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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. What did Sutter do?

2. What happened to William Eddie's oxen?

3. How old was Virginia Elizabeth Backenstoe Reed when the family left Illinois?

4. Where was James Reed from originally?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. What did the note that Hastings left tell the travelers? Was his statement valid?

2. How did the Reed wagons do on the journey?

3. Why did Virginia's father choose to take his family to California?

4. What would they have to do in order to cross a river?

5. Describe what would eventually become known as the Pioneer Palace Car.

6. What happened to the group as they reached near the summit of Sierra Nevada?

7. How were tasks divvied up on the wagon train?

8. What was "The Emigrants Guide to Oregon and California" like?

9. What happened to the oxen during the six days it took to get through the desert?

10. What did the families do in the evenings?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What obstacles did the rescue parties have to overcome to save the members of the Donner Party?

Essay Topic 2

How has the story of the Donner Party affected people throughout history? Why is it pertinent to today's world?

Essay Topic 3

What were the troubles that the members of the wagon train faced as they crossed the Great Salt Lake Desert? How did it affect the humans, and how did it affect the animals? What did it do for group morale?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 650 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample