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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 McPherson talks about the literacy rates during the Civil War, he says that what percentage of Union soldiers were literate?
(a) 75%.
(b) 90%.
(c) 30%.
(d) 65%.

2. As McPherson describes how soldiers on both sides were spoiling for a fight, he mentions an expression denoting exciting experiences: see the _________?
(a) Canary.
(b) Elephant.
(c) Bear.
(d) Donkey.

3. When discussing Southern motives for fighting, McPherson mentions a farmer in the 26th Tennessee who said that all BUT WHICH of the following were at stake?
(a) Property.
(b) Liberty.
(c) Happiness.
(d) Life.

4. When talking about the relationships between enlisted men and their officers, McPherson notes a major from which state who visited his sick and wounded soldiers every day?
(a) Illinois.
(b) New York.
(c) Pennsylvania.
(d) Virginia.

5. Which of the following Generals retrieved his character during the Battle of Fair Oaks?
(a) General Mercer Tomlinson.
(b) General Willis Gorman.
(c) General James Thomas.
(d) General Lewis Armistead.

Short Answer Questions

1. In May 1864 the 7th New York was delighted to be ordered into action; they were less excited nine months later after having lost how many men?

2. During the battle of Fredericksburg, from which state was the corporal who wrote his diary that he was sick, and if not for being thought a sneak, he wouldn't be in the ranks that day?

3. 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?

4. When an immigrant worker in a Philadelphia textile mill wrote to his father to explain his enlistment, he said if secession were allowed, the United States might end up worse than what country?

5. In the discussion of hyped-up battle behavior, McPherson notes that the phenomenon has been described as all BUT WHICH of the following?

Short Essay Questions

1. McPherson says that duty and honor were powerful motives for battle, and then goes on to say that they had to be because what modern elements were lacking in Civil War-era soldiers?

2. What questions did the Princeton students have when McPherson took them to Gettysburg in the spring of 1976?

3. In the discussion of leadership, what qualities does McPherson say made a good officer?

4. What can readers conclude about the use of alcohol as a motivational tool, during "Chapter 4: If I Flinched, I was Ruined"?

5. During the discussion about the adrenaline rush phenomenon, what did soldiers experience once the adrenaline had worn off?

6. What generally happened to the relationships between soldiers and officers after they went through a battle together, as discussed in "Chapter 4: If I Flinched, I was Ruined"?

7. Define and explain "rage militaire" as discussed by McPherson in his discussion of the initial impulse that motivated soldiers to fight the Civil War.

8. In the discussion of regimental bonding, what is "primary group cohesion"?

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

10. What ideological concepts and convictions initially motivated the Union soldiers to fight in "Chapter 2: We Were in Earnest"?

(see the answer keys)

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