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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. When did the group reach the Humboldt Sink?
(a) In the middle of July
(b) In the middle of September
(c) In the middle of November
(d) In the middle of October

2. What was Reed going on to do?
(a) He was racing ahead to bring back help.
(b) Find Hastings
(c) Get food for the travelers
(d) Negotiate with the Indians

3. What did the children suck on to bring forth saliva?
(a) Stones
(b) Their fingers
(c) Flattened bullets
(d) Rock candy

4. What West Hastings' occupation?
(a) Lawyer
(b) Accountant
(c) Doctor
(d) Shopkeeper

5. What happened when Hardcoop could no longer walk?
(a) They let him lie in the wagons.
(b) They carried him on their backs.
(c) They made crutches for him.
(d) They left him behind to die.

6. What did the men do to the wagon wheels after crossing the Platte?
(a) They completely dried them out.
(b) They sanded them down.
(c) They re-greased and re-set them.
(d) They added metal to them.

7. What was the hardest part of the trip?
(a) Keeping up with Hastings
(b) Dealing with death
(c) Ascending the Sierra Nevada
(d) Leaving home

8. Why did Reed kill Snyder?
(a) He hated the man.
(b) Snyder was stealing from his family.
(c) It was an act of self-defense.
(d) Snyder attacked his wife.

9. What sight did Reed see as he rode ahead?
(a) There were corpses on the ground.
(b) He found abandoned wagons.
(c) People were unyoking their oken and driving them ahead to find water.
(d) He found water shortly ahead.

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

11. What did the surface of the desert consist of?
(a) Nipping mites
(b) Copper-colored powdery sand
(c) Salt and alkali
(d) Dust

12. What did the travelers do before they headed across the desert?
(a) They wrote letters to send back to their relatives.
(b) They made hats to protect themselves from sand and sun.
(c) They rested for a few days in the beautiful valley.
(d) They prayed.

13. What wild animal almost broke into the camp?
(a) Buffalo
(b) Bear
(c) Hog
(d) Wolf

14. Where did the United States end?
(a) Texas
(b) New Mexico
(c) Missouri
(d) California

15. What did Stanton recommend that the group do before crossing the Sierra Nevada Mountains?
(a) Rest
(b) Grab more water
(c) Eat
(d) Pray

Short Answer Questions

1. What did the book they follow mostly consist of?

2. Why did Bridger promote the shortcut?

3. Why did the travelers journey south after the desert?

4. How did Reed react to Clyman's message?

5. What did the travelers encounter as they climbed the Sierra Nevada?

(see the answer keys)

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