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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What are Bridget Bishop and Susanna Martin indicted for?
(a) Whoring.
(b) Witchcraft.
(c) Stealing.
(d) Drunkenness.

2. Who is Freydis?
(a) Eric the Red's sister.
(b) Eric the Red's wife.
(c) Eric the Red's daughter.
(d) Eric the Red's lover.

3. What does the following sentence mean? "Rather the ice than their way: to take what is mine by single strength, theirs by the crookedness of their law."
(a) Eric the Red prefers places that are cold and icy.
(b) Eric the Red feels remorseful about the murder he committed and willingly accepts punishment.
(c) Eric the Red has chosen to leave Iceland of his own accord.
(d) Eric the Red considers his unjust exile to be more honorable than staying in Iceland.

4. What would Gregory be most likely to describe history as?
(a) A story written only by the winners.
(b) A tapestry of culture and stories.
(c) A compendium of dates, data, and quotations.
(d) A science in its own right.

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

6. Why does Cortez finally burn the city?
(a) To give glory to the Christian God by destroying temples full of idols.
(b) To demoralize the Aztecs so that they would stop resisting him so fiercely.
(c) To destroy a place which would have given refuge to the forces that were opposing him.
(d) To kill the inhabitants of the city who were trapped inside.

7. What causes the Puritan elders to finally get fed up with Thomas Morton?
(a) He starts a revolt against the authorities.
(b) He plans a big party with music and liquor.
(c) He begins to trade guns with the Indians.
(d) He decides to marry an Indian woman.

8. What does Queen Elizabeth force Raleigh to do when she calls him back from the fleet's attack on Spain?
(a) Become a diplomat.
(b) Marry one of her maids.
(c) Travel to Africa.
(d) Join the crew of a ship heading to the Americas.

9. 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..."
(a) He feels that he should be allowed to see a doctor.
(b) He is worried about who will take on his work after he dies.
(c) He has been a dedicated servant of the King and Queen for his entire life.
(d) He is sorry to see that the best years of his life are behind him.

10. Why isn't the French Conquest as severe as the Spanish one?
(a) The Spanish are much more gentle than the French.
(b) The Spanish massacre Indians but the French just marry local women.
(c) The Spanish have many explorers to help but the French have only a couple.
(d) The Spanish want furs but the French want gold.

11. What does Montezuma do when Cortez enters the capital?
(a) He forces Cortez to accept Aztec authority.
(b) He negotiates a peace treaty that makes him equal to Cortez.
(c) He fights against Cortez and dies.
(d) He makes Cortez the monarch.

12. Who did Ponce de Leon's pilot previously work for?
(a) Montezuma.
(b) The King and Queen of Spain.
(c) Ponce de Leon's brother.
(d) Columbus and Cortez.

13. Toward the end of the introduction, Gregory quotes the following passage: "Question him in hell, O Muse, where he has gone, and when there is an answer, sing and make clear the reasons that he gave for that last blow. Why did he send his son into that tropic jungle and not go himself, upon so dangerous an errand?" Why does Gregory include this quote?
(a) To suggest that even Williams cannot answer all of history's questions.
(b) To show the lyricism of Williams' prose.
(c) To prove that Walter Raleigh was a coward.
(d) To demonstrate that history must judge the actions of historical figures.

14. What happens when Ponce de Leon and his men first land among the Caribs?
(a) The Caribs welcome them with open arms and a big feast.
(b) They make peace with the Caribs and do not have to fight.
(c) They slaughter the Caribs, leaving none alive.
(d) The Caribs kidnap their women and shoot their dog.

15. What explanation does the narrator give for the Puritans' lack of imagination?
(a) They are afraid being imaginative would cut them off from the others.
(b) They do not have materials with which to exercise their creativity.
(c) They believe that God does not approve of imagination.
(d) They think their lives depend on doing things the same way every time.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is the moral of the story about the rough sailor who falls sick, dies, and is thrown overboard?

2. What kind of literature does Gregory say is forced to answer the question of whether or not it is sincere?

3. Where does De Soto begin his journey into the North American mainland?

4. Why does "she" say that De Soto's men are beginning to hate him?

5. Why do the Puritans have such a strong impact on the national character, according to the narrator?

(see the answer keys)

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