View a FREE sample

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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What do you think that Williams means when he says that Lincoln's assassination shows the "brutalizing desolation of life in America up to that time"?
(a) Williams is referring to the desolate landscape that was left after many cities were burned during the Civil War.
(b) Williams is referring to the fact that few Americans lived to reach old age during Lincoln's day.
(c) Williams is referring to the personal depression of many Americans during the Civil War.
(d) Williams is referring to the violence of American life.

2. Which Founding Father refers to Aaron Burr as dangerous?
(a) Benjamin Franklin.
(b) Alexander Hamilton.
(c) Thomas Jefferson.
(d) James Madison.

3. What does Poe call Longfellow?
(a) A thief.
(b) A plagiarist.
(c) An ignoramus.
(d) A shyster.

4. How does the narrator say that Puritans viewed the Indian?
(a) As a savage devil.
(b) As a degenerate.
(c) As an unformed Puritan.
(d) As a fellow Christian.

5. Why does Franklin recommend against trying to make money in America through manufacturing?
(a) America does not have enough raw materials to do well at manufacturing any items of commercial value.
(b) To do well in manufacturing, you need large numbers of poor people who are willing to work for low wages.
(c) Few ships travel to America, so manufacturers could not market their goods to foreign ports.
(d) There are no cities in America in which to build manufacturing plants.

6. What adjective does the narrator use to describe Boone's character?
(a) Brave.
(b) Temperamental.
(c) Strong.
(d) Mild.

7. What do Burr's critics say about him when he runs for office?
(a) He is frivolous and immoral.
(b) He does not have enough experience or education.
(c) He is secretly a Royalist.
(d) He is corrupt and would misuse power.

8. Who does Lincoln say he owes everything he is or ever will be to?
(a) His faithful housekeeper.
(b) His devoted wife.
(c) His angel mother.
(d) His loving sister.

9. What famous ship does Williams say that a slave ship is the counterpart to?
(a) The Serapis.
(b) The Bon Homme Richard.
(c) The Santa Maria.
(d) The Mayflower.

10. What does Williams say that Americans think they will lose if they were ever to serve another person?
(a) Arrogance.
(b) Self-esteem.
(c) Faith.
(d) Independence.

11. According to the narrator, what was Boone's emotional state when he lived alone in the wilderness for three months?
(a) Ecstasy.
(b) Fear.
(c) Worry.
(d) Exhilaration.

12. What makes Daniel Boone different from other settlers, according to the narrator?
(a) He started new communities wherever he went.
(b) He is not afraid to go west into the wilderness.
(c) He is at war with the Indians he met.
(d) He does not consider himself an American citizen.

13. What happens to Pere Rasles?
(a) He dies peacefully of old age.
(b) He is assassinated by the English.
(c) He is killed by the Abnaki.
(d) He is killed by enemies of the Abnaki.

14. What does the narrator say was the place where Washington most liked to be?
(a) In the field with his troops.
(b) In the capital.
(c) Home.
(d) Exploring the frontier.

15. Why does Houston resign as Governor of Tennessee?
(a) He misses living with the Indians.
(b) His new wife leaves him after three months.
(c) He wants to move further to the West.
(d) He wants to join the Army.

Short Answer Questions

1. What area does Boone discover, along with his brother, just before the American Revolution?

2. What warning does Williams give the reader about history at the beginning of "The Virtue of History"?

3. Which of the following adjectives best describes the narrator's experience of Paris?

4. What happens to the barge that is towing John Paul Jones' ship?

5. How does the narrator describe George Washington's character at the beginning of "George Washington"?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 663 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample