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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Who possessed the west?
(a) Native Americans
(b) Californians
(c) England
(d) Mexico

2. Why did Sarah Keyes join the wagon train?
(a) She couldn't bear the thought of having her grandchildren leave her.
(b) She wanted to see her son who lived out west.
(c) She was ready for a new adventure.
(d) She would have been homeless if she stayed there.

3. How with the group feeling by the time they reached the shore of the Great Salt Lake?
(a) Angry
(b) Worn-out and discouraged
(c) Euphoric
(d) Tired but happy

4. What did the book they follow mostly consist of?
(a) Packing lists
(b) Propaganda
(c) Advice for travel
(d) Weather reports

5. What was used to wash the dishes?
(a) They were wiped out with leaves.
(b) Sand or gritty dirt
(c) They never washed dishes.
(d) Soap and water

Short Answer Questions

1. What did the travelers encounter as they climbed the Sierra Nevada?

2. What was in the middle of the desert?

3. What did the first group find that pioneers had left the winter before?

4. How do people get across the great Salt Lake Desert in today's world?

5. How old was Virginia Elizabeth Backenstoe Reed when the family left Illinois?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happened to John Snyder when his oxen team's yolks got tangled?

2. What did Clyman talk to Reed about?

3. How did the women feel about the decision, and how was their opinion factored in?

4. How did the Reed wagons do on the journey?

5. What was crossing the desert like?

6. How were tasks divvied up on the wagon train?

7. What did the note that Hastings left tell the travelers? Was his statement valid?

8. Explain the idea behind "manifest destiny."

9. What type of obstacles did people on wagon trains frequently have to face?

10. How did Virginia feel about her traveling clothes?

(see the answer keys)

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