaries?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The reader can easily surmise what will happen in the story by regarding the actions of the British government. Explain how foreshadowing lends a better understanding to the actions of the British and the Irish as well as the conditions of the land and crops.

Essay Topic 2

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 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 682 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample