John Wesley Powell Maps the Grand Canyon

What did Powell’s team set out to explore?

• the Colorado River

• the Green River

• Redwall Cavern

• Marble Canyon

The passage describes a sequence of events in John Wesley Powell’s exploration of the Colorado River. What did Powell and his men do after they entered the Grand Canyon?

• They entered “Land of the Standing Rock.”

• They explored the Green River

• They explored a canyon they named Gray Canyon.

• They camped in Redwall Cavern

Exploring the Colorado River was sometimes dangerous for Powell and his men. What evidence from the passage supports this statement?

• “Sandstone rocks appeared in the shapes of anvils, arches and steeples.”

• “They clung for their lives when the river fell into steep rapids.”

• “The cavern was a rock overhang that had been cut by the river.”

• “For three days the canyon walls got higher and higher.”

Why may four men have abandoned the expedition?

• The men were bored of exploring rocky landscapes.

• The men on the expedition ran out of money.

• Exploring the Colorado River was often difficult.

• The weather during the expedition was too hot.

What is this passage mostly about?

• Powell’s expedition to explore and map the Colorado River

• the four men who abandoned Powell’s expedition

• how the Grand Canyon got its name

• the dangerous whitewater rapids along the Colorado River

Read the following sentences: “Some days they had no trouble; the river was wide and calm. On those days they climbed the canyon walls to survey the area and collect specimens or supplies. The wind swept across the arid landscape. Sandstone rocks appeared in the shapes of anvils, arches and steeples.”

What does the word “survey” mean as used in this sentence?

• to damage or destroy something

• to move far away from something

• to ignore or pay no attention to something

• to look at or study something closely

Choose the answer that best completes the sentence below.

Powell’s team of explorers had to pack many things in their boats, _________ ammunition, traps, food, and scientific instruments.

• on the other hand

• including

• finally

• in closing

What is another meaning of the word expedition?

• the quality of being intense

• a group making a journey

• a specific feeling of desire

What is another meaning of the word rapid?

• having strength or power greater than average or expected

• marked by high speed

• conforming exactly to a standard

What was one canyon that Powell’s expedition did not explore?

• Grand Canyon

• Marble Canyon

• Gray Canyon

• Golden Canyon