View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What office does Roger B. Taney hold?

2. What has no other U.S. President ever had to face?

3. What does Lincoln think will be necessary in order to wage war?

4. What is the coded message that David Herold carries across the river?

5. On what day does Lincoln arrive in Washington?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the mood in Washington as Chapter 15 begins and what is on Seward's mind regarding Lincoln's presidency?

2. How are the beginnings of a conspiracy against Lincoln introduced in Chapter 2?

3. What is the issue regarding Lincoln's Kentucky relatives during this time?

4. With whom does John Hay become infatuated the day after Lincoln's inauguration?

5. Who is Elizabeth Keckley and what is her role in the Lincoln White House?

6. How does Vidal open the novel?

7. What is David Herold's first mission as a rebel courier and what is he told to focus on going forward?

8. What is the purpose of Stephen Douglas' visit to the White House?

9. What is the Albany Plan and how does it set the stage for political machinations throughout the novel?

10. What is Lincoln's plan to attack the Confederacy as discussed in Chapter 18?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the point of view of the story? Why did Vidal choose to write the story from this perspective? What are the benefits and the limitations to this particular point of view?

Essay Topic 2

LINCOLN: A NOVEL is a classic historical fiction story. What does that classification entail? Why does this story fit into this category?

Essay Topic 3

Explain Abraham Lincoln's during the time period covered in LINCOLN: A NOVEL. What were his plans upon arriving in Washington, D.C.? What was his personality? What behaviors were instilled in him that would make him a success in his later life?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 821 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample