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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. Who are the patrons of the Boston Club?

2. What two things did Humphrey unsuccessfully attempt to do to change the mouth of the Mississippi River?

3. What did Eads continue to do for a living in St. Louis after his family moved on?

4. How is the Mississippi River described?

5. When Humphrey returned from studying deltaic rivers, what did he do?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Humphreys has his friend, Charles Howell, inspect the progress Eads is making on the jetties. Howell makes a report that the jetties aren't working the way Eads said they would. Eads in turn has a friend of his disclaim Humphreys' report. Why does Humphreys lie in his report?

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

4. What would be the purpose of one town sabotaging the levee in another town?

5. World War I has begun and the Delta area is flourishing, yet lacking in manpower. Percy is a big influence for the fine development of the area, yet the more successful the area's development becomes, the more Percy's popularity decreases. Why do you think this happens?

6. After the Mounds Landing Crevasse widens and thousands of acres are underwater, many other levees begin to fail. The white people left the area, while the black people stayed behind to work. What does this tell the reader about the Delta region?

7. How involved in the flooding is Coolidge when he is the President of the United States?

8. Why does the destruction of the St. Bernard and Plaquemines levee prove to be unnecessary?

9. Why does Thompson feel he is doing a good thing by withholding news from the public?

10. 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?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The tone of the story was set very early on in this historical recount. How would the tone of this nonfiction piece best be described? What created the tone as such? Is there any portion of the the Flood in 1927 in which the tone changes?

Essay Topic 2

It is repeated that Hoover needed the support of the black community to run for president, yet at this time, they did not have the right to vote. Why was the support of the black community crucial to Hoover? Why did he make promises he couldn't keep? Why did Moton continue to support him even though he realized Hoover is full of empty promises?

Essay Topic 3

The refugee camps were once referred to as "concentration camps." What examples in the book provide reasoning for this description? Were all people treated poorly in these camps? Explain your answer.

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