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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 happened when Hoover goes to inspect the levee south of New Orleans?
(a) He got caught in a storm.
(b) The levee broke.
(c) He almost drowned.
(d) His boat was shot at.

2. What was LeRoy Percy's problem with the Klan?
(a) They threatened his life.
(b) They boycotted all his propositions.
(c) They were in "conflict" with the life he desired.
(d) They were the reason he couldn't become president.

3. What two cities were underwater in early 1927?
(a) Cincinnati and Cleveland.
(b) Pittsburgh and Cleveland.
(c) Chicago and Columbus.
(d) Cincinnati and Pittsburgh.

4. Why were veterans enlisted during the time the levees were being fixed?
(a) To prevent sabotage.
(b) To protect the area from the Native Americans.
(c) To train them for another tour of war.
(d) To boost the economy.

5. How did Humphrey prove himself to be in combat?
(a) Skittish and scared.
(b) Sympathetic.
(c) Strategical.
(d) Ruthless and cold.

Short Answer Questions

1. River flow is measured in cubic feet per second (cfs). What happens as the cfs increases?

2. For decades, what were the levees constructed to do?

3. How were the results of Thompson's plan being predicted?

4. Why did LeRoy Percy's popularity increase as the Klan began to fall apart?

5. What happened in the Mississippi region between 1884-1889?

Short Essay Questions

1. The levees along the Mississippi River are built differently and to a "higher standard" than levees in other places. What does this engineering and planning tell you about the knowledge of the Mississippi?

2. As many cities along the Mississippi found themselves under tremendous amounts of water, what was the mood in the Midwest?

3. What does the Boston Club symbolize in New Orleans?

4. Why did the author start the book on a stormy night?

5. A racist governor is elected into office in Mississippi, yet it is still considered a safe place for the blacks to work. However, when waters begin to rise, black convicts are ordered to lay on the levee and use their bodies as sandbags. Does everyone follow Percy's influence to alleviate discrimination?

6. When Humphreys does publish his report, it receives great acclaim in Europe, but because of the Civil War it doesn't receive a lot of recognition in the United States. Why would the Civil War limit the recognition of Humphreys' report?

7. Thompson has the idea of dynamiting the levees to the south of New Orleans, but who gets the idea primarily accepted by everyone?

8. How do the politics in New Orleans operate during the time of the flood in 1927?

9. Much of the Delta region is underwater from the failure of levees, yet the people of Greenville still have faith in their protection levee. What happens to their levee?

10. The railroads and river make the Delta region flourish, yet there is a shortage of workers in the area. How will the better treatment of blacks by LeRoy Percy help this problem?

(see the answer keys)

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