View a FREE sample

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

Short Answer Questions

1. What is the coded message that David Herold carries across the river?

2. Where does David Herold take a job?

3. Who owns the whorehouse that John Hay visits after the inaugural ball?

4. What is the date of Lincoln's inauguration?

5. Which of the following is NOT one of Lincoln's sons?

Short Essay Questions

1. What perspectives do Chase and Seward hold as the war talk ramps up?

2. What role does Mrs. Lincoln play in her husband's presidency?

3. Who is Elizabeth Keckley and what is her role in the Lincoln White House?

4. What is Lincoln's position on blacks at the beginning of the novel and how does that change as the story evolves?

5. How can Lincoln's Inauguration Day be considered lackluster?

6. How does Vidal describe Lincoln in the early part of the novel?

7. How is David Herold shaken when he sees the result of a coded message he had carried but had not been able to deliver?

8. Why is Lincoln forced to hold Cabinet meetings in the Naval Department?

9. What is the nature of Chase's talks with Jay Cooke?

10. What is Lincoln's plan to attack the Confederacy as discussed in Chapter 18?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Vidal is a master at dramatic devices. Choose an example of symbolism, metaphor, and irony. Briefly describe them and identify the technique which they embody.

Essay Topic 2

In addition to war on their homeland, people in mid-19th century America were also very vulnerable to the threat of serious illnesses such as typhoid fever. Cite some examples from the book in which people die or are in serious danger of their lives due to diseases that can be better managed today.

Essay Topic 3

Even before he was a player on the national and international stages, Abraham Lincoln was known to be a man of high integrity. Cite some examples in Lincoln's life that prove this statement. What is Vidal's overall perception of Lincoln's integrity? Explain.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 789 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample