Abigail Adams

In her “Letter to John Adams,” how does Abigail Adams describe the conditions of Boston after the British withdraw from the city?

• Many buildings have been burned to the ground and will have to be rebuilt.

• The government buildings are badly damaged because they were used as hospitals.

• Some private houses have been looted and damaged, but many others are unharmed.

• A few important landmarks have been destroyed, but the rest of the city is untouched.

Tags

CCSS.RI.8.1

CCSS.RI.8.8

CCSS.RL.11-12.1

CCSS.RL.8.1

CCSS.RL.9-10.1

According to details in both “Letter to John Adams” and the selection from Dear Abigail, which aspect of the new nation’s government most interested Abigail Adams?

• the status of women

• the abolition of slavery

• the rights of the individual states

• the relationship to other nations

What is the most likely meaning of foment in the following sentence?

In his classic Autobiography Benjamin Franklin humorously describes his discovery that the quickest way to foment disagreement is to assert one’s own opinion loudly and forcefully.

• explain, clarify

• prevent, end

• excite, rouse

• plan, invent

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.4

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RI.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.11-12.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

If some of the scout-troop members dissented from a proposal that the troop go for a hike on the Saturday, which of following must be true? Base your answer on the meaning of dissented.

• The decision to go hiking on Saturday was not agreed upon by everyone.

• The troop members decided to stay home and not go on the hike at all.

• The hike took place on Sunday instead of on Saturday.

• The weather was so overcast that the hike was no fun.

In her “Letter to John Adams,” Abigail Adams writes, “I have sometimes been ready to think that the passion for liberty cannot be equally strong in the breasts of those who have been accustomed to deprive their fellow creatures of theirs.” Which of the following is the best paraphrase of this statement?

• I sometimes think that those who practice slavery cannot sincerely value liberty for anyone, not even themselves.

• I sometimes think that men cannot value liberty as much as women do because men already enjoy more freedom than women.

• I sometimes think that most Americans do not really want their freedom from Britain because they would not know what to do with it.

• I sometimes think that Virginians do not care as much as people from Massachusetts about liberty because Massachusetts has been under attack and Virginia has not.

Tags

CCSS.RL.2.6

CCSS.RL.8.3

The selection from Dear Abigail quotes Abigail Adams’s description of Boston’s reaction to the new Declaration of Independence as follows:

“After dinner the king’s arms were taken down from the State House and every vestige of him from every place in which it appeared and burnt in King Street. Thus ends royal authority in this State … and all the people shall say Amen.”

Which of the following best describes how the Bostonians felt about the birth of the new nation?

• exuberant and celebratory

• anxious and apprehensive

• shocked and horrified

• resentful and bitter

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.10

CCSS.RI.7.10

CCSS.RI.8.10

CCSS.RI.9-10.10

CCSS.RL. 11-12.9

Which of the following sentences from the selection from Dear Abigail is most clearly an example of information taken directly from a primary source?

• Strawberries and an early spring in the dirty city did little to console him.

• He had little use for either the vagaries of individuals or venerated ideals.

• On July 18, a week after they were inoculated for smallpox, … Mary and Richard, Abigail, and Betsy joined masses of patriots lining King Street in front of the Boston State House, the seat of the first elected legislature in the New World.

• “Yesterday the greatest question was decided, which ever was debated in America, and a greater, perhaps, never was or will be decided among men,” he [John Adams] wrote Abigail.

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.10

CCSS.RI.7.10

CCSS.RI.8.10

CCSS.RI.9-10.10

CCSS.RL. 11-12.9

Which of the following best explains why Dear Abigail is considered a secondary source?

• The writer of Dear Abigail does not include any material from primary sources.

• The writer of Dear Abigail was not an eyewitness to the events she describes.

• Dear Abigail describes real people and includes words they actually wrote.

• Dear Abigail focuses on real-life events in the lives of a prominent family.

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.10

CCSS.RI.7.10

CCSS.RI.8.10

CCSS.RI.9-10.10

CCSS.RL. 11-12.9

Why does Abigail Adams describe herself as feeling cheerful and lighthearted in the March 31st (opening) section of her “Letter to John Adams”?

• because the immediate military threat has been lifted from the Boston area

• because she has kept the family together during a difficult and stressful time

• because she knows that her husband will return home in the near future

• because the colonies are about to declare independence from Britain

Both “Letter to John Adams” and the selection from Dear Abigail provide a close look at the marriage of John and Abigail Adams. Which of the following best identifies the nature of their relationship, as described in the selections?

• They are genuinely and deeply attached to each other.

• They are afraid to be honest and open with each other.

• They are quick to quarrel but equally quick to make up.

• They lead independent lives and have few shared interests.