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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 the travelers do before they headed across the desert?

2. How did Patrick Breen contribute to the fires at night?

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

4. How did Pike die?

5. How many wagons did each family have?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did the Native American treat William Eddy?

2. What happened with Edward Breen?

3. What happened to John Snyder when his oxen team's yolks got tangled?

4. What was crossing the desert like?

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

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

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

8. What did James Reed say that persuaded the man to take Hastings' Cutoff?

9. How did the women feel about the decision, and how was their opinion factored in?

10. What did the families do in the evenings?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What disrupted James Reed's attempt to put together rescue teams? How did he manage to eventually get help?

Essay Topic 2

What did the group expect of the weather when they reached the Sierra Nevada? What decisions did they make, and what warnings did they have that they should have paid more heed to? Why didn't they heed the warnings?

Essay Topic 3

Was Lansford Warren Hastings qualified to write his book? Why or why not? What did the man do for a living and what was he like?

(see the answer keys)

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