Western Expansion Quiz

What was the significance of the Comstock Lode?

• It was a major oil discovery

• It was a major silver discovery

• It was a major coal discovery

• It was a major copper discovery

What was the goal of the transcontinental rail line?

• To connect the North and South coasts

• To connect the Atlantic and Pacific coasts

• To connect Canada and Mexico

• To connect Europe and Asia

What was the purpose of the firebox in a steam locomotive?

• To store coal

• To generate steam

• To hold water

• To provide seating

What marked the end of the "Cattle Kingdom"?

• The discovery of gold

• The price collapse of the mid-1880s

• The invention of the automobile

• The building of railroads

What role did women play on farms in the Great Plains?

• Only worked in the fields

• Managed the household and farmwork

• Handled financial transactions

• Taught children exclusively

What was the purpose of the Homestead Act?

• To encourage settlement

• To protect Native American lands

• To build railroads

• To establish national parks

In 1858, __________ was discovered at Pikes Peak.

• uranium

• silver

• gold

• platinum

A town that grew up almost overnight around a mining site was called a __________.

• bust town

• vigilante

• mother lode

• boomtown

The __________ gave 160 free acres of land to a settler who paid a filing fee and lived on the land for five years.

• Homestead Act

• Exodusters

• Railroad Company policies

• Sooners

Native Americans on the Great Plains used the __________ for many of the essentials of life.

• antelope

• bighorn sheep

• longhorn cattle

• buffalo