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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. Plantation owners constantly seek additional land because

2. Many outlying Mandan villages are abandoned due to

3. Lewis named many of the new rivers he found after

4. Lewis hoped that the Indians would accept

5. Lewis recommended that Jefferson consider Yellowstone's junction with the Missouri as a site for

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Lewis' plan at this point for the remainder of the trip?

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

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

4. What happened to Lewis' beloved iron-frame boat?

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

6. Describe the irony in Lewis' attitude toward Native Americans and African Americans.

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

8. The trip through the Bitterroot Mountains is a particularly gruesome time or the expedition. Starvation, rough terrain, cold and illness forces the men to take desperate measures. What were they and why didn't the expedition turn back?

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

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

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

Stephen Ambrose's footnotes could comprise a story by themselves. Write a descriptive essay, addressing one or two of the interesting facts he has noted, as well as the supportive information for them, which is not included in the actual text of the book.

1) Page 234 describes the brand Lewis applied to the expedition's horses that was found many years later. Try to find an image of it and write a short essay about this part of the journey, and how the horses were retrieved.

2. The soldier, Newman, who was court martialed and sent back to St. Louis is mentioned on page 209. Find additional information about Newman and what he did after returning to St. Louis.

3. On page 320, there is added information about Lewis' mercury cure for syphilis. Research and write about this "cure," how and when it was discovered, and its true effects on the disease.

(see the answer keys)

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