Lesson 12: Railroads Open the West to Rapid Settlement

Before the 1850s, most railroads in the United States were short lines connecting cities and towns in just one region. When did the rail building in the 1850s drastically change this?

• 1859

• 1849

• 1860

• 1850

What was the main reason for the demand of a transcontinental railroad during the 1850s?

• To settle western lands

• To connect the East and West coasts by rail

• To link California and Oregon with the rest of the Union

• To transport goods across the Great Plains and the Rockies

Who were the founders of the Central Pacific Railroad Company?

• The U.S. Army

• The Union Pacific Railroad Company

• The Cheyenne, Arapaho, and Lakota tribes

• The Big Four

Which act passed in 1862 directed the Central Pacific and the Union Pacific Railroad Company to construct railway and telegraph lines from the Missouri River to the Pacific Ocean?

• The Gold Rush Act

• The Pacific Railway Act

• The Transcontinental Act

• The Westward Expansion Act

What did the government pledge to help each railroad company with under the Pacific Railway Act?

• 1,000 acres of land and up to $10,000 in loans for each mile of track laid

• 100 acres of land and up to $1,000 in loans for each mile of track laid

• 10,000 acres of land and up to $100,000 in loans for each mile of track laid

• 6,400 acres of land and up to $48,000 in loans for each mile of track laid

Which tribes controlled the territory through which the Union Pacific Railroad Company's route followed?

• The Big Four

• The Chinese workers

• The U.S. Army

• The Cheyenne, Arapaho, and Lakota tribes

What was the major challenge faced by the Central Pacific Railroad Company during the construction of the transcontinental railroad?

• Finding enough workers

• Crossing the Sierra Nevada

• Dealing with conflicts with Indigenous tribes

• Raising adequate funds

Which group of workers made up four-fifths of the Central Pacific Railroad Company's labor force?

• Gold rush workers

• Indigenous workers

• Chinese workers

• White workers

What was the major benefit of completing the transcontinental railroad?

• Served the transportation needs of new industries

• Encouraged settlement by making land available

• Reduced travel time between the Pacific and Atlantic coasts

• Increased government control over the railroad companies

What did the completion of the transcontinental railroad mark?

• The start of the Industrial Revolution

• A turning point in the history of the West

• The beginning of the Civil War

• The end of the gold rush