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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 did George Atzerodt do just before he decided to abandon his plan to kill Vice President Andrew Johnson?

2. How many words did Abraham Lincoln's inauguration speech of 1865 contain?

3. Who answered the door when Lewis Powell rang the doorbell at William Seward's house?

4. After the Petersen boarding house was deemed the temporary War Department headquarters, to whom was the first telegram out of the office addressed?

5. Where were Mary Surratt's tavern and boardinghouse located at which John Wilkes Booth had hidden weapons and supplies to be retrieved after his murder of Abraham Lincoln?

Short Essay Questions

1. 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?

2. How was Frederick Seward injured during Lewis Powell's attempt to assassinate Secretary of State William Seward?

3. What action did David Herold take at the scene of William Seward's home that James L. Swanson imagines to have inspired the ire of John Wilkes Booth?

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

5. Over what issues was the American Civil War fought?

6. How did John Wilkes Booth's knowledge of Ford's Theater facilitate his assassination of Abraham Lincoln?

7. 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?

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

9. 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?

10. What is the author's purpose in relating the events of Mary Lincoln Todd's and Abraham Lincoln's afternoon together on the date of the assassination?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay that discusses the connection between the decision by the U. S. government to make sure John Wilkes Booth's grave remained unmarked and the modern controversy over the media's coverage of mass shooters. Write a specific, clear claim and back it up with both concrete details from the book and concrete details from your research.

Essay Topic 2

Choose a symbolic object from the novel, such as Booth's pistol, Laura Keene's dress, or some other symbolic object and discuss its overall meaning and its connection to themes within the text. Use concrete details from the book to support your points.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the author's treatment of the climactic scene of the manhunters' discovery of John Wilkes Booth at the Garrett Farm. Why is the author so concerned with the actions of Baker and his men and how does the tone of his writing in this scene reflect his attitude about the actions of Baker and his men? Use concrete details from the text to support your points.

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This section contains 1,401 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample