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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What disaster occurred while James Reed rode ahead?
(a) His wife was dead.
(b) Their wagon train had been attacked, and the food was stolen.
(c) 16 of his oxen stampeded into the desert.
(d) His daughter was stung by a scorpian.

2. How did Tamsen Donner women feel about the trip?
(a) She thought it was going much better than expected.
(b) She thought it would be to their advantage.
(c) She braced herself for the harshness of it.
(d) She thought they would regret it.

3. How with the group feeling by the time they reached the shore of the Great Salt Lake?
(a) Tired but happy
(b) Worn-out and discouraged
(c) Angry
(d) Euphoric

4. How did the Murphy clan and the Reeds and Donners get along?
(a) They were outrightly hostile to each other.
(b) They were constantly bickering.
(c) They seemed wary of each other.
(d) They were like a big family.

5. What did the travelers encounter as they climbed the Sierra Nevada?
(a) Illness
(b) New friendships with the Native Americans
(c) Snow
(d) A burning sun

6. What was the Donner Party running low on?
(a) Strength
(b) Water
(c) Ammunition
(d) Food

7. How close were the travelers to the summit when they decided to rest and got snowed in?
(a) 50 miles
(b) Three miles
(c) 1/4 mile
(d) 20 miles

8. What happened to the letters that Bryant sent Reed?
(a) Reed tore them up without reading them.
(b) Reed laughed when he read them.
(c) Reed never received them.
(d) They were given to Donner instead.

9. What did Reed want out west?
(a) Gold
(b) A new beginning
(c) Land
(d) Silver

10. Why did the travelers want to get to their destination by winter?
(a) They were looking forward to warm weather in winter and no more snow.
(b) They wanted to celebrate Christmas in a new place.
(c) The mother was going to have a baby then.
(d) The deep snows close the mountain passes.

11. Where was the family going to move to?
(a) Oregon
(b) Missouri
(c) California
(d) Texas

12. Why did they decide to take the cutoff?
(a) They had a group vote, but they didn't allow the women to vote.
(b) Hastings joined them so they had a guide.
(c) It was what they planned all along.
(d) They didn't like the people going the other route.

13. What was in the middle of the desert?
(a) A mountain
(b) A lake
(c) A huge cactus
(d) A cabin

14. What did Sutter do?
(a) He was a pioneer.
(b) He was a hunter.
(c) He rescued people who were injured on the trail.
(d) He established a fort and trading post.

15. How many wagons did each family have?
(a) 1
(b) 3
(c) 5
(d) 2

Short Answer Questions

1. What sight did Reed see as he rode ahead?

2. How long did it take the group to prepare to travel?

3. What was the hardest part of the trip?

4. What did the surface of the desert consist of?

5. What did the travelers eat for lunch?

(see the answer keys)

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