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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. At the turn of the century, Galveston was a cosmopolitan boom town, poised to take on the same status as New Orleans or ___________, according to the author in Introduction: The Beach.

2. What was the name of the steamship that Captain T. P. Halsey commanded during the storm?

3. What concept was put forth in Perils of a Restless Planet?

4. What astronomer was the first to recognize that the earth's rotation had a great impact on weather?

5. Who proved that air had mass, according to the author in Part I: The Law of Storms?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does the author describe the plight of Captain J.W. Simmons? Where was Simmons located?

2. What experiences with hurricanes did Christopher Columbus encounter, according to the author?

3. How did Isaac Cline recall his childhood in Part I: The Law of Storms? Where did he grow up?

4. When did the storm that hit Galveston enter the Caribbean, according to the author in Part II: the Serpent's Coil? What conditions led it to grow there?

5. What invention was key to the development of the Weather Bureau according to the author in Part I: The Law of Storms? How was Isaac Cline affected by the invention?

6. Where did the storm that hit Galveston begin forming? What were atmospheric pressure conditions like in the US at this time?

7. Where was Isaac Cline sent to work in 1891? How was his work there perceived by his superiors? How did Isaac perceive his work?

8. What had led to the schism between Cuban and US meteorologists?

9. What had Isaac Cline considered as a profession before going into weather?

10. How does the author introduce Isaac Cline in Introduction: The Beach? What led to Cline's training at the US Signal Corps?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe and discuss the geography of Galveston in 1900. What elements of the topography led Galveston to be particularly vulnerable in the event of a hurricane? How was the city's infrastructure developed? How is it different today?

Essay Topic 2

Describe and discuss the major differences between meteorology today and in 1900. How are hurricanes tracked in the present day? What technological advances have improved weather reporting? How would these advancements have helped in reporting the hurricane that destroyed Galveston?

Essay Topic 3

Why did William B. Stockman send a report to Washington stating that the storm had passed without dangerous winds in Cuba? What did Stockman serve to gain by doing so? What were the repercussions of his actions?

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