Washington D.C., March 4th, 1865—the Inauguration Day of President re-elect Abraham Lincoln was cold and windy, just as it had been four years earlier. But the U.S. capital building was now complete; its great iron dome now in place, crowned by a bronze liberty. Just before the president began to speak, the clouds parted, flooding the stands with brilliant sunlight. Lincoln rose and gave his speech.
"I'm a tired man," Lincoln said afterwards. "Sometimes I think I'm the tiredest [sic] man on earth."In the crowd just a few yards from Lincoln was the young actor, John Wilkes Booth. His vantage point on the balcony, Booth said afterwards, had offered an excellent chance to kill the president, "If [he] had wished."
John Wilkes booth was a fervent believer in slavery and white supremacy. He enthusiastically supported the confederate notion that African Americans were unequal to whites and should remain slaves. But during the four years of war, he had not been able to bring himself to actually fight for the southern cause. "I have begun to deem myself a coward, and to despise my own existence," he wrote.
His mind fixed on Lincoln as the tyrant responsible for all the country's troubles and his own. Booth hatched a scheme to kidnap Lincoln, and he gathered a worshipful band of dubious conspirators willing to help out. This included: Lewis Paine, a wounded confederate who had recently sworn allegiance to the union; David E. Herold, a druggist clerk who was thought by some to be intellectually challenged; George Atzerodt, a German born wagon painter, barely able to make himself understood in English; and John H. Surratt, a sometime confederate spy, whose widowed mother, Mary, kept a Washington boarding house where Booth and his admirers sometimes met.
Questions
1) In paragraph 1, the author writes, "Washington D.C., March 4th, 1865—the Inauguration Day of President re-elect Abraham Lincoln was cold and windy, just as it had been four years earlier." Using this information, the reader can understand that
I. this was not Lincoln's first term as president
II. it was cold and windy in Washington D.C. on March 4th, 1861
III. Lincoln did not know that John Wilkes Booth was in the crowd
A. I only
B. I and II only
C. II and III only
D. I, II, and III
2) In paragraph 2, the author uses the term "[sic]." This is used to show the reader that a word or phrase was used incorrectly by the speaker, but that the author still wishes to preserve the speaker's actual language. In this case, the author writes "[sic]" after the word "tiredest" to show that it is used incorrectly (the correct form is "more tired"). Using this information, which of the following quotations should the term "[sic]" be applied to?
A. "Tommy bought a new bike down at the new bicycle shop."
B. "Some plants require a great deal of light in order to grow."
C. "No one knows this town like I do."
D. "Jessica Hampton is my bestest friend."
3) According to the author, what was John Wilkes Booth's profession?
A. writer
B. soldier
C. politician
D. actor
4) Marco is a fervent believer in animal rights. One day, Marco learns that the animals in a nearby zoo are being mistreated. Which of the following sentences describes how Marco would most likely react after learning this information?
A. Marco sighs and continues playing video games.
B. Marco does internet research with the hope of learning more.
C. Marco monitors updates on a local news channel.
D. Marco joins a protest outside the zoo entrance.
5) John Wilkes Booth can best be described as
A. treacherous, meaning unfaithful or disloyal
B. patriotic, meaning devoted to one's country
C. amicable, meaning friendly or agreeable
D. idiotic, meaning senselessly foolish or stupid
6) As used in the final paragraph, dubious most nearly means
A. questionable
B. uneducated
C. evil
D. greedy