"The Railroad Network" Reading Quiz

What was one of the main reasons the United States needed a railroad network during industrialization?

• To increase the number of farms

• To improve communication

• To move raw materials to factories

• To reduce the population

How many miles of railroad track did the United States have when the Civil War began in 1861?

• 10,000 miles

• 30,000 miles

• 50,000 miles

• 100,000 miles

By what year did most railroad companies agree on a standard gauge?

• 1850

• 1861

• 1886

• 1900

When the Civil War began, most of the railroad track in the United States was in the _______.

• North

• South

• East

• West

Without a standard gauge, _______.

• trains from one company did not fit the tracks of another company

• passengers and goods had to be unloaded each time they changed lines

• trips took much longer than they do now

• all of the above

By 1900, _______.

• most railroad companies had agreed on a standard gauge

• 200,000 miles of railroad connected towns and cities

• over 40 percent of Americans lived in towns and cities

• all of the above

Railroads moved raw materials to _______.

• factories

• markets

• people's homes

• schools

The railroad helped change the United States into a mostly _______ country.

• agricultural

• industrial

• rural

• none of the above

In 1860, about 80 percent of Americans lived in _______ areas.

• urban

• rural

• coastal

• suburban

The _______ _______ allowed trains from different companies to fit on each other's tracks.

• standard gauge

• narrow gauge

• wide gauge

• custom gauge