The Dust Bowl (CommonLit)
Authored by Crystal Birch
Social Studies, English
7th Grade
Used 97+ times
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This quiz focuses on the Dust Bowl, a critical environmental and social disaster in American history that occurred during the 1930s. Based on the complexity of the reading comprehension skills required and the sophisticated analysis of cause-and-effect relationships, this assessment is designed for 7th grade students studying American history within a social studies curriculum. The questions demand that students demonstrate mastery of several interconnected concepts: identifying multiple causation in historical events, distinguishing between central ideas and supporting details in informational texts, analyzing how authors structure their writing to convey meaning, and understanding the far-reaching consequences of environmental disasters. Students must synthesize information about agricultural practices, environmental factors, and economic impacts while demonstrating advanced reading comprehension skills such as textual analysis and evidence-based reasoning. Created by Crystal Birch, a Social Studies teacher in the US who teaches grade 7. This quiz serves as an excellent tool for assessing students' comprehension of a CommonLit text while simultaneously reinforcing critical historical content about the Dust Bowl era. Teachers can effectively utilize this assessment as a follow-up activity after students complete the reading, as a formative assessment to gauge understanding before moving to related topics, or as homework to reinforce both reading skills and historical knowledge. The quiz works particularly well for review sessions before unit tests or as a warm-up activity to activate prior knowledge before discussing the broader impacts of the Great Depression. The assessment directly aligns with Reading Informational Text standards RI.7.1 (citing textual evidence), RI.7.2 (determining central ideas), RI.7.3 (analyzing interactions between individuals and events), and RI.7.5 (analyzing text structure), while also supporting social studies standards related to understanding human-environment interactions and the causes and effects of historical events.
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5 questions
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1.
MULTIPLE SELECT QUESTION
15 mins • 1 pt
What contributed to the Dust Bowl?
One-third of the Great Plains suffered from severe dust storms during the Dust Bowl.
People plowed over all of the natural prairie grasses that kept the topsoil in place.
In 1939, large amounts of rain came and ended the drought.
Farmers planted crops too often, instead of giving the soil a break every now and then.
2.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
15 mins • 1 pt
PART A: Which statement identifies the central idea of the text? (RI,KID.2)
Farmers aggressively harvested the land in the Great Plains, despite warning from environmentalists that it could result in dust storms.
There was nothing that farmers could have done to prevent the Dust Bowl, as they merely chose the wrong time and place to farm.
Farmer's treatment of the land weakened it against the elements and resulted in dust storms that negatively impacted life in the Great Plains.
The Dust Bowl negatively impacted life for everyone in America, as dust spread beyond the Great Plains and farmers couldn't produce crops.
3.
MULTIPLE SELECT QUESTION
15 mins • 1 pt
PART B: Which TWO details from the text best support the answer to Part A? (RI.KID.1)
"Several factors caused the Dust Bowl. In the 1920s, the central US had more rain than usual, and agriculture boomed." (paragraph 4)
"First, in order to plant as much wheat as possible, they plowed over all of the natural prairie grasses that kept the topsoil in place." (paragraph 4)
"Those winds picked up all of the dry soil and sent it flying. People called these strong dust storms 'black blizzards,' which could sometimes last for one or two days straight." (paragraph 5)
However, the whole United States suffered from an economic crisis, and California's agriculture sector did not have room for many new workers." (paragraph 6)
"A group of government employees planted trees throughout the region to restore root networks and keep the dirt stuck to the ground." (paragraph 8)
4.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
15 mins • 1 pt
Which of the following describes how the author introduces dust storms in the text? (RI.KID.3)
as mysterious events that people struggled to understand for years.
as deadly storms that claimed many people's lives in the Great Plains.
as similar to other storms that people in the Great Plains encountered.
as serious storms that frightened people by their appearance and power.
5.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
15 mins • 1 pt
How does paragraph 6 contribute to the development of ideas in the text? (RI.CS.5)
It shows the extent of the effects that dust storms had on families.
it emphasizes how dust storms often extended beyond the Great Plains.
it shows how families protected themselves from the dust storms.
it reveals why some farmers decided to stay in the Great Plains.
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