单选题 New Orleans was the site of the last major battle during the War of 1812, a lengthy conflict between British and American troops. The Battle of New Orleans in January 1815 was one of the greatest victories in American military history. However, the great success of this battle did not actually bring about the end of the war. Surprisingly, the Treaty of Ghent, which declared the end of the war, had already been signed by both sides a month earlier.
How was that possible? There were two major reasons. The first is that New Orleans was relatively isolated and communication in the growing United States was not as simple as it is today. Thus, it is possible that the British commanders and the American general, Andrew Jackson, did not realize a treaty had been signed before they started their battle. A second reason is that there is a difference between a signed treaty and a ratified treaty. Even if all soldiers fighting in and around New Orleans had known of the treaty, it had not yet been ratified by the U. S. Senate. Thus, though the Treaty of Ghent took place in December prior to the Battle of New Orleans, the war did not officially end until February 1815, when the Senate ratified the treaty.
Had the combatants in New Orleans known of the treaty, they might have avoided a tough battle, especially the British. In the battle, a force of about 4,000 American troops decisively defeated an enemy of nearly twice its size. At stake for the soldiers was control of the waterways of the Mississippi, and the fighting was fierce. A combination of tactical mistakes and bad weather doomed the British attack, costing them nearly 2,000 soldiers injuried or killed. The Americans lost fewer than 200. But was the terrible battle all for nothing? Some historians suggest that victory that day was crucial for the American millitary in order to enforce and help ratify quickly the peace treaty. Potentially, with an American loss in New Orleans, the British could have found hope to continue the conflict.

单选题 The passage suggests that all of the following occurred near the end of the War of 1812 EXCEPT ______.
A. Andrew Jackson ignored the orders of President Madison
B. Communication with the battle line commanders was slow
C. The Treaty of Ghent was signed
D. Weather conditions hurt the efforts of the British soldiers

单选题 Which of the following is implied by the passage?
A. Andrew Jackson did not know the difference between a signed treaty and a ratified treaty.
B. President Madison did not realize the Battle of New Orleans was possible.
C. The British may have had a chance.
D. The British troops knew of the treaty but attack anyway.

单选题 According to the passage, New Orleans was a strategic battle site because ______.
A. it was the only location where American forces were better supplied than the British forces
B. the American forces would be trapped in the swamplands if they lost
C. the British were attempting to defeat a more numerous force
D. the Mississippi River was nearby and control of it was important

单选题 According to the passage, a treaty ______.
A. cannot be signed by the President without the consent of the Senate
B. has sometimes been ignored by those in battle
C. is always used to end a war
D. is not effective until it is ratified by the Senate