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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. Though several couples declined the Lincolns' invitation to attend the play, one couple did accept. Who accompanied the Lincolns to the play on the night of Lincoln's assassination?

2. What reason did Dr. Charles Leale give for the impossibility of taking Abraham Lincoln to the White House after he was shot?

3. What query did Laura Keene make of Dr. Charles Leale after she gained entry to the President's box where Lincoln lay dying?

4. How many casualties did the Civil War result in?

5. How many stories did William Seward's house have, making Lewis Powell's task of finding him difficult?

Short Essay Questions

1. What qualities of William Seward's situation caused him to chosen by the assassins as the third target in the assassination plot, in addition to Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson?

2. Since John Wilkes Booth could have easily gained an audience with President Abraham Lincoln in the Executive Mansion using his famous face, why did he not just assassinate him in such a meeting?

3. What is James L. Swanson's purpose when he describes John Wilkes Booth's passions as including "the romance of lost causes"? (2)

4. What is the significance of the photo that was taken at Abraham Lincoln's inauguration and that includes John Wilkes Booth?

5. How was Frederick Seward injured during Lewis Powell's attempt to assassinate Secretary of State William Seward?

6. What action did David Herold take at the scene of William Seward's home that James L. Swanson imagines to have inspired the ire of John Wilkes Booth?

7. In what ways is Lewis Powell portrayed as a pathetic character after his attempt to take William Seward's life?

8. What was the main goal of the plot to assassinate the Union's top governmental leaders all in one night?

9. How does James L. Swanson characterize the personality of the actress Laura Keene, who was present at the scene of John Wilkes Booth's shooting of Abraham Lincoln.

10. How did Mary Todd Lincoln's letter to the Ford Theater's proprietors unwittingly help Abraham Lincoln's would-be assassins complete their goal?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does the author get across Abraham Lincoln's tendency to avoid a grand and flashy presence? What ultimate message about how politicians ought to behave is being created within this depiction? Include concrete details from the book to support your claim.

Essay Topic 2

How does James L. Swanson use irony within the text? Discuss at least three uses of irony within the book and explore each instance's connection to larger themes within the book. Back up your points using concrete details from the book.

Essay Topic 3

How is the literary device of foreshadowing used to highlight coming events within the story of Chasing Lincoln's Killer? Provide an ample number of quotes from the book in order to prove your claims.

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