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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. How far into the established route did Hastings Cutoff appear?
(a) Right on the mid-point
(b) About a quarter of the way through
(c) It was near the beginning
(d) More than halfway

2. How would James keep in touch with his family?
(a) He didn't.
(b) Through seances
(c) He would leave a note on the trail.
(d) He hid along the trail and used sign language to communicate with them.

3. What did the interior of the wagon remind Virginia of?
(a) Organized chaos
(b) A garbage heap
(c) A stuffed closet
(d) A living room

4. When did James Reed think they would hit the Sierra Nevada?
(a) By October
(b) By July
(c) By January
(d) By September

5. What did Reed want out west?
(a) Land
(b) A new beginning
(c) Gold
(d) Silver

Short Answer Questions

1. Who possessed the west?

2. What did the children suck on to bring forth saliva?

3. What was the Reed wagon later called?

4. How many wagons did the Reeds lose in the desert?

5. What wild animal almost broke into the camp?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why was Independence, Missouri so famous?

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

3. How did Charles Stanton helped the traveling party?

4. How many miles a day did the Donner Party plan to go, and what with their actual pace?

5. How did Virginia feel about her traveling clothes?

6. What was the Forty Mile Desert like?

7. What happened to the group as they reached near the summit of Sierra Nevada?

8. What was crossing the desert like?

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

10. Even though Hastings didn't meet them at the Fort, why did they continue to go on to take the Cutoff?

(see the answer keys)

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