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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. How did they get the wagons down the canyons?
(a) The men blindfolded the oxen and guided them down with the wagons.
(b) They used rope and tackle.
(c) They didn't. They had to leave the wagons there.
(d) They pushed them and watched them roll.

2. How did the Native Americans describe the Sierra Nevada?
(a) The protective wall
(b) Rock upon rock
(c) Entry to a new world
(d) Beauty and tragedy

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

4. Why didn't the Donner Party see other travelers?
(a) The others were still far behind them.
(b) They were on a different route.
(c) Everyone was avoiding them.
(d) Most people head passed through a month before.

5. What did the first group find that pioneers had left the winter before?
(a) Food
(b) Weapons
(c) A cabin
(d) Maps

6. How deep was the snow by the time they reached Truckee Lake?
(a) 5 feet
(b) There wasn't any snow.
(c) It was up to their thighs.
(d) 1 foot deep

7. How fast was the Donner Party moving as they blazed through the Wasatch?
(a) 15 miles a day
(b) 2 miles a day
(c) 10 miles a day
(d) 8 miles a day

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

9. What was used to wash the dishes?
(a) They never washed dishes.
(b) Soap and water
(c) Sand or gritty dirt
(d) They were wiped out with leaves.

10. What was Sutter's fort like?
(a) It was like a small city.
(b) It was too big to navigate in one day.
(c) It was very small, but had enough supplies to fulfill their needs.
(d) It was falling apart.

11. How did Reed react to Clyman's message?
(a) He brushed off the warnings.
(b) He hugged the man for the good news.
(c) He started making weapons.
(d) He told everyone they should move out as quickly as possible.

12. What did the interior of the wagon remind Virginia of?
(a) A living room
(b) A garbage heap
(c) A stuffed closet
(d) Organized chaos

13. Why did the travelers journey south after the desert?
(a) They were following the directions in their book.
(b) They lost their sense of direction.
(c) They were looking for warmth.
(d) They were following the tracks of Hastings and his parties.

14. How fast was the Donner Party moving along the Humboldt?
(a) 20 miles a day
(b) 15 miles a day
(c) 10 miles a day
(d) 2 miles a day

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

Short Answer Questions

1. How many times did the company end up fording the Truckee River?

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

3. What did the note from Hastings on the stick say?

4. How many people were in the group when it was at its full strength?

5. How did the Reed women feel about the trip?

(see the answer keys)

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