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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. In the discussion of a Louisiana cavalry sergeant who'd been the headmaster of a boys' school prior to enlisting, by what battle does the soldier cite Yankee hatred as his reason to fight?
(a) Belmont.
(b) Mesilla.
(c) Pleasant Hill.
(d) Vicksburg.

2. At the end of "Chapter 8: The Cause of Liberty," by what year had Northern soldiers broadened their concept of liberty to include black people?
(a) 1864.
(b) 1863.
(c) 1865.
(d) 1862.

3. In the discussion of the psychological and physiological issues soldiers faced in 1864, a private in the 100th Pennsylvania wrote that he slept one night out of how many?
(a) 14.
(b) 8.
(c) 25.
(d) 19.

4. From which state was the lieutenant who wrote in March 1862 that he would never "be instrumental in returning a slave to his master in any way shape or manner, I'll die first"?
(a) Tennessee.
(b) Ohio.
(c) Wisconsin.
(d) Massachusetts.

5. When discussing the assertions of patriotism as a motivation for fighting, what percentage of the 429 Confederate letters and diaries used as sources affirmed this motivation?
(a) 27%.
(b) 43%.
(c) 84%.
(d) 66%.

Short Answer Questions

1. An Illinois cavalryman, who wrote a letter home on January 12, 1865, used the word "duty" how many times in a single sentence?

2. In the discussion of Lincoln's idea that the United States represented the last best hope for the survival of republican government, the world is bestrode by all BUT WHICH of these?

3. During the discussion of the American volunteers in the Spanish Civil War, what percentage found that "belief in war aims" helped overcome the fear of battle?

4. According to "Chapter 9: Slavery Must be Cleaned Out," what fraction of Union soldiers came from Democratic backgrounds?

5. When talking about the frustrations of Union soldiers in the last two years of the war, what amount do readers learn drafted men could pay to acquire a substitute?

Short Essay Questions

1. In what way did the Confederate soldiers identify with the Founding Fathers in the discussion of the concept of liberty?

2. In the discussion of vengeance, what disturbing instructions did some soldiers send in letters home to their wives?

3. Based on the discussion of post-traumatic stress disorder, how likely does McPherson consider the possibility that many regiments suffered from this now well-acknowledged psychological issue?

4. In the discussion of the mail service, why was it more difficult for the Confederate army to maintain efficient mail service than it was for the Union army?

5. What difference did class and education make in terms of support when Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation?

6. In "Chapter 9: Slavery Must be Cleaned Out," what convinced non-abolitionist Union soldiers that slavery was an evil that must be stopped?

7. Explain the phenomenon of "dry rot," as discussed in "Chapter 10: We Know That We Are Supported at Home."

8. Why are there no letters from black Union soldiers, according to "Chapter 9: Slavery Must be Cleaned Out"?

9. At the close of "Chapter 12: The Same Holy Cause," what final lessons does McPherson hope readers take from the book?

10. When McPherson discusses the extra incentive Confederate soldiers had to keep fighting, what does he say about the Northern opinion of Southern soldiers?

(see the answer keys)

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