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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. A snagboat is a river boat that does what?
(a) Removes obstructions from rivers.
(b) Pulls barges through turbulent water.
(c) Transports workers from one town to another.
(d) Carries large logs to sawmills.

2. By 1812, the east bank of the Mississippi River is levied up to which city?
(a) Baton Rouge.
(b) Shreveport.
(c) Lake Charles.
(d) Alexandria.

3. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers develops a plan to do what?
(a) Build twenty large dams on the Atchafalaya River.
(b) Control natural shifts of the Mississippi River.
(c) Protect the fish population of the Atchfalaya River.
(d) Develop communities along the Mississippi River.

4. After the U.S. Army Corps takes control of the Atchafalaya, Old Cajun bayou life is:
(a) Diminished.
(b) Renewed.
(c) Lost.
(d) Enriched.

5. In the 1800s, why do levee districts and boards form in Louisiana?
(a) To establish water claims.
(b) To control water levels.
(c) For diplomatic reasons.
(d) To spread levee costs.

Short Answer Questions

1. This book is a:

2. The author states that how much of New Orleans lies fifteen feet below sea level?

3. The writing on Dugie's belt buckle reads:

4. What is the author's role in this book?

5. In feet, how long is the towboat Mississippi?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the Old River Control project developed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers?

2. What is the goal of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers with regards to the Atchafalya and Mississippi rivers?

3. Describe Major General Thomas Sands' annual Low Water Inspection Trip along the Mississippi River.

4. In the 1700s, why did people settle in New Orleans and surrounding areas despite the region clearly being a floodplain?

5. Name some of the companies and industries that are attracted to the regions in and around Baton Rouge and New Orleans as these communities develop.

6. Describe what McPhee writes about Morgan City, Louisiana.

7. What are some of the main points the author tries to make through this work of historical nonfiction?

8. What are some of the predominant problems in the regions populated near the Atchafalaya and Mississippi rivers?

9. Why does the author state that ever since the Corps took control of the Atchafalaya, the river's name means "collision" to him?

10. Explain who thinks the Old River Control project is an arrogant enterprise, and why they think this.

(see the answer keys)

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