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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. How close were the dwellings to each other?
(a) They deliberately built their dwellings a fair distance apart from each other.
(b) They attached their dwellings to each other.
(c) They put several miles between buildings.
(d) They had room enough for campfires between the buildings.

2. What was completed in 1857, making traveling to California easier?
(a) A stagecoach pass
(b) The Central Pacific Railroad
(c) A cleared trail over the pass
(d) A highway

3. Why was sitting difficult for them?
(a) They were used to moving.
(b) There was no furniture.
(c) They got too cold sitting in one spot.
(d) They no longer had fat on their bottoms.

4. How did they help Jimmy Reed travel?
(a) They carried him.
(b) They put him on a sled.
(c) They threatened him.
(d) They encouraged him by telling him that every step he took was getting closer to Papa.

5. Patty is the following items from everyone except for:
(a) A glass salt shaker
(b) A small wooden doll
(c) A lock of her grandmother's hair
(d) A hairbrush

6. Where did George and Jacob Donner and their families camp?
(a) In California
(b) At the summit
(c) At Tuskegee Lake
(d) At Alder Creek

7. Hw many other people died the night Dolan died?
(a) 5
(b)
(c) 3
(d) 4

8. Why did Margaret trust Glover?
(a) He was a lawyer back home.
(b) He was the kindest man in the group.
(c) He was her best friend.
(d) He was a Mason like her husband.

9. What special meal did the Reed children have for Christmas?
(a) Venison stew
(b) Fresh bones to gnaw on
(c) Bear meat and beans
(d) Beans, rice, and dried apple slices

10. What happened to John Breen in California?
(a) He overate and died.
(b) He became a mountain guide.
(c) He made a fortune finding gold.
(d) He became a law maker.

11. What happened to the dogs that were traveling with the group?
(a) They were used to guard against wild animals.
(b) They were let loose.
(c) The humans had to eat them.
(d) They were given to the Native Americans.

12. What was life like for the Donner Party survivors in California?
(a) They instantly achieved great fame.
(b) They created good lives for themselves.
(c) They were shunned for their cannibalism.
(d) They had to scrape from the dregs of society since they lost all their belongings.

13. How did Victoria react to the cannibalism?
(a) She didn't mention it.
(b) She was very matter-of-fact about it.
(c) She was surprised that anyone would find it abnormal in the circumstances.
(d) The idea of it made her nauseous.

14. How did Patrick Dolan die?
(a) He died from infection.
(b) He was killed.
(c) He ate poisoned meat.
(d) He hallucinated and broke away from the fire then died of cold and starvation.

15. What did William Graves believe about when the group's troubles began?
(a) He thought it was a punishment from God for leaving Mr. Hardcoop to die. O
(b) He believed it was a test to determine their strength as a unit.
(c) He believed they should have been more aware of what was going on.
(d) He believed it was bad karma.

Short Answer Questions

1. What happened to the surviving oxen?

2. What was Louis Keseberg notorious for?

3. Who was the unofficial leader of the snowshoers?

4. Who had given William Eddy the secret gift that he found in his pack?

5. How did Mary Murphy's first husband treat her?

(see the answer keys)

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