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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 survivors do with the buckskin strings from the rescue party's snowshoes?

2. What was Nancy Graves' emotional status after the rescue?

3. How did they stay warm at night?

4. What happened when Mrs. Reed first saw her husband?

5. How many rescue parties left Sutters Fort?

Short Essay Questions

1. What did William Eddy and William Foster find when they went to rescue their families? Who did they rescue?

2. Why didn't the starving people hunt for food?

3. How did Virginia inadvertently help the world hear about what happened to the Donner Party?

4. What happened to Mary Murphy?

5. What happened to the members of the Reed family?

6. What did the Miwok Indians do to help them?

7. How did the members of the Donner Party interact when they reached California?

8. What did they decide to do for food in order to survive?

9. What was the Reed reunion like?

10. How many people were stuck camping near the lake, and how many people went off to find help nine days before Christmas?

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

How did the journey to Independence, Missouri go, and what held them up? How did they feel about reaching the city?

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?

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This section contains 589 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample