Quiz for Visualizing History: Cultural Exchange on the Lewis and Clark Trail

Quiz for Visualizing History: Cultural Exchange on the Lewis and Clark Trail

Cultural Exchange on the Lewis and Clark Trail

Choose the best answer to each question.

Question

1. For which of the following reasons did Meriwether Lewis and William Clark and their entourage carry the plentiful supply of gifts they planned to give the Indians they met on their journey into the lands acquired during Louisiana Purchase?

A.
B.
C.
D.

Correct. The answer is C. Lewis and Clark and their associates carried a plentiful supply of gifts in order to demonstrate their goodwill and respect to the Indians they encountered on their journey. The men knew that their journey would be easier and less dangerous if they established good relationships with Native American tribes along the way.
Incorrect. The correct answer is C. Lewis and Clark and their associates carried a plentiful supply of gifts in order to demonstrate their goodwill and respect to the Indians they encountered on their journey. The men knew that their journey would be easier and less dangerous if they established good relationships with Native American tribes along the way.

Question

2. For which of the following reasons might Lewis and Clark have chosen the particular items depicted here to give to the Indians they met during their expedition?

A.
B.
C.
D.

Correct. The answer is B. Lewis and Clark settled on items that would be attractive and/or useful to the Native Americans but that they did not have the capabilities to manufacture. These goods were not particularly expensive or valuable, but they were meant to be appealing and practical.
Incorrect. The correct answer is B. Lewis and Clark settled on items that would be attractive and/or useful to the Native Americans but that they did not have the capabilities to manufacture. These goods were not particularly expensive or valuable, but they were meant to be appealing and practical.

Question

3. Which of the following is Thomas Jefferson’s likely reason for choosing the image he did for the back side (opposite his profile) of his 1801 peace medal?

A.
B.
C.
D.

Correct. The answer is A. Jefferson used the image because it contained clear visual symbols to indicate his desire for peace and friendship with the Indians—the American axe crossing the Indian pipe and the white hand shaking an Indian hand. Aware that Lewis and Clark would encounter a language barrier with many tribes that would make communication difficult, he likely chose this image because it could convey his message visually.
Incorrect. The correct answer is A. Jefferson used the image because it contained clear visual symbols to indicate his desire for peace and friendship with the Indians—the American axe crossing the Indian pipe and the white hand shaking an Indian hand. Aware that Lewis and Clark would encounter a language barrier with many tribes that would make communication difficult, he likely chose this image because it could convey his message visually.

Question

4. What does the Native Americans’ notable excitement over the blue glass trade beads suggest about ways Indian cultures conceived of value differently from American culture?

A.
B.
C.
D.

Correct. The answer is C. Among Native American cultures, beads had more inherent and symbolic value that the items whites viewed as precious. While whites chose the beads because they were cheap and easy to carry, they were much more than that for the Indian groups who received them in trade or as gifts.
Incorrect. The correct answer is C. Among Native American cultures, beads had more inherent and symbolic value that the items whites viewed as precious. While whites chose the beads because they were cheap and easy to carry, they were much more than that for the Indian groups who received them in trade or as gifts.

Question

5. What does it suggest about Native American societies in the West in the early nineteenth century that they possessed grizzly bear claw necklaces and sometimes gave them away as gifts?

A.
B.
C.
D.

Correct. The answer is A. Native Americans’ possession of grizzly bear claw necklaces tells us only that they devoted time both to hunting bears and to making ornate necklaces out of their claws. The existence of the necklaces alone does not support any of the other conclusions.
Incorrect. The correct answer is A. Native Americans’ possession of grizzly bear claw necklaces tells us only that they devoted time both to hunting bears and to making ornate necklaces out of their claws. The existence of the necklaces alone does not support any of the other conclusions.