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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. On the afternoon on the day of Lincoln's assassination, what plans did Abraham Lincoln reveal to Mary Todd Lincoln about their future after his second term as president was complete?

2. What wound did Lewis Powell successfully inflict upon William Seward, though he did not succeed in killing him?

3. Who confronted Lewis Powell at the top of the stairs on the second floor of William Seward's house?

4. What weapon did John Wilkes Booth ultimately use to kill Abraham Lincoln?

5. What injury did John Wilkes Booth sustain in his leap from the Presidential box to the theater stage?

Short Essay Questions

1. 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?

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

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

4. How does James L. Swanson characterize the personality of the actress Laura Keene, who was present at the scene of John Wilkes Booth's shooting of Abraham Lincoln.

5. Who was the only audience member in Ford's Theater to chase after John Wilkes Booth and why did no one else follow him?

6. 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?

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 James L. Swanson's purpose when he describes John Wilkes Booth's passions as including "the romance of lost causes"? (2)

9. What qualities of William Seward's situation caused him to chosen by the assassins as the third target in the assassination plot, in addition to Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson?

10. 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?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does James L. Swanson use irony within the text? Discuss at least three uses of irony within the book and explore each instance's connection to larger themes within the book. Back up your points using concrete details from the book.

Essay Topic 2

How does the author's use of the omniscient third person point of view serve his purposes over the course of the book? Discuss how his choice of point of view helps to advance his treatment of at least three particular themes within the novel. Use concrete details from the text to support your points.

Essay Topic 3

Examine James L. Swanson's use of characterization methods to portray Abraham Lincoln. How does he help the reader to know who Abraham Lincoln was as a person, both before and after his murder? What effect do these characterization methods have on the book's inherent themes and messages? Use concrete details from the text to support your claims.

(see the answer keys)

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