Age of Railroads (WA State History)

Examples of a corporation.

• Northern Pacific Railroad

• Amazon

• Microsoft

• Enumclaw School District

Answer explanation

Northern Pacific Railroad, Amazon, and Microsoft are all corporations, as they are business entities that operate for profit and are owned by a group of people who own stock in the company. Enumclaw School District is a public entity, not a corporation.

Who was president of the Great Northern Railroad

• John Jacob Jingleheimerschmitt

• Henry S. Villard

• James J. Hill

• Frederick Weyerhaeuser

Answer explanation

• Westward running from Minnesota to Seattle,

• Hill financed his Great Northern RR by selling land to homesteaders and real estate developers.

• He charged less than other RR competitors for shipping on the railroad.

• The RR helped Washington to grow its population.

What was the "terminus" for the Great Northern Railroad?

• Portland

• Seattle

• Tacoma

• Wenatchee

Answer explanation

A terminus is the end of the railroad route.

This image shows the temporary terminus in Seattle at Pioneer Square in 1893.

In 1853 the Railroad Survey Bill authorized the exploration of a potential route for ...

• a Northwest Passage

• a railroad to Mexico

• a railroad to Canada (controlled by Great Britain)

• a transcontinental railroad

Answer explanation

A "transcontinental railroad" is a continuous railroad trackage that crosses a continental landmass, connecting locations on different oceans or continental borders.

In the United States, it specifically refers to a rail line connecting the Pacific coast with the eastern trunk line rail systems. 

Construction of the Northern Pacific Railroad was made possible through a federal land grant subsidy.

• True

• False

Answer explanation

• A subsidy is a sum of money or land the government grants (gives) to help an industry.

• Many railroads relied on the subsidy of land grants.

• Railroad companies kept some land for tracks

  and sold the rest to settlers to get money for the building of the railroad.

Examples of corruption include

• politicians taking bribes to support laws favorable to the railroads

• offering stock that is less than the price paid for it

• railway owners lying to get larger loans

• politicians being honest and doing their duties to benefit the public

Answer explanation

Corruption is dishonest practices in business or politics.

A share in a company is called a ...

• lock

• stock

• barrel

• capital

Answer explanation

A stock is a share or part ownership in a business or company.

Some transcontinental rail lines were unable to pay their debts. They went ....

• bankrupt

• solvent

• bartered

• infringed

Answer explanation

Bankrupt mean being unable to pay debts or not having financial resources.

Industries like timber, coal, and agriculture benefitted from the railroads as a ...

• regional network

• roundhouse network

• distribution network

• media network

Answer explanation

A distribution network is a system for the marketing, transporting, and selling of any good or service. Railroads served as a distribution network to supply goods to stores and businesses in many places.

The Great Northern Railroad did NOT go bankrupt like other railroads; it remained SOLVENT. What does "solvent" mean?

• Able to solve its own problems

• Able to pay its debts

• Able to dissolve paint

• Able to subsidize itself

Answer explanation

James J. Hill charged less for a ticket, less for shipping freight, and encouraged farmers to find new farming methods. This allowed his railroad to continue to make money and pay its debts.