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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. What initials are on many of the bridge drawings?

2. Who is Aime Bonpland?

3. What life does Harriet come to like?

4. Two of Roebling's successful projects were in ______________ and Niagara Falls.

5. What was the impetus for the railroad?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

4. What is the perspective of the Brooklyn Bridge legacy found in "The Treasure from the Carpentry Shop?"

5. What is the nature of Harriet Beecher's childhood?

6. How is Agassiz' American lecture tour described?

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

8. What is Valentine's struggle with getting the bridge documents validated?

9. What are the unusual circumstances of Hattie's marriage?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 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

In 1872, a reporter from the Brooklyn Eagle observes that few who cross the Brooklyn Bridge will value the courage, faith and genius that underlie its successful building. What does he mean by this statement? Does the finding of the bridge builders' drawings increase the level of appreciation? Explain.

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