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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 height is the water that Seibert observes coming over the top of the dam near the end of Chapter 3?

2. Who is the first human victim that the water claims in Chapter 4?

3. What is the name of the Methodist minister who lives two doors off Main Street?

4. How many frame houses does Cambria Iron rent from the city of Johnstown?

5. What is the name of the person who laid out Conemaugh Old Town?

Short Essay Questions

1. What reasons does the author say allowed the water to flow freely down the mountains in Johnstown?

2. How are the hundreds of families in the streets of Johnstown just after the water begins to rise described?

3. What leisure activities are popular in Johnstown?

4. How is George Heiser described in Chapter 1?

5. What do passengers on the Night Off do during their ride?

6. How does Benjamin Ruff repair the dam after it first floods in 1862?

7. What does John G. Parke do when he is awakened for the second time at 6:30 a.m.?

8. What happens when the water hits its first major obstacle in Chapter 4?

9. How does the author describe the cheap construction techniques used on the South Fork dam?

10. What happens to the city of Woodvale in Chapter 4?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the rescue efforts by the Johnstown townsfolk before and after the flood. What measures did they take to help others? Were these efforts successful?

Essay Topic 2

Examine the author's use of tone in the book. In what way did the author insert his own perspective into the tone of the book?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the role of time period in the book. In what way is the time period to blame for the flood? What might have been different for the town had the flood occurred in a modern time period?

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