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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. Humboldt is the first European to ___________________________________.

2. According to Remington, "Cowboys are ______________."

3. Where does Agassiz take a summer expedition in 1848?

4. What is the major disease that kills many of the workers on the railroad?

5. Who does Harriet claim wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who is Humboldt's partner and what is the nature of their explorations?

2. Who founded the town of Medora and what was his purpose for doing so?

3. What is Frederic Remington's background?

4. Cite some of the reasons that Uncle Tom's Cabin had such an impact on readers.

5. Why is the Panama Railroad called "the first steam road to El Dorado?"

6. Remington is prolific with his painting and writing but what new medium does he discover which he feels will make him immortal?

7. Explain Harriet's familiarity with slavery which allows her to write Uncle Tom's Cabin.

8. Explain Theodore Roosevelt's interest in the Medora area.

9. Why does Agassiz decide to make America his permanent home?

10. For what is the town of Medora most known today?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

David Plowden considers himself to be more of an historian than photographer which is why he is driven to capture people and places before they disappear. Explain the ultimate futility of Plowden's work since history is always on the heels of the last moment.

Essay Topic 2

McCullough has respect for all of the people in the book but do you think he likes any one of them more than the others? Who would you choose to be your new friend among the people McCullough has chosen to portray? Explain.

Essay Topic 3

Frederic Remington was born in a town in New York but made a career out of creating art about the Wild West. Explain how a person can create things that are foreign to their background or heritage. Why was Remington so drawn to the West? How did he feel when the West began to be civilized?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 966 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample