1. Why does Columbus count fewer leagues than he knows he has traveled?
(a) He is trying to check his navigational instruments to be sure that they are working properly.
(b) He is trying to test a new system of measurement to see which is most accurate.
(c) He is trying to trick the King and Queen by giving them false information in his letters.
(d) He is trying to reassure the crew that they have not traveled as far without seeing land as they think they have.

2. How does Montezuma treat hungry people in the capital?
(a) He opens his larder to all who wish to eat and drink.
(b) He refuses to feed the hungry, demanding instead that they pay tribute to him.
(c) He gives everyone who comes into the city a small ration of food.
(d) He offers food to anyone who is willing to do some work.

3. Who does Gregory say is depicted more boldly by Williams than by any other writer?
(a) George Washington.
(b) Cotton Mather.
(c) Aaron Burr.
(d) Abraham Lincoln.

4. What kind of woman is Freydis?
(a) Fierce.
(b) Foolish.
(c) Submissive.
(d) Dedicated.

5. What does Cortez think when he enters the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlan?
(a) He wonders where the gold is.
(b) He thinks it is wonderful and magnificent.
(c) He looks upon it as an impoverished village.
(d) He mentally calculates the number of slaves that could be captured.

Short Answer Questions

1. 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."

2. What does Gregory say about the way in which the reputation of In the American Grain grew?

3. What happens to Columbus when he finally makes it back to Spain?

4. What happens when the Greenlanders fight with the people they meet in the New World?

5. What does Montezuma tell Cortez?

(see the answer key)

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