Chapter Chronology

Quiz for Visualizing History: “Keeping Powder Dry”

Select the best answer for each question. Click the “submit” button for each question to turn in your work.

Question

1. What was the purpose of a powder horn to eighteenth-century soldiers?

A.
B.
C.
D.
Correct. The answer is c. Soldiers carried powder horns on the battlefield to store their gunpowder in a dry and easily accessible environment. Powder horns were made from ox or cow horns, and were often personalized with words and drawings carved on their surface.
Incorrect. The answer is c. Soldiers carried powder horns on the battlefield to store their gunpowder in a dry and easily accessible environment. Powder horns were made from ox or cow horns, and were often personalized with words and drawings carved on their surface.

Question

2. Why might William Waller, a member of the Virginia militia during the Revolutionary War, have decided to engrave the slogan “LIBERTY OR DEATH” on his powder horn?

A.
B.
C.
D.
Correct. The answer is d. As a Revolutionary War soldier fighting for colonial liberty, Waller likely carved “LIBERTY OR DEATH” on his powder horn as a way to signal his support for the colonists’ cause. His powder horn suggests that Waller believed he would rather be dead than lack freedom. The information in the essay does not support any of the other scenarios.
Incorrect. The answer is d. As a Revolutionary War soldier fighting for colonial liberty, Waller likely carved “LIBERTY OR DEATH” on his powder horn as a way to signal his support for the colonists’ cause. His powder horn suggests that Waller believed he would rather be dead than lack freedom. The information in the essay does not support any of the other scenarios.

Question

3. Whose image did Edward Sherburne, a member of the Continental army during the Revolutionary War, appear to have carved on his powder horn?

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B.
C.
D.
Correct. The answer is b. Edward Sherburne appears to have carved George Washington’s face on his powder horn. Sherburne’s powder horn conveyed his patriotic feelings through the drawing of Washington’s face, as well as carvings of words like “Success to Liberty.”
Incorrect. The answer is b. Edward Sherburne appears to have carved George Washington’s face on his powder horn. Sherburne’s powder horn conveyed his patriotic feelings through the drawing of Washington’s face, as well as carvings of words like “Success to Liberty.”

Question

4. This essay supports which of the following historical arguments?

A.
B.
C.
D.
Correct. The answer is a. The patriotic imagery and language carved on powder horns, like the two shown in this essay, suggest that ordinary American soldiers felt a personal and patriotic connection to values like liberty for which the colonies were fighting. The Revolutionary War was personal to these soldiers, not an abstract struggle.
Incorrect. The answer is a. The patriotic imagery and language carved on powder horns, like the two shown in this essay, suggest that ordinary American soldiers felt a personal and patriotic connection to values like liberty for which the colonies were fighting. The Revolutionary War was personal to these soldiers, not an abstract struggle.

Question

5. How might military service have politicized colonists during the early years of the Revolutionary War, as evidenced by these powder horns?

A.
B.
C.
D.
Correct. The answer is c. The patriotic rhetoric evident on these powder horns demonstrates how some soldiers strongly supported the war effort and its emphasis on liberty and independence. Although in early 1776 such strong support for colonial independence was risky (and even treasonous), as the war continued, military service galvanized many colonists to support the cause.
Incorrect. The answer is c. The patriotic rhetoric evident on these powder horns demonstrates how some soldiers strongly supported the war effort and its emphasis on liberty and independence. Although in early 1776 such strong support for colonial independence was risky (and even treasonous), as the war continued, military service galvanized many colonists to support the cause.