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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 1879 Congris International d'Ytudes du Canal Interocyanique delegation drew attention by the maps and plans they brought that had never been seen in Europe before?

2. Who is the Turr Syndicate directed by?

3. Jaques de Reinach is the "Micros" article's inside source, but Ydouard Drumont denies testifying, unless he is pardoned for what type of conviction keeping him in prison?

4. What promise does Ferdinand de Lesseps keep on January 1, 1880?

5. What are the three main routes from the East to the West coasts of the U.S. in January of 1848, when gold is discovered in California?

Short Essay Questions

1. What are the essential elements, pros and cons, to A.G. Menocal's canal proposal?

2. What are the two routes U.S. proponents of a Central American canal fight for?

3. Why does Ferdinand de Lesseps lose interest in the Suez Canal?

4. What does the swindler Cornelius Herz do before he flees to France?

5. What transpires when newspaper headlines proclaim the "Great Canal Crash" to readers around the world?

6. Who are the three prominent directors of the Turr Syndicate and what are their backgrounds?

7. How can the early years of the Companie Universele be described?

8. Why is it yellow fever causes instant panic in comparison to other tropical diseases?

9. What is notable about the date of October 20, 1893?

10. The chances against Panama being selected as the location for a canal over Nicaragua are reportedly 100 to 1, until what two events occur?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Sentiment as to where to put an American canal is overwhelmingly one-sided favoring Nicaragua, until Phillippe Banau-Varilla and William Nelson Cromwell emerge on behalf of the "Panama Lobby." Comparing and contrasting the two, how are they similar and how are they different? Do they work well together, or function better separately? Who is the most effective in getting things accomplished? Do they work in a straightforward fashion toward legitimately achieving their goals or not? What is the approach each takes toward accomplishing a task?

Essay Topic 2

In 1884, at age 26, Phillippe Banau-Varilla is put in charge of operations at the Culebra and Pacific end of the Panama Canal. When the director general and his assistant resign, Banau-Varilla becomes acting head of the Panama project until 1886. Why do they place so young an individual in such important leadership positions? What education and experience does he have? How well is he able to perform? What happens when a permanent director general arrives? Where does Banau-Varilla go?

Essay Topic 3

The cream of France's engineering programs in the 19th century reportedly looks down their noses at Americans in that field. Yet they do not adapt well in Panama as they did in Egypt ten years earlier. Why is this so? Why are they unable to habituate as the Americans eventually will later? Is it fair to attribute their difficulty to acclimatize to snobbishness as David McCullough suggests?

(see the answer keys)

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