Studies American 050:366
Folklore of American Groups
Review for Midterm Examination
Spring 2012
Directions: For the midterm exam, there will be 80 multiple-choice questions from class
lectures and videos Be sure to bring along a soft lead #2 pencil with eraser and your
legal crib sheet as explained on the syllabus.
I. Sample Multiple Choice Questions from Class Lectures and Videos. Below are
sample questions typical of the eighty such questions that will actually appear on the
midterm. . There is no penalty for guessing; you can use partial knowledge to make an
informed guess. The questions represent a spectrum of difficulty. Some questions are
rather easy; others may challenge even the best prepared student. Spend a reasonable
amount of time on each problem, but move on if you get stuck. Save time at the end to
double-check your answers and make sure you have not made any clerical errors.
1. Who was an American pioneer who introduced apple trees to large parts of the United
States? A) John Chapman, B) Paul Bunyan, C) Pecos Bill, D) John Henry, E) none of
the above.
2. Who was the Haitian person featured in the book The Serpent and the Rainbow said
to have been turned into a living zombie with the use of combination of drugs?
A) Felicia Felix-Mentor, B) Clairvius Narcisse, C) Wade Davis, D) George Romero,
E) none of the above.
3. What is the commercial fishing term for a method using a large fishing net that hangs
in the water due to weights along the bottom edge and floats along the top? A) trawler
fishing, B) seine fishing, C) longline fishing, D) fishing dredge, E) none of the above.
4. Who is the railway employee charged with the management of a freight or passenger
train and is also the direct supervisor of the trains crew? A) Brakeman, B) Engineer,
C) Fireman, D) Conductor, E) none of the above.
5. At which insitution of higher learning is there a tradition of a naked quad run?
A) University of Virginia, B) Purdue, C) Tufts, D) Muir College, E) none of the above.
6. Known as King of the Cowboys, who was the singer and cowboy actor as well as
the namesake of a restaurant chain? A) Rex Allen, B) Jimmy Rodgers, C) Roy Rodgers,
D) Gene Autry, E) none of the above
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7. After trains began to ship gold and guns in addition to grain, cattle, and passengers
A) Train robbers like Jesse James began to attack the vulnerable cargo, B) Even
more wealthy passengers rode the trains, because they felt safer with people on board
armed, C) The robber barons who controlled the trains began to drastically raise the
price of travel, D) Cowboys began to loot trains stopped at stations for cheap guns,
E) None of the above
8. Which of the following is identified as the first extreme clipper ship because she was
the first built upon the ideas of John W. Griffiths with a design intended to sacrifice cargo
capacity for speed? A) Flying Cloud, B) Champion of the Seas, C) Ann McKim,
D) Rainbow, E) Challenge
9. One of Blackbeards chief claims to was fame his blockade, plundering merchant
freighters attempting to enter or leave, in late May of 1718 of what port? A) Savannah,
Georgia, B) Charleston, South Carolina, C) Norfolk, Virginia, D) Georgetown, South
Carolina, E) none of the above.
10. What was Blackbeards final ship called? A) Queen Annes Revenge, B) The Jolly
Roger, C) The Black Hand, D) The Adventure, E) none of the above
II. Sample Multiple Choice, Quotation Idenfication from The Voyage of the Rose City
For each of the numbered quotations below identify the correct speaker from among the
lettered choices. Below are sample questions typical of the ten such questions that will
actually appear on the midterm.
11.Whats your job? Whered you get it? What timed it go up on the board?
A) Jake, B) Billy Mahoney, C) The Bosun, D) Bud, E) Peanuts
12. Never run on a ship! Always walk. Youre not in a hurry to go anywhere.
A) Jake, B) Billy Mahoney, C) The Bosun, D) Bud, E) Peanuts
III. Multiple Choice, General Questions from The Voyage of the Rose City
For each of the numbered questions below supply the correct answer from among the
lettered choices. Below are sample questions typical of the ten such questions that will
actually appear on the midterm.
13. John Moynihan joined the Merchant Marine and signed up for a tour of duty on board
the SS Rose City, which departed the U.S. from the port of A) Boston, Massachusetts, B)
Camden, New Jersey, C) Newark, New Jersey, D) Savannah, Georgia, E) none of the
above.
14. The SS Rose City was 894 feet long, 105 feet wide and 64 feet deep. The vessel was
of a type known as A) container ship, B) ore carrier, C) reefer ship, D) supertanker,
E) none of the above.
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Chanter- (French) to sing
Shanty/chantey/shanties
Most shanties date from 19th century
Shanties necessary for synchronization of working effort
Royal navy banned singing from work
Fiddler might play when anchor is being raised; raise anchor with a capstan
Foreman/boatsun would call out part of song, crew would respond
7 different kinds of sea shanties:
-long haul sea shanty: 2 pulls of a rope per chorus
-short drag: one pull with every chorus
-capstan shanties: smooth, no jerkiness
-stamp and go: many sailors pulling on a long rope
-pumping
-forecastle songs (folksal): songs sung for pleasure
-menhaden: a fish that is bony and oily; pulling up nets, singing songs
shantyman; shanties never sung when people were ashore; sea shanties not quite popular
in English-speaking countries
Blow Ye Winds in the Morning- Capstan song
Rio (Rye-oh) Grande- ship leaving England for western hemisphere, Capstan song
Paddy West- song of humour; school to prepare farmboys and sea urchins to go to sea,
taught them just enough so they could fake experience;
Roll the Old Chariot Along; capstan, add verses where needed to complete job; alludes
to food served aboard ship
South Australia; 1800s, lively trade between England and south Australia;
A Roving; sailors going to Amsterdam to fuck
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