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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. As "Chapter 2: We Were in Earnest" opens, McPherson says that another name for the Civil War is what?
(a) The Union War.
(b) The Brothers' War.
(c) The Slavery War.
(d) The Confederate War.

2. In his discussion of his ancestor, Jesse Beecher, McPherson says that in 1862 Beecher enlisted with the 112th New York at what age?
(a) 37.
(b) 43.
(c) 19.
(d) 25.

3. During the story of Sarah Rosetta Wakeman, what is the name of the battle in which she fought?
(a) Pleasant Hill.
(b) Fort Macon.
(c) New Bern.
(d) Middle Creek.

4. During the discussion of leadership, which of the following Generals had a very different reputation at Gettysburg than he had earlier at Malvern Hill?
(a) General James Thomas.
(b) General Willis Gorman.
(c) General Lewis Armistead.
(d) General Mercer Tomlinson.

5. Toward the end of "Chapter 3: Anxious for the Fray," McPherson notes that men were shocked by war as most of them were in what age group?
(a) 50s.
(b) 60s.
(c) 30s.
(d) 20s.

Short Answer Questions

1. In the discussion of religious fatalism, what is described as the most dangerous position in the infantry?

2. In May 1861, a lieutenant in a Pennsylvania regiment wrote he would not enlist for a period longer than ________, unless his country needed him, in which case he'd enlist for life.

3. When McPherson and his cousin visit the four Civil War battlefields near Fredericksburg, Virginia, he notes that it is the day after which of the following holidays?

4. While talking about good-luck charms, McPherson notes there were few _____________ in the Civil War.

5. When a Quaker captain in the 5th New Jersey was threatened to be turned out of his faith if he did not resign, he found he could not leave and was later killed in which battle?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did the tone of soldiers' letters home change from their initial zeal after the first few battles were over?

2. When McPherson discusses Civil War veteran John W. DeForest, what explanation do readers receive of the definition between a lunatic and a hero?

3. Why, in "Chapter 6: A Band of Brothers," were disparaging remarks between regiments so common?

4. How did Civil War soldiers react to fear in "Chapter 3: Anxious for the Fray"?

5. When discussing his framework for the book, what three categories does McPherson say he has used and borrowed from John A. Lynn?

6. After saying that Civil War soldiers were the most literate in history, what facts and figures does McPherson cite that lend legitimacy to his sources for the book?

7. In "Chapter 1: This War is a Crusade," what difference does McPherson note between the Civil War and the Vietnam War?

8. What ideological concepts and convictions initially motivated the Confederate soldiers to enlist and fight, as discussed by McPherson in his analysis of the beginning of the war?

9. What effect did the prospect of death have on the Confederate army during the discussion of religion?

10. In the discussion of leadership, what do the soldiers' letters indicate about the differences in leadership between the Confederate and Union armies?

(see the answer keys)

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