The West Quiz

1. All of the following are reasons people moved west EXCEPT for

• desiring new or more farmland

• striking it rich by finding gold and silver

• making money from ranching new cattle

• taking opportunities to work in new factories

2. The first railroad to cross the United States was the

• Union Pacific Railroad

• Missouri Railroad

• Transcontinental Railroad

• Central Pacific Railroad

3. All of the following are ways the railroad changed America EXCEPT for

• created time zones across America

• made transportation of goods faster

• increased the growth of cities near the tracks

• introduced the idea of the cattle car

4.  Why did Texas cattle ranchers have to perform long drives of 1,000 miles?

• to find more land to graze on

• to get their cattle to railroads

• to get their cattle away from town

• to escape the heat of the summer

5. Why was the Homestead Act important to helping settle the western lands?

• It motivated people to move west to get 160 acres of free land

• It created a reservation system to give homes to Native Americans

• It provided a way to ship goods across the country, building cities

6. Which statement best describes life in the west for farmers?

• They faced hardships such as little rain, dry soil, and extreme wind

• They grew rich off of the large supply of wheat and corn they farmed

• They struggled with the new fenced in land that barbed wire created

7. What did the Indian Peace Commission recommend should be done with Native Americans?

• They should be honored and respected

• They should be captured

• They should be moved to reservations

8. The aim of the Dawes Act of 1887 was to

• restore previously taken land to Native American tribes

• maintain traditional Native American culture

• end all governmental contact with Native Americans

• replace Native American culture with white American culture

9. Which group of Americans made up the newly formed Populist party in the 1890s?

• immigrants

• miners

• farmers

10. What was a major goal of the Populist party?

• promote the use of using railroads

• replace gold with silver currency

• stop farmer's alliances from forming