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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. Meriwether Lewis has a penchant for

2. Neither Captain took Sacagawea along to meet the Indians

3. Plantation owners constantly seek additional land because

4. Lewis was instructed by Sacagawea that, in Shoshone, "tab-ba-bone" meant

5. Once they were on the Mississippi, Lewis and Clark decided to

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

4. How did the expedition manage to drag its boats over land?

5. Given that he was an educated man, how can we account for Lewis' lack of spelling ability?

6. What may have convinced Lewis and Clark that they needed to double their crew?

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

8. What is Lewis' goal in trying to make peace between the Arikaras and the Mandans? Why does he involve himself in their dispute?

9. Is it obvious why Clark's commission stayed that of lieutenant and not captain? How did that affect the two leaders?

10. Why was Lewis angry with Drouillard and Shields after seeing a young Indian?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write a narrative essay on the weapons the expedition took with them. On page 85, the author describes the US Model 1803 Army rifle, and others are described throughout the story.

1) Research what was available during that time for the expedition, what they used for, how accurate they were, what distances they could cover, their weight, how they were loaded and what kind of ammunition was used.

2) Find out about the "air rifle" that Lewis used to astonish the Indians. Was there only one of these on the expedition? How did it work? Was it copied later?

3) Define and describe a blunderbuss, its purpose what replaced it as an army weapon.

Essay Topic 2

Research and write an expository essay on the rumor/legend/fact that Thomas Jefferson had an affair and a child with his black slave.

1) What is known about this rumor now? Was it true?

2) Have the relatives of this relationship surfaced, and, if so, how much credibility can we give to their stories?

3) Jefferson was never married. Can it be determined whether he was in love with this female slave?

4) Jefferson was known as something of a womanizer. If there is little factual information to support the affair, is it likely to have been true, given Jefferson's lifestyle?

Essay Topic 3

Sacagawea's notoriety as one of the the expedition members only came about through history after she was gone. Write a narrative to examine the following:

1)What were her major contributions to the expedition?

2) Was she afforded special treatment?

3) Were her interpreter's skills used wisely? When? Could they have been better used?

4) Was the presence of her child a distraction to the expedition? Did it not create extra work in the portage process?

5) Was the identify of Cameahwait as Sacagawea's brother surprising? Why did she not leave, or stay, with him?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,340 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample