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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. What was Dr. Samuel Mudd's diagnosis once he examined John Wilkes Booth's injured leg?

2. How far away from Washington D.C. were Mary Surratt's tavern and boardinghouse?

3. Who was the only other person in William Seward's bedroom besides William Seward and Fanny Seward?

4. What was the subject of the photographs John Wilkes Booth took with him the night of the assassination?

5. The plot to assassinate the top Union leaders included all but which of the following people?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does James L. Swanson use the words of Mary Todd Lincoln's dressmaker, Elizabeth Keckley, to foreshadow the coming death of Abraham Lincoln?

2. Over what issues was the American Civil War fought?

3. What tone does James L. Swanson use in second paragraph of Chapter I when he writes, "The very next day, the tyrant Abraham Lincoln had visited his captive prize and had the nerve to sit behind the desk occupied by the first and last president of the Confederate States of America, Jefferson Davis"? (2)

4. What is the author's purpose in relating the events of Mary Lincoln Todd's and Abraham Lincoln's afternoon together on the date of the assassination?

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

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

7. Who was the only audience member in Ford's Theater to chase after John Wilkes Booth and why did no one else follow him?

8. What were the reasons that Dr. Charles Leale wanted to move Abraham Lincoln from the theater, even though he had just proclaimed his wounds sure to be fatal?

9. In the scene of Abraham Lincoln being moved from the theater, how does James L. Swanson get across the message of how damaging people's morbid curiosity can be?

10. What methods does James L. Swanson use to convey the chaotic nature of the scene within Ford's Theater after John Wilkes Booth had escaped?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Examine James L. Swanson's use of characterization methods to portray Abraham Lincoln. How does he help the reader to know who Abraham Lincoln was as a person, both before and after his murder? What effect do these characterization methods have on the book's inherent themes and messages? Use concrete details from the text to support your claims.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss three different women that appear within the book's narrative and compare and contrast their characteristics. How do their roles differ and how are their roles similar? Taken together, what depiction of women is present in the overall narrative? Choose concrete details about all three women to support your points.

Essay Topic 3

How is the theme of crafted performance portrayed within the book? Examine James L. Swanson's treatment of actors and their professions, the antagonist's acting career, and the theme of appearance versus reality throughout the novel. Support your points with concrete details from the text.

(see the answer keys)

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