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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What is it that the narrator envies the most about his brother's new job?
(a) The status.
(b) The money.
(c) The hours.
(d) The social advantages.

2. What makes the snow-covered mountains especially impressive to the narrator?
(a) The abundance of snow on the tops.
(b) The weather.
(c) The lack of snow on the tops.
(d) The season.

3. Where does the narrator finally enjoy a great breakfast?
(a) Robinsonville.
(b) Pleasant Hill.
(c) Horseshoe Lake.
(d) Green River.

4. What idea does the mining party abandon the digging of their mine for?
(a) Selling the claimed ledges.
(b) Using hired men to dig for them.
(c) Trading the claimed ledges.
(d) Using dynamite.

5. How is the coyote described in the story?
(a) As a fast animal that takes off at the first sign of threat.
(b) As a fast animal that does not know how to leave at the sign of threat.
(c) As a slow animal that attempts to take off at the first sign of threat.
(d) As a slow animal that does not know how to leave at the sign of threat.

6. Who warns the narrator's crew about the rising rivers?
(a) Indians.
(b) Town drunks.
(c) The innkeeper.
(d) The town sheriff.

7. How does Slade develop a reputation for being a fearless fighter?
(a) By taking on the Pony Express.
(b) By taking on the Indians.
(c) By taking on the union.
(d) By taking on the army.

8. Where do the horses go after being scared away by the party's attempt to start a fire?
(a) A nearby barn.
(b) A cave.
(c) A nearby forest.
(d) A stage station.

9. Which area is rumored to be rich with silver?
(a) Humboldt County.
(b) Rose Creek.
(c) Rye Patch.
(d) Mill City.

10. Where was Slade born?
(a) Illinois.
(b) Kansas.
(c) Missouri.
(d) Indiana.

11. What is noted as particularly impressive about the style of the book?
(a) Only its descriptions.
(b) Only its vocabulary.
(c) Only its longevity.
(d) Its vocabulary, descriptions, and longevity.

12. How fast does a Pony Express rider travel?
(a) Half as fast as the stagecoach.
(b) Twice as fast as the stagecoach.
(c) The same speed as a stagecoach.
(d) Three times as fast as a stagecoach.

13. How much will the narrator's brother be paid for his new job?
(a) Eight hundred dollars per month.
(b) Eight hundred dollars per year.
(c) Eighteen hundred dollars per month.
(d) Eighteen hundred dollars per year.

14. How many feet of dirt is Hyde's ranch buried underneath?
(a) Eighty-three.
(b) Eighty-four.
(c) Thirty-eight.
(d) Forty-eight.

15. What are the Goshoot Indians hurting, according to the narrator?
(a) The underestimated reputation of Indians.
(b) The exaggerated reputation of Indians.
(c) The romantic reputation of Indians.
(d) The reliable reputation of Indians.

Short Answer Questions

1. What kind of weapon does the narrator carry?

2. Which one of the following is NOT found in the Great American Desert?

3. What is it about the economy and people that the author is concentrating on?

4. How long does it take the narrator and his brother to reach St. Joseph on the steamboat?

5. What is Hawaii called in the book?

(see the answer keys)

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