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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. While discussing differing interpretations of liberty from North and South, McPherson quotes a Texas cavalryman with Forrest who wrote that the issue was all BUT WHICH of these?
(a) Confiscation.
(b) Subjugation.
(c) Elimination.
(d) Slavery.

2. McPherson says that one of the reasons for this famous Confederate general's invasion of Tennessee during November 1864 was a hope to revitalize the troops from that state. What was this general's name?
(a) General John B. Hood.
(b) General Jubal Early.
(c) General James Longstreet.
(d) General Braxton Bragg.

3. When a sergeant in the 8th Georgia wrote to his family in 1863 that he would willingly sacrifice his life upon the altar of his country, readers learn that he did so in which battle?
(a) Bull Run.
(b) Gettysburg.
(c) Second Manassas.
(d) Shiloh.

4. In the discussion of the Emancipation Proclamation, McPherson says that in his sample of Union soldiers, what percentage favored emancipation through the spring of 1863?
(a) 84%.
(b) 36%.
(c) 72%.
(d) 16%.

5. As McPherson discusses the statistics for married men versus unmarried men, what percentage of married soldiers does he say were killed in action?
(a) 48%.
(b) 13%.
(c) 23%.
(d) 67%.

Short Answer Questions

1. After the Seven Days battles, a private in the 58th Virginia wrote that through August and September his regiment had waded the Potomac how many times?

2. Which individual was one of the highest-ranking Jewish officials during the war, who denounced the Emancipation Proclamation to his wife in January 1863?

3. 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?

4. In "Chapter 8: The Cause of Liberty," how does McPherson say Southern whites preferred to term "slavery"?

5. As "Chapter 12: The Same Holy Cause" opens, McPherson says that Civil War soldiers never heard of all BUT WHICH of the following terms?

Short Essay Questions

1. What challenges did soldiers face in the last year of the Civil War that exacerbated their combat exhaustion?

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

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

4. Under what conditions were black soldiers allowed to join the Confederate army during the final year of the Civil War?

5. Describe the information and political education level maintained by soldiers in "Chapter 7: On the Altar of My Country."

6. What was meant when some soldiers wrote home about being stuck in a "rich man's war," toward the end of "Chapter 7: On the Altar of My Country"?

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

8. In Lincoln's discussions of democracy, what fear did he express if the South should be allowed to secede?

9. After discussing how the conflict between love of family and love of country was a major concern for many Confederate soldiers, how does McPherson say the men resolved this dichotomy?

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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