The Battle of Yorktown (1781, Yorktown) — Questions and answers

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What did General Charles Cornwallis do when it was time for the British surrender at Yorktown?

Choices

  1. He bravely led his soldiers out of the town.
  2. He sent his second-in-command to witness the surrender. ✓
  3. He personally signed the surrender documents.
  4. He asked for one more day to fight.

Answer: He sent his second-in-command to witness the surrender.

From page 1

What did King George III want to do with the American colonies?

Choices

  1. Give them complete freedom and independence.
  2. Assert greater control over them. ✓
  3. Allow them to govern themselves fully.
  4. Visit them and become their new leader.

Answer: Assert greater control over them.

From page 2

Who drafted the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia?

Choices

  1. King George III
  2. General Charles Cornwallis
  3. Thomas Jefferson ✓
  4. Marquis de Lafayette

Answer: Thomas Jefferson

From page 3

What important help did Marquis de Lafayette convince France to provide to the United States?

Choices

  1. More food supplies for the soldiers.
  2. A place for American soldiers to rest.
  3. Crucial military and financial support. ✓
  4. New maps of the American colonies.

Answer: Crucial military and financial support.

From page 4

What did General George Washington believe would happen without a decisive victory?

Choices

  1. The revolution would be crushed. ✓
  2. He would get more supplies easily.
  3. Cornwallis would join his army.
  4. The war would simply end on its own.

Answer: The revolution would be crushed.

From page 5

How did Admiral de Grasse help trap Cornwallis at Yorktown?

Choices

  1. He brought more British soldiers to the bay.
  2. He sailed his fleet to protect Cornwallis.
  3. He cut off Cornwallis's escape by sea. ✓
  4. He sent a secret message to Cornwallis.

Answer: He cut off Cornwallis's escape by sea.

From page 6

What happened once Washington and Rochambeau trapped Cornwallis on the Yorktown peninsula?

Choices

  1. They decided to hold a peace conference.
  2. They began a siege with cannon fire day and night. ✓
  3. They waited for more ships to arrive.
  4. They built new houses for the soldiers.

Answer: They began a siege with cannon fire day and night.

From page 7

What did General Washington tell his men to use the abandoned lighthouse for?

Choices

  1. To rebuild it and make it shine again.
  2. To use it as a storage place for supplies.
  3. To use it as a strategic vantage point. ✓
  4. To tear it down completely.

Answer: To use it as a strategic vantage point.

From page 8

Why was Cornwallis forced to surrender at Yorktown?

Choices

  1. He ran out of food and water for his army.
  2. He had no hope of reinforcement or escape. ✓
  3. His soldiers refused to fight any longer.
  4. He decided to join the American side.

Answer: He had no hope of reinforcement or escape.

From page 9