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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 installed as Director General of the entire Panama project by Charles de Lesseps to replace Pillipe Bunau-Varilla in mid-1885?

2. Both Napoleonic types, Philippe Banau-Varilla and William Nelson Cromwell are the "Panama Lobby" spokesmen, the latter a corporate lawyer with a mystery reputation who pulls strings, what is his motto?

3. Since William Nelson Cromwell has White House access, which John Tyler Morgan reportedly hates him for, what does Cromwell view that as proof of?

4. What other term or phrase describes Phillippe Banau-Varilla besides bold, vain, personable, energetic, practical, and brilliant?

5. When Jules Dingler quits upon approaching mental and physical collapse and Maurice Hutin steps in for a month before resigning also, who becomes acting head of the entire effort?

Short Essay Questions

1. What do Ferdinand de Lesseps and his companions find in Panama City?

2. In Chapter 1 of his book, David McCullough views a number of expeditions that were made in Central America in the early 19th-century looking for the ideal route, but what did he find as common to every canal proposal?

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

4. In mid-November 1887, what sort of new locks does Ferdinand de Lesseps state Alexandre Gustava Eiffel will be designing and building?

5. How does the press report the situation three weeks subsequent to the fire destroying Colon?

6. What increases the impetus to build a canal, and why?

7. What is the subtitle for Chapter 3, "Consensus of One," a reference to?

8. As the Morgan Committee rejects the recommendations of the Walker Commission, what are the rumors that are circulating around Washington?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Ferdinand de Lesseps was successful in getting the Suez Canal completed in ten years. Why was Compagnie Universelle attempt in the Panama a failure? What factors that he has control over does he fail to address? What matters are out of his hands? Hindsight is 20/20, but what should he have done differently? Was there any way for de Lesseps to pull Panama off successfully?

Essay Topic 2

William Nelson Cromwell locates and talks John Stevens into replacing John Wallace. What type of training, schooling, and experience does Stevens have? What successes has he enjoyed? Who is supporting him? What sort of leadership does he exercise? What takes place when he moves the engineering office to Culebra? What successes does Stevens achieve? What failures does he endure? Why is Stevens replaced?

Essay Topic 3

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?

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