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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Meriwether Lewis and Thomas Jefferson's families have this in common.
(a) They own plantations in Virginia
(b) They both are avid slaveowners
(c) They smoke fresh-picked tobacco
(d) They are second cousins

2. Lewis realized that he was facing sixteen miles of portage, meaning
(a) They would be climbing miles of cliffs
(b) They would have an easy ride down the rapids
(c) They would have to carry their boats overland
(d) They would be coming into a local port soon

3. Lewis' men made wheels to drag their pirogues out of
(a) Oak trees
(b) Bark and mud
(c) Cottonwood trees
(d) Rounded rocks

4. France, having transferred the Louisiana Territory to the US, allows the expedition to
(a) Freely trap for fur along the way
(b) Purchase guns from the French
(c) Include foreigners in the group of explorers
(d) Travel through American territory wihout hostility

5. Lewis was under the assumption that the Shoshones would want to trade horses for
(a) White men's guns
(b) Furs and hides
(c) Trinkets and beads
(d) Tobacco and whiskey

Short Answer Questions

1. The Arikaras' island is covered with

2. Many outlying Mandan villages are abandoned due to

3. The primary means of overland transportation in the 1700s was

4. Wild game animals were not afraid of the men, perhaps because

5. At this point in their journey, wild game is

Short Essay Questions

1. Why was it fortuitous that the group encountered the Nez Perce Indians?

2. Why did Jefferson appoint Lewis as his personal secretary?

3. Explain Lewis' realization when he was threatened by buffalo bulls, a bear and wolverines.

4. What was the primary reason for wanting to find the Shoshones at this point in the trip?

5. Discuss the punishment meted out to the two soldiers who drank whiskey while on guard duty. Was it fair?

6. Of what, exactly, was the "great father" trying to convince the Indians, under Jefferson's instructions?

7. Discuss the perception of the speed of travel in Jefferson's time in 1801.

8. Discuss Lewis' mental meanderings on his 32nd birthday.

9. What caused the expedition's "portage" period to be longer than expected?

10. Why did the Shoshones hesitate to go with Lewis to meet Clark and help the expedition over the Lemhi River?

(see the answer keys)

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