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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. Why might the expedition have to be cut short in Chapter XI?

2. How did Powell describe their second guide on September 17th?

3. In Chapter XIV, there were two pictures of a dancer holding up a great plumed arrow. In the second picture, what did he do with the arrow?

4. In the Mormon town of Schunesburg, what did Powell and his party feast on?

5. After crossing the river, what was the name of the summit they reached?

Short Essay Questions

1. How many men continued on after September 1st? What did the others do?

2. What form of government did the Zuni have?

3. Describe the rain ceremony Powell observed.

4. At the end of Chapter VIII, which member of Powell's party decided not to continue on the journey?

5. In mid July, how many months of rations did they have left? Why?

6. Describe the town of Zuni.

7. Who did they meet at the end of Chapter VIII?

8. What town did the group reach on September 11th, 1870? What did they do there?

9. How did Powell use Indians in his 1870 explorations?

10. What items were lost in the wreck on July 11th?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Along the first trip down the Colorado, three men decide to leave Powell's party. In an essay, examine this scene and analyze the decisions made to stay or leave. What factors played a role in the decision making process? Do you agree with the decision?

Essay Topic 2

In an essay, analyze Powell's motivation for exploring the Colorado River. Was it economic? Political? Social? Essentially, why did Powell want to explore the Colorado? Use examples from the text to support your opinion.

Essay Topic 3

The Exploration of the Colorado River and Its Canyons has many illustrations throughout the book. Analyze the use of illustrations in the book by answering the following questions: How do the illustrations add to or distract from Powell's writing? Why do you think the publisher wanted to include so many illustrations? Do you think the illustrations are realistic depictions of what Powell saw on his trip? How do the pictures correlate with the text around them?

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