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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. How old was William Seward's daughter Fanny on the night of the assassination attempt?
(a) 18.
(b) 20.
(c) 16.
(d) 13.

2. What did the actress Laura Keene use as a passport into the President's box at Ford's Theater where Abraham Lincoln lay dying?
(a) A pillow.
(b) A pile of clean sheets.
(c) A pitcher of water.
(d) A blanket.

3. Where in John Wilkes Booth's room at the National Hotel did investigators find a letter outlining the plot against the government?
(a) In his dresser drawer.
(b) In the flue of the fireplace.
(c) Under his mattress.
(d) In his trunk.

4. Who answered the door when Lewis Powell rang the doorbell at William Seward's house?
(a) The Sewards' servant.
(b) Fanny Seward.
(c) Frederick Seward.
(d) William Seward's doctor.

5. How far away from Washington D.C. were Mary Surratt's tavern and boardinghouse?
(a) 10 miles away.
(b) 23 miles away.
(c) 30 miles away.
(d) 13 miles away.

Short Answer Questions

1. What distinctive marking did John Wilkes Booth's horse have on her body?

2. Where did Lewis Powell sleep on the two nights subsequent to the events at William Seward's house?

3. For how many years did the Civil War last?

4. What weapons did Lewis Powell bring to William Seward's house, intending to kill him?

5. What was the ultimate goal of John Wilkes Booth and his conspirators' plan to assassinate the Union government's top leaders?

Short Essay Questions

1. In what ways is Lewis Powell portrayed as a pathetic character after his attempt to take William Seward's life?

2. What is the significance of the photo that was taken at Abraham Lincoln's inauguration and that includes John Wilkes Booth?

3. In the scene of Abraham Lincoln being moved from the theater, how does James L. Swanson get across the message of how damaging people's morbid curiosity can be?

4. What were the reasons that Dr. Charles Leale wanted to move Abraham Lincoln from the theater, even though he had just proclaimed his wounds sure to be fatal?

5. How did the North celebrate when Richmond, Virginia fell to Union forces on April 3, 1865?

6. What methods does James L. Swanson use to convey the chaotic nature of the scene within Ford's Theater after John Wilkes Booth had escaped?

7. How does James L. Swanson create suspense in the scene when Lewis Powell attempts to assassinate William Seward?

8. What are two themes touched upon within Abraham Lincoln's inauguration day speech of 1865?

9. How did Mary Todd Lincoln's letter to the Ford Theater's proprietors unwittingly help Abraham Lincoln's would-be assassins complete their goal?

10. How does James L. Swanson demonstrate Fanny Seward's courage and ferocity within the scene of Lewis Powell's attempt to take her father's life?

(see the answer keys)

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