J is for Jeopardy

Revolutionary Vocabulary

100

What does it mean when a person agrees to serve in the army or navy?  

• A) To retreat

• B) To enlist

• C) To desert

• D) To blockade

• B) To enlist

200

Overthrowing one government and replacing it with another is called a:  

• A) Strategy

• B) Turnover

• C) Revolution

• D) Enlistment

• C) Revolution

300

Question: Which term describes a professional soldier who is hired to fight for a foreign army?  

• A) Volunteer

• B) Mercenary

• C) Privateer

• D) Officer

• B) Mercenary

400

Question: A formal agreement between two or more nations is called a:  

• A) Treaty

• B) Tactic

• C) Turning point

• D) Revolution

A) Treaty

500

Question: What is the term for a planned action or specific maneuver used by an army to win a battle?

• A) Mercenary

• B) Turning point

• C) Treaty

• D) Tactic

D) Tactic

The Two Sides

100

Question: The Continental army was primarily made up of:  

• A) Highly paid mercenaries

• B) British regular officers

• C) Colonial volunteers

• D) French naval sailors

C) Colonial volunteers

200

Why was it consistently difficult for Great Britain to replace its troops and military supplies?

• A) Parliament refused to fund the war

• B) Their homeland was far away across the ocean

• C) The British soldiers were poorly trained

• D) They lost the support of all American Indians

A) Their homeland was far away across the ocean

300

• Question: Thousands of American Indians fought for Great Britain because the British had:  

  • A) Trapped valuable furs for them

  • B) Restricted white colonization of Native lands

  • C) Given them advanced farming technology

  • D) Offered to trade exclusively with them after the war

Correct Answer: D) Restricted white colonization of Native lands

400

Question: Which phrase best describes a successful military tactic used by the Continental army?  

• A) Large-scale naval blockades

• B) Control of major European cities

• C) Surprise attacks

• D) Traditional line formations in open fields

Correct Answer: C) Surprise attacks

500

Question: Which of the following was a major initial disadvantage for the Continental army compared to the British?

• A) They were fighting on unfamiliar foreign territory

• B) They lacked an experienced military leader

• C) They had an abundance of food and excess heavy uniforms

• D) They were poorly supplied and lacked professional training  

Correct Answer: D) They were poorly supplied and lacked professional training

Battles and Allies

100

Question: How did international allies directly help the Continental army succeed?  

• A) They borrowed money from individual colonists

• B) They supplied fresh soldiers and warships

• C) They convinced American Indians to switch sides

• D) They captured the territory of Canada from the British

Correct Answer: B) They supplied fresh soldiers and warships

200

Question: Which engagement is widely considered the ultimate turning point of the American Revolution?

• A) The Battle of Lexington

• B) The Battle of Saratoga

• C) The Battle of Trenton

• D) The Battle of Bunker Hill

Correct Answer: B) The Battle of Saratoga

300

Question: Why exactly is the Battle of Saratoga considered a turning point in the war?

• A) The British forces immediately surrendered and ended the war

• B) The colonial victory persuaded France to openly give more help

• C) George Washington managed to defeat the German mercenaries

• D) The British government traded Florida to Spain

Correct Answer: B) The colonial victory persuaded France to openly give more help

400

Question: What formal document officially ended the war and recognized the United States as an independent nation?  

• A) The Declaration of Independence

• B) The Constitution

• C) The Treaty of Paris

• D) The Olive Branch Petition

Correct Answer: C) The Treaty of Paris

500

Question: Which of the following was NOT an official outcome of the Treaty of Paris?  

• A) All enslaved people who served in the army were immediately freed

• B) Thousands of Loyalists fled the United States

• C) The new independent nation received huge amounts of land

• D) Great Britain formally recognized the United States

Correct Answer: A) All enslaved people who served in the army were immediately freed

Life on the Home Front

100

Question: Which of these places would be considered part of the "home front" during the war?  

• A) An active battlefield

• B) A family farm

• C) A naval warship at sea

• D) A military army camp

Correct Answer: B) A family farm

200

• Question: How did women primarily keep the colonial economy moving while men were away fighting?  

  • A) They ran family businesses and managed farms

  • B) They sailed merchant ships to trade with Asia

  • C) They acted as representatives in the Continental Congress

  • D) They enlisted directly into the regular British army

• 
  

Correct Answer: A) They ran family businesses and managed farms

300

Question: During the American Revolution, women actively supported the war effort by:  

• A) Running family businesses

• B) Caring for wounded troops

• C) Helping raise money for the war

• D) All of the above

Correct Answer: D) All of the above

400

Question: What was the reality for most enslaved African Americans who fought in the war?  

• A) They were universally freed by the Treaty of Paris

• B) Many were returned to slavery despite their military service

• C) They were given large properties in Britain

• D) They were elected to local government positions

Correct Answer: B) Many were returned to slavery despite their military service

500

Question: What did thousands of colonists who remained loyal to the King (Loyalists) do after the British lost the war?  

• A) They joined the Continental army to stay safe

• B) They fled the United States to places like Canada or Great Britain

• C) They bought up the battlefields to start new farms

• D) They were made governors of the new independent states

Correct Answer: B) They fled the United States to places like Canada or Great Britain

Winter at Valley Forge

100

Question: Looking at historical scenes of Valley Forge, what season caused the most extreme suffering for the troops?  

• A) High summer

• B) Freezing winter

• C) Early autumn

• D) Rainy spring

Correct Answer: B) Freezing winter

200

Question: What specific clothing issue greatly increased the discomfort of the soldiers at Valley Forge?  

• A) Their heavy wool coats were too hot for the weather

• B) Their clothes were tattered and many completely lacked shoes

• C) They were forced to wear bright red uniforms that revealed their location

• D) Their leather boots were heavily insulated and too tight

Correct Answer: B) Their clothes were tattered and many completely lacked shoes

300

Question: What were two primary ways the men at Valley Forge desperately tried to protect themselves from the freezing cold?  

• A) Building large brick houses and using electric heaters

• B) Sailing south to warmer islands and sleeping on ships

• C) Huddling around open campfires and sharing thin blankets

• D) Wearing specialized thermal activewear uniforms

Correct Answer: C) Huddling around open campfires and sharing thin blankets

400

Question: Who is the central leader shown in image_e1516b.png checking in on the shivering Continental soldiers at the camp?  

• A) King George III

• B) General George Washington

• C) Benjamin Franklin

• D) General Benedict Arnold

Correct Answer: B) General George Washington

500

Question: Why would an artist deliberately portray the soldiers at Valley Forge looking cold and tattered, yet standing strong?  

• A) To prove that the Continental army was weak and ready to give up

• B) To highlight their incredible endurance and determination to fight for independence despite immense hardship

• C) To show that the army was wealthy and had plenty of supplies

• D) To document a fun winter celebration at the military camp

Correct Answer: B) To highlight their incredible endurance and determination to fight for independence despite immense hardship