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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which of the following names does the narrator call Raleigh?
(a) The new King.
(b) The planter who never planted.
(c) Explorer of the Orinoco.
(d) James' man.

2. Why do the Puritans disapprove of Thomas Morton?
(a) He does not pay his taxes.
(b) He is not married.
(c) He barters guns and liquor to Indians.
(d) He does not believe in God.

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 feels remorseful about the murder he committed and willingly accepts punishment.
(b) Eric the Red considers his unjust exile to be more honorable than staying in Iceland.
(c) Eric the Red prefers places that are cold and icy.
(d) Eric the Red has chosen to leave Iceland of his own accord.

4. What does the narrator say that the Puritans should be praised for?
(a) Their spirit.
(b) Their warmth.
(c) Their intelligence.
(d) Their toughness.

5. Who tells Ponce de Leon there is a fountain of youth?
(a) An old woman.
(b) An old man.
(c) A child.
(d) One of his own men.

6. How does the narrator describe the descendants of the Puritans?
(a) As profane and lusty seamen.
(b) As malfeasant ghosts.
(c) As a "race incapable of flower."
(d) As beloved friends.

7. What does Eric the Red say that his life is like now that he has been exiled?
(a) He is more well-admired than ever before.
(b) People can steal from him at will.
(c) He is lonely and despondent.
(d) People try to kill him when they see him.

8. How does De Soto keep his men alive when the maize crop fails?
(a) He writes to Spain for help.
(b) He rations corn.
(c) He gives each man 1/2 pound of pork daily.
(d) He sends the men out to hunt and fish.

9. When Champlain advocates on behalf of building a colony, what is the one personal favor he asks of the King of France?
(a) A priest and doctor who could live in the colony.
(b) A monopoly of the fur trade for three years.
(c) A grant of supplies and men.
(d) A gift of firearms for defense and for trade.

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

11. How does the death of Juan Ortiz affect De Soto?
(a) It leaves him without a single soldier who knows the way back.
(b) It leaves him without a doctor.
(c) It makes him feel lonely and wish he had a friend.
(d) It leaves him without a translator.

12. Why does "she" say that De Soto's men are beginning to hate him?
(a) Because they are afraid that they will all be killed in battle.
(b) Because he has subjected them to many hardships and they have found no gold.
(c) Because they are worried that they will never make it back to Spain.
(d) Because they have become infected with diseases and are experiencing epidemics.

13. Who is Juan Ortiz?
(a) De Soto's brother who accompanied him on the expedition and on whom De Soto relied.
(b) The leader of the Indian community that helped De Soto and his men to survive the first winter.
(c) A Spanish soldier separated from an earlier expedition who lived with the Indians for 12 years.
(d) De Soto's commanding officer, stationed in Cuba, to whom De Soto writes letters.

14. What is the moral of the story about the rough sailor who falls sick, dies, and is thrown overboard?
(a) What happens to the body is not important.
(b) The sea can hide any secret.
(c) Good hygiene was the key to survival on ships.
(d) God smites those who use profanity.

15. Why do the Puritans have such a strong impact on the national character, according to the narrator?
(a) Because they are so dashing and heroic that everyone tells stories about them.
(b) Because they persuade everyone else to emulate them.
(c) Because they are among the first to arrive in a wild place.
(d) Because they are so driven to evangelize to others.

Short Answer Questions

1. What pet is Ponce de Leon especially attached to?

2. What does the narrator say about the Puritan soul?

3. What is the overall tone of Williams' remarks about the Puritans?

4. What happens when Ponce de Leon and his men first land among the Caribs?

5. What is Williams trying to tell the reader about Columbus when he quotes details about how harrowing the storms at sea during Columbus' voyages were?

(see the answer keys)

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