Transcontinental Railroad SW Week 21

Why was there a need to connect the eastern and western territories of the United States in the 1800s?

• To improve communication in the west

• To enhance military defense in the south

• To make transportation faster than the wagon trains to help with economic growth

• To increase tourism in the east

Which act did President Abraham Lincoln sign to help connect the east and west coasts of the United States?

• The Emancipation Proclamation

• The Civil Rights Act

• The Pacific Railway Act

• The Homestead Act

What was the main reason Lincoln wanted to create a transportation system in the middle of the Civil War?

• To transport food supplies to civilians

• To move the army to provide protection

• To encourage trade between the states

• To evacuate civilians from war zones

Which two companies were tasked with building the railroad tracks according to the Pacific Railway Act?

• Eastern Pacific and Western Pacific

• Central Pacific and Union Pacific

• Northern Pacific and Southern Pacific

• Atlantic Pacific and Midwest Pacific

Where did the two railroad tracks meet, completing the transcontinental route?

• Promontory Summit, Utah

• Sierra Nevada, California

• Rocky Mountains, Colorado

• Great Plains, Nebraska

How did the two companies building the Transcontinental Railroad receive their payment?

• Paid for every mile of railroad track they laid down

• After completing the entire railroad

• Monthly, regardless of progress

• Before construction began

Where did the Union Pacific Railroad begin building its section of the railroad?

• New York

• Omaha, Nebraska

• San Francisco, California

• Chicago, Illinois

How were the railroad workers' working conditions described in the article?

• Safe and well-regulated

• Easy and well-paid

• Dangerous and backbreaking

• Short hours and high wages

What significant impact did the completion of the transcontinental railroad have on the United States?

• It led to economic decline

• It created a union across the country

• It isolated the western states

• It decreased trade and communication

Which railroad company had to use explosives such as dynamite to help them build their track through the Rocky Mountains?

• The American System

• Pacific Railway Act

• Union Pacific Railroad

• Central Pacific Railroad