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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. 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?

2. What was the source of Mary Todd Lincoln's emotional disturbance in the three years previous to Lincoln's inauguration?

3. Though several couples declined the Lincolns' invitation to attend the play, one couple did accept. Who accompanied the Lincolns to the play on the night of Lincoln's assassination?

4. What was Dr. Samuel Mudd's diagnosis once he examined John Wilkes Booth's injured leg?

5. How long did John Wilkes Booth have between finding out about Lincoln's plans to attend the play and his assassination of the President?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

6. 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?

7. 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.

8. What was the main goal of the plot to assassinate the Union's top governmental leaders all in one night?

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

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

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

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

How does the author get across Abraham Lincoln's tendency to avoid a grand and flashy presence? What ultimate message about how politicians ought to behave is being created within this depiction? Include concrete details from the book to support your claim.

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