Ellis Island WebQuest

Take a virtual tour of Ellis Island and learn about immigrant journeys!

Welcome to Immigration Use the link above to take a virtual tour of Ellis Island and learn about the voyage millions of Italian immigrants endured to start their new lives in America. The next and previous arrows located at the top of the website will navigate you through the website. The headings located at the top of the website will guide you through the various questions and answer choices below. Enjoy learning about Ellis Island! A Virtual Tour of Ellis Island 1st Stop - The Passage 1. Most of the immigrants who came through Ellis Island where from... Africa Europe Asia South America 2. Many immigrants were trying to escape... (choose all the answers that apply) poverty religious intolerance the weather family drama 3. How did their journey to a seaport begin? (choose all the answers that apply) by foot by horse by train by car 4. How many miles across Europe did many immigrants travel to get to a seaport? thousands less than 50 hundreds 5. Once they got to a European seaport, immigrants boarded a ... motorboat steamship raft ferry 6. The voyage across the Atlantic Ocean took... 3-4 weeks less than a week 1-2 weeks over a month 7. The ships divided passengers by... (choose all the answers that apply) wealth age gender class 8. Where did first and second class passengers stay? (choose all the answers that apply) steerage staterooms cabins lodging quarters 9. Where did third class passengers stay? steerage staterooms cabins lodging quarters 10. The steerage was a large open space located at the... top of the ship bottom of the ship center of the ship 11. Ships were often overcrowded and would carry as many as _ passengers. 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 2nd Stop - The Arrival 1. What was the first thing immigrants saw when they arrived in the New York Harbor? the Statue of Liberty Ellis Island skyscrapers the Verrazzano Bridge 2. Why would health officials board the ship before letting anyone off? to look for signs of poverty to look for signs of disease to look for criminals to look through baggage 3. If the ship passed an initial health inspection, who would be the first to receive a physical health examination on the boat? (choose all the answers that apply) first class passengers second class passengers third class passengers 4. Which passengers were taken to Ellis Island? first class second class third class 5. Did first and second class passengers ever step foot on Ellis Island? yes no 6. How were passengers transported to Ellis Island? ferry boat row boat motor boat raft 7. How long would third class passengers often wait on the ship to be processed at Ellis Island? (choose all the answers that apply) weeks months hours days 8. After listening to the audio clip of Lawrence Meinwald describe his voyage to America at age 6, how were the conditions for third class passengers down in the steerage? horrible terrific 3rd Stop - The Ellis Island Baggage Room 1. What did the officers hand out to each passenger before allowing them to disembark to Ellis Island? numbered identity tags passports legal paperwork health documents 2. Most of the passengers understood the officers speaking English. true false 3. Most immigrants traveled with all of their belongings in just a few... (choose all the answers that apply) trunks cloth sacks suitcases 4. Where was the baggage room located for the steerage passengers to leave their belongings upon entering Ellis Island? on the ground floor on the second floor on the top floor 5. After leaving their precious belongings in the baggage room, the immigrants were sent upstairs to which room? The Medical Exam Room The Stairs of Separation The Kissing Post The Registry Room 4th Stop - The Stairs to the Registry Room 1. The Registry Room was upstairs for a reason. Doctors stood on the second floor watching each person as they walked up the winding staircase looking for signs of health problems like trouble walking or breathing. true false 5th Stop - The Registry Room 1. What was the nickname for Registry Hall? The Great Hall The Great Room The Great Way The Great Registry What was performed in the Registry Room? (choose all the answers that apply) a baggage inspection a language analysis a legal inspection a medical inspection When were wooden benches added to the Registry Room? 1892 1903 1915 1923 From 1903-1914, immigrants were checked for which contagious disease? trachoma measles polio tuberculosis What was the name of the tool used to lift a person's eyelid to look for the disease? tweezers stethoscope scalpel buttonhook If an immigrant did not pass their medical or legal inspection they were sent back home. true false 6th Stop- The Medical Exam 1. The first part of a medical exam on Ellis Island was a ... one-minute physical six-second physical ten-minute physical thirty-minute physical 2. Any immigrant that was considered a risk to public health was marked by a _ on their clothing. pen marker stamp piece of chalk 3. Immigrants who were marked were not taken out of line and further inspected. true false 4. If an immigrant was marked with an "X" that denoted ... insanity pulmonary problems trachoma polio 5. Immigrants who passed the six-second medical exam moved on to ... the legal inspection the eye exam collect their belongings the exit 6. How many immigrants on Ellis Island with diseases or disabilities were sent back? 50,000 1 million 120,000 1.5 million 7th Stop - The Legal Inspection 1. Each ship had a list of information that included every passengers name and description. What was the name of that list? deed title manifest roster 2. Who helped the immigrants communicate with the uniformed officers during their legal inspection? interpreters family members captains crew members 3. How many questions was each immigrant asked? 10 15 20 29 4. What happened if an immigrant's answer differed from the answers listed on the manifest? They were immediately arrested. They were detained. They were deported immediately. They were asked to try answering the question again. 8th Stop - Detainees 1. Where did the legal detainees live? in a dormitory on the second floor in a dormitory in the basement in a dormitory on the third floor in a dormitory on the first floor 2. How long did the detainees wait before their case was reviewed? (choose all the answers that apply) a few days a few weeks a month a few years 3. Where were the detainee cases reviewed? the Great Hall the Main Office the Court Room the Hearing Room 4. If an immigrant was detained for medical reasons, where were they kept? (choose all the answers that apply) the island's hospital in quarantine in a dormitory on the third floor on the steamship 5. Who would review a detainee's medical report and decide if he was suitable to enter the United States? a Board of Detainee Guards a Board of Special Inquiry Government Officials the island's hospital doctors 9th Stop - The Stairs of Separation 1. After the medical and legal inspections, the immigrants arrived at the top of another staircase at the other end of the Great Hall. How many aisles did the stair case have? one two three four 2. Immigrants being detained were brought down which aisle? the center aisle the left aisle the right aisle 3. Immigrants traveling west or south were brought down which aisle? the center aisle the left aisle the right aisle 4. Immigrants traveling to New York City or north were brought down which aisle? the center aisle the left aisle the right aisle 5. What was located at the bottom of the staircase? (choose all the answers that apply) a post office a ticketing office for railways an office to exchange money social workers 6. By 1909, immigrants needed at least how much money to enter the US? $10 $20 $30 $40 10th Spot - The Kissing Post 1. Which floor of the building became known as the Kissing Post? the first floor the second floor the third floor the fourth floor 2. The Kissing Post got it's nickname from family and friends who waited for their loved ones and hugged and kissed them after such a long time apart. true false 3. Most immigrants made it through processing on Ellis Island in just a few hours and were free to enter America. true false