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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. What does Lee's forces lack, forcing the Confederates into a defensive position?

2. Who leads his Fifth Corps toward Petersburg along with Meade's forces?

3. What is the Confederate capital under seige?

4. What is the new technology in 1913 that Chamberlain experiences that is so different from the Civil War?

5. What tremendous advantage does the Union forces have over the Confederate ones in delivering supplies?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does the crater become a death trap for the Federal soldiers?

2. How is Lee's desperation evident at Christmas?

3. Why does Lee believe that the statue of George Washington will remain intact during the war?

4. What is the irony in Chamberlain's death at the time of World War I?

5. How does Shaara powerfully convey the death of Hill, one of Lee's leaders through a third-person point of view of an unknown officier?

6. Why is Lee worried about shifting command to Beauregard?

7. What does Lee fear about central leadership proposed in a message from Richmond?

8. How do Confederate troops show their obedience to Gordon in the surrender ceremony?

9. What does Chamberlain realize about the fight at Saylor's Creek?

10. Why is Lee disappointed that Lincoln is reelected?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe the role of the family in "The Last Full Measure". What does it mean for each of the main characters? How does the family evolve in its support of each other? How typical is this family of most Northern and Southern families living during the 1840s and 1850s in America?

Essay Topic 2

Politics play a significant role in the book. Shaara refers to the politics of both sides of the Civil War. Discuss the use of politics in the novel. How does politics influence the actions of the main characters of Lee, Grant, Sherman, and others? Also examine the use of politics in relationships.

Essay Topic 3

Shaara uses more than one instance of irony in the novel. Cite at least two examples you can identify in the book and note why they are examples of irony.

(see the answer keys)

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