Migration, Industry, and Urban Society Quiz

Boomtowns grew rapidly in the West due to an abundance of

• rich farmland

• manufacturing industries

• mining opportunities

• cattle ranches

The Comstock Lode refers to the

• influx of settlers in the West

• acquisition of valuable land

• discovery of a valuable silver deposit

• establishment of a large cattle ranch

The federal government assisted cattle ranchers by

• allowing their cattle to graze on the open range for free

• fencing in farming and sheep lands using barbed wire

• offering to insure their cattle against harsh weather

• paying shipping fees to get cattle to eastern markets

Hydraulic mining devastated the environment by

• breaking off pieces of rock

• killing cattle

• washing debris into rivers

• diverting waterways

What factor contributed to the explosion of cattle ranches in the Great Plains during the mid-1800s?

• the mild weather

• the abundance of fresh water

• the end of the Civil War

• the construction of railroads

Why did Hispanos leave much of their land in the Southwest?

• Congress struck down part of a treaty that protected their land rights

• They decided to move to Mexico rather than stay in the United States

• They traded their land for other goods and services

• Hispanos did not approve of the gold mining that became popular in the region

Railroads enabled western settlement by

• exchanging land for employment

• selling land to settlers

• offering free transportation to settlers

• being the only transportation in the West

What was the main cause of the wars between the United States and Native Americans in the late 1800s?

• conflicts over slavery

• disputes over mining rights

• increased white settlement

• infighting over hunting grounds

Threshing machines made wheat harvesting easier on the Great Plains by

• irrigating dry fields with water

• knocking the kernels loose

• planting seeds deep in the ground

• tying stalks into tight bundles

How did farming practices on the Great Plains affect the environment?

• Dry farming exposed underground waterways to pollution

• Overuse depleted the soil's nutrients, weakening local ecosystems

• Wheat crops harbored insect infestations

• New farming technology caused the soil to dry out