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This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through The Destruction of Tenochtitlan.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does Gregory think that In the American Grain is meant to do for the American national identity?
(a) Mock it.
(b) Shape it.
(c) Criticize it.
(d) Celebrate it.

2. Williams, referring to the King's and Queen's promises to Columbus, remarks, "What power had such ridiculous little promises to stay a man against that terrific downpour on the brink of which they were all floating?". What promises is Williams referring to?
(a) The promise to make Columbus Chief Admiral of the Ocean Sea and perpetual Viceroy and Governor of all the land he should discover.
(b) The promise to make sure that Columbus always had seaworthy ships and experienced sailors.
(c) The promise to pay Columbus in gold for his voyages.
(d) The promise to have Columbus' story printed in the newspapers so that everyone could appreciate his accomplishment.

3. Which of the following quotations reveals Williams' opinion of Cortez?
(a) "Courageous almost beyond precedent, tactful, resourceful in misfortune..."
(b) "...Nothing at the present moment seemed to disturb his aristocratic reserve."
(c) "Spain cannot be blamed for the crassness of the discoverers."
(d) "With the force bred of a determination to face at any cost a situation fast going beyond his control..."

4. What happens to Columbus when he finally makes it back to Spain?
(a) He is accused of making a deal with the King of Portugal.
(b) He loses his religious faith and decides to leave the Church.
(c) Storms make it impossible to set sail again for several months.
(d) The King and Queen refuse to finance any future trips to the New World.

5. In his conclusion, what word does Gregory use to characterize Williams' prose?
(a) Traditional.
(b) Poetic.
(c) Creative.
(d) Fresh.

Short Answer Questions

1. How does Montezuma treat hungry people in the capital?

2. What is Columbus' point when he makes the following statement: "I was twenty-eight years old when I came into your Highnesses' service, and now I have not a hair upon me that is not gray; my body is infirm..."

3. What does Montezuma tell Cortez?

4. When Columbus finally lands in Spain after his second voyage, what happens to him?

5. What does Gregory mean when he says that "if anyone is looking for the secret of their good health and the freedom they exert within an individual speech and manner, it may be found in their determination to 'stay at home,' to accept the roots of their being and to grow slowly to their own maturity."

(see the answer key)

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