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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. How far have the narrator and his brother traveled from their departure when they reach Overland City?
(a) Three hundred and seventy miles.
(b) Two hundred and seventy miles.
(c) Four hundred and seventy miles.
(d) Five hundred and seventy miles.

2. How many novels had Mark Twain written before Roughing It?
(a) None.
(b) Two.
(c) Three.
(d) One.

3. What is noted as particularly impressive about the style of the book?
(a) Only its vocabulary.
(b) Only its longevity.
(c) Only its descriptions.
(d) Its vocabulary, descriptions, and longevity.

4. Who is the referee in the court case between Hyde and Morgan?
(a) The former governor of Nevada.
(b) The former secretary of state of California.
(c) The former secretary of state of Nevada.
(d) The former governor of California.

5. How long does it take the narrator and his brother to reach St. Joseph on the steamboat?
(a) Five days.
(b) Six days.
(c) Eight days.
(d) Seven days.

6. How is the coyote described in the story?
(a) As a slow animal that does not know how to leave at the sign of threat.
(b) As a fast animal that does not know how to leave at the sign of threat.
(c) As a fast animal that takes off at the first sign of threat.
(d) As a slow animal that attempts to take off at the first sign of threat.

7. Which one of the following is NOT found in the Great American Desert?
(a) Wagon parts.
(b) Relics.
(c) Indian money.
(d) Bones.

8. How much do the seats aboard the mail coach heading towards Carson City cost for the narrator and his brother?
(a) One hundred dollars each.
(b) One hundred and fifty dollars each.
(c) One hundred dollars total.
(d) One hundred and fifty dollars total.

9. How many miles do the narrator and his friends travel across the desert over a fifteen day period in search of silver?
(a) Five hundred miles.
(b) Four hundred miles.
(c) Three hundred miles.
(d) Two hundred miles.

10. According to the narrator, how are the profits of the mining industry in Nevada glorified?
(a) By the media.
(b) By the local drunks.
(c) By flyers posted around town.
(d) By the Governor's followers.

11. How long is the Great American Desert?
(a) Sixty miles.
(b) Forty miles.
(c) Thirty miles.
(d) Fifty Miles.

12. When do the narrator and his friends begin their trip to mine for silver?
(a) November.
(b) September.
(c) February.
(d) December.

13. What are the followers supposed to bring back after they survey the east area?
(a) Grasshoppers.
(b) Tarantulas.
(c) Beetles.
(d) Snakes.

14. How many days has the coach been traveling when it reaches Carson City?
(a) Twenty-four.
(b) Twenty-six.
(c) Eighteen.
(d) Twenty.

15. Where was Slade born?
(a) Kansas.
(b) Missouri.
(c) Indiana.
(d) Illinois.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does the narrator's party shoot at to start a fire?

2. Which area is rumored to be rich with silver?

3. What do the members of the party do before going to sleep on the winter night they are convinced will be their last?

4. What is the Washoe Zephyr?

5. What does Morgan claim during the court case?

(see the answer keys)

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