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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What adjective does Williams use to describe Champlain?
(a) Opportunist.
(b) Loving.
(c) Delightful.
(d) Primitive.

2. What happens to Columbus when he finally makes it back to Spain?
(a) He is accused of making a deal with the King of Portugal.
(b) The King and Queen refuse to finance any future trips to the New World.
(c) He loses his religious faith and decides to leave the Church.
(d) Storms make it impossible to set sail again for several months.

3. How does Williams suggest that Ponce de Leon feels when he hears about Cortez and the wealth of Montezuma?
(a) Happy.
(b) Angry.
(c) Restless.
(d) Jealous.

4. Why does Columbus count fewer leagues than he knows he has traveled?
(a) He is trying to reassure the crew that they have not traveled as far without seeing land as they think they have.
(b) He is trying to test a new system of measurement to see which is most accurate.
(c) He is trying to trick the King and Queen by giving them false information in his letters.
(d) He is trying to check his navigational instruments to be sure that they are working properly.

5. What is Tenochtitlan like?
(a) It is a small town surrounded by stone walls, with a large castle in the middle.
(b) It is a masterpiece of engineering; clean, with wide roads and canals, and full of beautiful gardens and markets.
(c) It is a fortress located high in the mountains, remote and impenetrable.
(d) It is a tiny village. The people living there are starving to death, and can offer no resistance to the Spanish.

6. What does the following sentence mean? "Rather the ice than their way: to take what is mine by single strength, theirs by the crookedness of their law."
(a) Eric the Red has chosen to leave Iceland of his own accord.
(b) Eric the Red considers his unjust exile to be more honorable than staying in Iceland.
(c) Eric the Red prefers places that are cold and icy.
(d) Eric the Red feels remorseful about the murder he committed and willingly accepts punishment.

7. Toward the end of the introduction, Gregory quotes the following passage: "Question him in hell, O Muse, where he has gone, and when there is an answer, sing and make clear the reasons that he gave for that last blow. Why did he send his son into that tropic jungle and not go himself, upon so dangerous an errand?" Why does Gregory include this quote?
(a) To prove that Walter Raleigh was a coward.
(b) To demonstrate that history must judge the actions of historical figures.
(c) To suggest that even Williams cannot answer all of history's questions.
(d) To show the lyricism of Williams' prose.

8. How much time does Samuel de Champlain spend in North America before he is permitted to establish a French colony?
(a) Ten years.
(b) Fifteen years.
(c) Five years.
(d) Three years.

9. What is Williams trying to tell the reader about Columbus when he quotes details about how harrowing the storms at sea during Columbus' voyages were?
(a) Columbus' good judgment.
(b) Columbus' foolhardiness.
(c) Columbus' courage.
(d) Columbus' literary skill.

10. What does Columbus think of the New World when he reaches it?
(a) He thinks it is the most beautiful place he has ever seen.
(b) He thinks that it is far too hot and humid for his taste.
(c) He thinks that it is too desolate to have any worthwhile resources.
(d) He thinks that he would like to build a house and live there himself.

11. Who is Juan Ortiz?
(a) The leader of the Indian community that helped De Soto and his men to survive the first winter.
(b) De Soto's commanding officer, stationed in Cuba, to whom De Soto writes letters.
(c) De Soto's brother who accompanied him on the expedition and on whom De Soto relied.
(d) A Spanish soldier separated from an earlier expedition who lived with the Indians for 12 years.

12. Why do the Puritans have such a strong impact on the national character, according to the narrator?
(a) Because they are so driven to evangelize to others.
(b) Because they are among the first to arrive in a wild place.
(c) Because they persuade everyone else to emulate them.
(d) Because they are so dashing and heroic that everyone tells stories about them.

13. Williams, referring to the King's and Queen's promises to Columbus, remarks, "What power had such ridiculous little promises to stay a man against that terrific downpour on the brink of which they were all floating?". What promises is Williams referring to?
(a) The promise to make sure that Columbus always had seaworthy ships and experienced sailors.
(b) The promise to make Columbus Chief Admiral of the Ocean Sea and perpetual Viceroy and Governor of all the land he should discover.
(c) The promise to have Columbus' story printed in the newspapers so that everyone could appreciate his accomplishment.
(d) The promise to pay Columbus in gold for his voyages.

14. Who is Freydis?
(a) Eric the Red's sister.
(b) Eric the Red's wife.
(c) Eric the Red's lover.
(d) Eric the Red's daughter.

15. What does Columbus want to do instead of traveling to the New World again?
(a) He wants to go on a pilgrimmage to holy places.
(b) He wants to go on vacation to someplace warm and tropical.
(c) He wants to visit his family members in Portugal.
(d) He wants to circumnavigate the globe.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is Columbus' point when he makes the following statement: "I was twenty-eight years old when I came into your Highnesses' service, and now I have not a hair upon me that is not gray; my body is infirm..."

2. What people do Karlsefni and Snorri find in the New World?

3. How does the narrator describe the coastline of North America?

4. How does Montezuma treat hungry people in the capital?

5. What pet is Ponce de Leon especially attached to?

(see the answer keys)

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