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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 rides back and forth on horseback trying to exhort the men to dig harder on fixing the dam in Chapter 3?

2. What is the Rev. T.H. Robinson busy doing during the flood in Chapter 4?

3. What is the name of the reverend who turns out with his neighbors just before the first flood break?

4. How long does it take for Lake Conemaugh to empty in Chapter 4?

5. What is the title of Chapter 2?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Hettie Ogle do when she receives the flood warning?

2. What happens when the water hits its first major obstacle in Chapter 4?

3. How do the townspeople of Johnstown react to the telegraph message warning them that the dam would break?

4. In what way is Johnstown booming financially before the flood?

5. What does John G. Parke do when he is awakened for the second time at 6:30 a.m.?

6. How does John G. Parke describe the weather at the beginning of Chapter 1?

7. What leisure activities are popular in Johnstown?

8. What are the four critical changes John Fulton discovers must be made regarding Ruff's men's findings at the end of Chapter 2?

9. How does the author describe the cheap construction techniques used on the South Fork dam?

10. How is the rain described when it starts in Johnstown at 4 p.m. on May 31st?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Examine the role of religion during the crisis. What role did religion play in the lives of the townsfolk of Johnstown? What might have been the author's purpose in including religious discussion in the text?

Essay Topic 2

Examine the portrayal of the city of Johnstown in the book. What is the nature of the atmosphere? How are the townsfolk described?

Essay Topic 3

Examine John Fulton's report on the dam in Chapter 2. What is the nature of this report? What might have been prevented in terms of the flood had this report been taken more seriously?

(see the answer keys)

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