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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. Who were the other three candidates for governor of the new colony that the General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Company voted on, along with John Winthrop, prior to leaving England?

2. Who is said to have warned Winthrop of the Massachusetts Bay Company in Chapter 3: “A Shelter and a Hiding Place,” saying "The pipe goeth sweete tyll the Byrde be in the nett, many bewtifull hopes are sett before your eyes to allewer you to danger"?

3. What does the author say “was responsible for suppressing heresy as well as drunkenness and theft and murder” in Chapter 6: “A Special Commission”?

4. In order to secure the Massachusetts Bay Company’s investors, an agreement was finally worked out whereby the remaining resources of the company would be managed for seven years by "undertakers." How many of these undertakers would be established in Massachusetts?

5. The charter granted to the New England Company in 1628 authorized the company to settle and govern the area from three miles south of the Charles River to what location?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does the author describe the contents of John Winthrop’s documents regarding settlement in the New World in Chapter 3: “A Shelter and a Hiding Place”?

2. What “technical oversight” allowed the Massachusetts Bay Company greater freedom from the crown, according to the author in Chapter 4: “The Way to a New England”?

3. How did John Winthrop perceive the growing corruption within the English government, according to the author in Chapter 2: “Evil and Declining Times”?

4. How does the author describe the journey of John Winthrop’s fleet in Chapter 5: “Survival”? Where did the fleet cast anchor in America?

5. How does the author describe John Winthrop’s education in Chapter 1: “The Taming of the Heart”? When did John Winthrop leave school and marry?

6. What were John Winthrop’s main concerns as he prepared to depart for New England, according to the author in Chapter 4: “The Way to a New England”?

7. How does the author describe the groups called the Presbyterians and the Congregationalists in Chapter 6: “A Special Commission”?

8. How is John Winthrop’s family described in Chapter 1: “The Taming of the Heart”? What was John’s father’s profession?

9. How does the author describe the Puritans’ perception of sin and the punishment of sin in the New World in Chapter 6: “A Special Commission”?

10. How did the travels of John Winthrop’s sons influence his opinions of settlement in the New World, according to the author in Chapter 3: “A Shelter and a Hiding Place”?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe the preparations that John Winthrop was left in charge of as governor of the Massachusetts Bay Company prior to departure. What role did Winthrop play in securing passengers, provisions, etc.? How did he go about these tasks? How difficult were the tasks?

Essay Topic 2

Describe the biography, work, and beliefs of Thomas Dudley. What was Dudley’s role in the governing body of the Massachusetts Colony? What led to the animosity between Dudley and Winthrop? How did this rivalry affect government and government policy in the colony?

Essay Topic 3

Define “Arminianism” and “Calvinism” and discuss the histories of each In what ways were these belief systems similar? How did they differ? Who was John Calvin? When did Calvin publish The Institutes of the Christian Religion? How did this publication change religion in Europe?

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