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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 is Lucia Cooper?

2. How long is the bridge Roebling builds across the Niagara Falls?

3. Which of the following poets is a supporter of Roebling's bridge project?

4. What is the name of the affliction Roebling's workers suffer from after traveling deep into the water?

5. How many ferries commute between Manhattan and Brooklyn each day?

Short Essay Questions

1. How are the streets of Manhattan described in the 1850s?

2. What is so impressive to tourists about Roeblings bridge over Niagara Falls?

3. How was the fire in the caisson extinguished?

4. What stops production of the "Biggest Bridge in the World" when Roebling is constructing it in Cincinnati?

5. Who was Kingsley, and how did he become involved in fund raising for the Brooklyn Bridge?

6. What were some of the benefits of living in Brooklyn during the 1860's over living in Manhattan?

7. Why were both Manhattan and Brooklyn interested in the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge?

8. What two conclusions do "The Genuine Language of America" make about the Bridge Party?

9. How does Roebling react to the scandal surrounding Kingsley's finances?

10. What type of wedding did Tweed throw for his daughter, and what was the effect of that wedding on Tweed's political career?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In the epilogue of this novel, David McCullough takes great liberties in comparing the completion of the Brooklyn Bridge to many other feats of technology in the 20th century. Choose two of the feats McCullough examines in the text and explain why you do / do not think his comparison is a fair one, and why.

Essay Topic 2

Roebling's committee of workers contained many men, in high positions, who had relatively little, or no engineering experience. Choose two such members of the committee and explain why Roebling decided to hire them to work on the project. Then, explain whether or not each hire was a good one, and why.

Essay Topic 3

While he was ill, Emily Roebling stood up and single-handedly saved production of the Brooklyn Bridge. Describe how Emily, who had no engineering experience, managed to maintain production of the bridge. Then, explain how the media felt about Emily's newfound power, and Emily's reaction the paper's speculations.

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This section contains 880 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample