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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. On some of the worst days of the expedition the men were forced to

2. The men who served on Lewis & Clark's crew were punished for their violations by

3. The Arikaras' island is covered with

4. On their journey over the Bitterroots, Lewis and his men found

5. Meriwether Lewis and Thomas Jefferson's families have this in common.

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

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

6. What in Lewis' childhood may have contributed to his later accomplishments?

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

8. What was ironic about the government's response to the Whiskey Rebellion of 1794?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Lewis and Clark witness a Sioux "scalp dance" on the upper Missouri.

1) Why was the scalp dance being performed at this time? What did it mean?

2) Did the Sioux find some kind of spiritual triumph in capturing prisoners of other tribes? What was the Sioux's philosophy regarding other tribes? Was their priority their land, hunting grounds, horses, or just power? How could another tribe offend them enough to get scalped?

3) How many bands, or different groups of Sioux were in the country at that time?

Essay Topic 2

Sacagawea was only one of Charbonneau's wives. Research and write an exploratory essay on Charbonneau:

1) Did the Charbonneau family continue to thrive in the region of the Mandan camps?

2) Are there still Charbonneau's living there now?

3) Was it a custom within the Shoshones to have two wives, or did Charbonneau think this up on his own?

Essay Topic 3

Thomas Jefferson gave birth to the idea of an expedition to find the Northwest passage. Write a persuasive essay about any or all of the following:

1) Did Jefferson prove to be a fair weather friend to Lewis & Clark?

2) What did Jefferson do upon Lewis' return to help distribute his findings? Was Lewis properly credited?

3) Did Jefferson get what he wanted out of the expedition, besides the answer to his question about a waterway to the Pacific?

4) Jefferson claims to have known that Lewis had some mental illness all his life. Did he take any measures to help Lewis?

(see the answer keys)

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