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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. Toward the end, Meriwether Lewis' behavior grew

2. Ironically, Jefferson told visiting Indians that

3. The base of Lewis's proposed trading plan with Canton would be

4. Lewis left his estate to

5. By the time Lewis reaches Grinder's Inn, he seems

Short Essay Questions

1. Was it justifiable for Lewis to turn his publishing project into such a huge and complex undertaking?

2. The author speculates, in addition to other possibilities, that Lewis had a combination of malaria, manic-depression psychosis, alcoholism or some other physical ailments. Discuss what may have sent Lewis into depression at this point in his life.

3. Did Lewis' celebrity go to his head?

4. It seems that Lewis has had a major lapse in judgment in many respects and his behavior has become erratic. What major political mistake did he make when arranging to send Big White back to the Mandans?

5. How do you think Lewis viewed his responsibility toward the governorship of the Louisiana Territory?

6. What were some of the changes the expedition experienced as they came nearer to the coast?

7. What is it that begins to finally destroy Lewis financially?

8. Describe Lewis' desperate act in the spring of 1806.

9. Does it seem odd that the Captains and their soldiers had no idea of how they would be rewarded by the government prior to their return from the expedition?

10. Discuss Meriwether Lewis' response to the fact that some of his soldiers were planning to publish their own journals of the expedition.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

Essay Topic 2

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 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

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