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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. How close were the travelers to the summit when they decided to rest and got snowed in?

2. What book did Reed and Donner use for guidance?

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

4. How did Patrick Breen contribute to the fires at night?

5. What did the surface of the desert consist of?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happened to Mr. Hardcoop?

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

3. What did the families do in the evenings?

4. Explain the idea behind "manifest destiny."

5. How did Virginia feel about her traveling clothes?

6. What did Clyman talk to Reed about?

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

8. What happened to the oxen during the six days it took to get through the desert?

9. Why did Virginia's father choose to take his family to California?

10. What was "The Emigrants Guide to Oregon and California" like?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Why was Virginia so concerned about Indians? Were her worries valid? What was the Donner Party's experience with Indians the first time they came across them?

Essay Topic 2

What were the troubles that the members of the wagon train faced as they crossed the Great Salt Lake Desert? How did it affect the humans, and how did it affect the animals? What did it do for group morale?

Essay Topic 3

Several people in the party died between the Great Salt Lake Desert and the Sierra Nevada. Name some of these people and explain how they died and how the group dealt with their deaths.

(see the answer keys)

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