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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. What happens when Thorgest tries to steal from Eric the Red?
(a) Eric the Red tries to remove his property, but Eric the Red's two sons are killed in the melee.
(b) Eric the Red removes his property, and in the ensuing chase, two of Thorgest's sons are killed.
(c) Eric the Red has to give in and let Thorgest take his property.
(d) Eric the Red decides to steal from Thorgest in return, on his way into exile.

2. How do the Spanish justify killing so many peaceful islanders?
(a) They insist that God told them to do it.
(b) They say it is necessary to kill people to take the land for Spain.
(c) They call the killings self-defense.
(d) They claim that Indians had no souls.

3. What is Tenochtitlan like?
(a) It is a tiny village. The people living there are starving to death, and can offer no resistance to the Spanish.
(b) It is a masterpiece of engineering; clean, with wide roads and canals, and full of beautiful gardens and markets.
(c) It is a small town surrounded by stone walls, with a large castle in the middle.
(d) It is a fortress located high in the mountains, remote and impenetrable.

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

5. According to the narrator, which of the following is a logical outgrowth of the Puritan spirit?
(a) Creativity and genius.
(b) Know-nothingism and opportunism.
(c) Democracy and collective responsibility.
(d) Inventiveness and resourcefulness.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why does the narrator say that Raleigh is now in Hell?

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?

3. What happens to Thomas Morton as a result of the Maypole celebration?

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

5. How does Freydis handle her quarrel with the two brothers, Helgi and Finnbogi?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why did Ponce de Leon travel around the Caribbean? What was his business there?

2. How is "De Soto and the New World" narrated?

3. What happens to Columbus' sailors when the weather is bad and the ships go through violent storms?

4. What does Williams think about Lincoln's assassin?

5. Why do the Puritan leaders think that Thomas Morton should not barter in guns or liquor?

6. What does Williams think that Benjamin Franklin would say are the most important American virtues? Does Williams agree with Franklin? Why or why not?

7. Why does Gregory not fully appreciate the chapter on Cotton Mather?

8. What did William Carlos Williams think was most admirable about the Puritans?

9. Why does Gregory think that history is important?

10. What proof does Cotton Mather offer to show that witches can make themselves invisible?

(see the answer keys)

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