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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. The "Steam Road to El Dorado" is the story of the _______________ Railroad.

2. What is Francis P. Valentine's job?

3. What is the name of Humboldt's book that inspired Charles Darwin and others?

4. Who was the New York governor who attended the bridge opening?

5. In what year are treasures related to the Brooklyn Bridge found?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the topic of "The Builders?"

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

3. What was the impetus for the Brooklyn Bridge?

4. Who is the subject of the essay entitled "Journey to the Top of the World?"

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

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

7. When is the idea for the Panama Railroad born and who are its creators?

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

9. What is Frederic Remington's background?

10. What is the human cost of building the Panama Railroad?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

"The Lonely War of a Good Angry Man" portrays Harry Monroe Caudill's crusade against the devastation of eastern Kentucky by strip mining. Why was Caudill driven to take on the cause of fighting for the people of Kentucky? Do you think Caudill was a success? Do you think Caudill was a reluctant hero? Explain.

Essay Topic 2

Brave Companions is a volume of 17 previously published articles and addresses about diverse people and events selected by historian David McCullough. Why did McCullough decide to write these stories? Why did he choose these people and places? What overall message does McCullough want readers to understand?

Essay Topic 3

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.

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