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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. What was the problem with Tommy?
(a) He wouldn't stop coughing.
(b) His leg wound was infected.
(c) He couldn't walk through the deep snow, and they couldn't carry him.
(d) He couldn't breathe right.

2. How did the rescue party find the survivors?
(a) They saw the swirls of smoke coming from the cabins.
(b) They used a detailed map.
(c) They asked the Native Americans.
(d) They followed trails.

3. What happened to John Breen in California?
(a) He became a mountain guide.
(b) He overate and died.
(c) He became a law maker.
(d) He made a fortune finding gold.

4. What happened to the Breen's dog, Towser?
(a) It ran away.
(b) The Native Americans stole it.
(c) They traded it to the Native Americans for food.
(d) They had to eat it.

5. Who is the unofficial untarnished hero of the Donner Party?
(a) Charles Stanton
(b) James Reed
(c) William Eddy
(d) Patrick Dolan

Short Answer Questions

1. Why did they consider drawing lots?

2. Who was the first snowshoer to die?

3. How long did the snowshoers think it would take them to get to the first settlement in California?

4. How did Tamsen keep the children occupied?

5. What was completed in 1857, making traveling to California easier?

Short Essay Questions

1. What did the Miwok Indians do to help them?

2. How did they go about deciding who should be cannibalized?

3. Why didn't the Donner families camp with the others?

4. What was the Reed reunion like?

5. What happened to Louis Keseberg?

6. What did William Eddy and William Foster find when they went to rescue their families? Who did they rescue?

7. What did they decide to do for food in order to survive?

8. How many people were stuck camping near the lake, and how many people went off to find help nine days before Christmas?

9. How did the group members respond when it actually came time to eat one of their comrades?

10. How did Virginia deal with the idea of cannibalism?

(see the answer keys)

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