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Westward Expansion

Total questions: 50

Worksheet time: 51mins

Name
Class
Date
1.
Why did people move to California in 1849 for the gold rush?
a)
To strike it rich
b)
To sell tools 
2.
Who was Santa Anna?
a)
Mexico's president
b)
The leader of the American Army
c)
Santa Clause's mom
3.
Why were many Americans moving out West?
a)
To be with their families 
b)
Better weather conditions
c)
Good, cheap farmland
4.
A town whose population grows very quickly is called a ____________.
a)
Pop town
b)
Fast  town
c)
Boomtown
5.
Where did the Oregon Trail begin?
a)
Independence, Missouri 
b)
Oregon City, Oregon
c)
Rocky Mountains 
6.
What was the job of a gold miner like?
a)
Rich and luxurious 
b)
Difficult and dangerous
c)
Fun and rewarding
7.
Why was the period called 'The Gold Rush'?
a)
The men became rich quickly because of the gold
b)
The men discovered the gold very quickly
c)
Many men rushed there in search of gold
8.
How did James Marshall discover gold?
a)
He was building a saw mill and saw it in the river
b)
He was swimming in the river and saw the gold 
c)
He was at the end of a rainbow 
9.
What was the name given to the mining towns after the people left?
a)
James Towns
b)
Gold Towns
c)
Ghost towns
10.

What was the main goal of the Lewis & Clark expedition?

a)

bring back Native Americans that lived in this territory

b)

prevent Spain from claiming all the land

c)

find gold and riches

d)

explore the land acquired by the Louisiana Purchase

11.

Choose 3 important parts of the Lewis & Clark expedition.

a)

explored the southwest into Spanish territory

b)

commissioned by Thomas Jefferson

c)

searched for a water route to the Pacific Ocean

d)

explored the northern portions of the US to Canada

12.

What happened to the size of the United States because of the Louisiana Purchase?

a)

it got smaller

b)

it stayed the same

c)

it grew a small amount

d)

it doubled in size

13.

Why did Thomas Jefferson want to buy the land around New Orleans?

a)

to expand the United States

b)

for farmers to be able to transport their goods to the French port

c)

to avoid war

d)

for farmers to be able to trade furs with the Native Americans

14.

What caused the United States to acquire the Mexican Cession?

a)

it was part of the Louisiana Purchase

b)

it was part of the Annexing of Texas

c)

winning the Mexican War

d)

they bought the land from Mexico

15.
List an obstacle that settlers faced traveling west.
a)
mountains
b)
crossing rivers
c)
the great plains
d)
all of the above
16.

What impact did the railroads have on Native Americans?

a)

the railroads helped the Native Americans move east

b)

Native Americans got jobs on the railroads

c)

the railroads limited their land and decreased their food supply and resources

d)

the railroads increased the amount of land the Native Americans had

17.

What was the cause of a town becoming a ghost town?

a)

the gold runs out in the local mine

b)

the railroad moves its station away from the town

c)

both

d)

none of the above

18.
Which of the following explains the major drawback of mining?
a)
mining became useless as new technology replaced natural resources
b)
mining proved to be unprofitable
c)
mining was destructive to the natural environment
d)
mining did not provide any jobs for local residents
19.
What was the effect of the Transcontinental Railroad?
a)
Became a more efficient form of transportation for settlers
b)
Increased trade between the east and west and boosted the economy
c)
Polluted the air and the natural environment
d)
All of the above
20.
What is the Pony Express?
a)
The name of a horse
b)
A new town
c)
A way to deliver mail
d)
A horse race
21.
The belief that the US had a right and duty to expand across the North American contitent was known as
a)
The Great Expansion
b)
Manifest Destiny
c)
Oregon Fever
d)
The Monroe Doctrine
22.
What act allowed the national government to make deals with the Native Americans to exchange their land?
a)
Indian Removal Act
b)
Civillization ACt 
c)
Manifest Destiny Act
d)
Indian Territory Act
23.
What did the westward expansion offer for former slaves?
a)
food
b)
wealth
c)
land
d)
a new beginning and freedom
24.
What invention helped prevent cattle from escaping?
a)
bean picker
b)
barbed wire
c)
steel plow
d)
windmills 
25.

Uncharted territory or wilderness

a)

Expedition

b)

Frontier

c)

Pacific

d)

Exploration

26.

Chartered a government for the Northwest Territory and provided a method for admitting new states to the Union from the territory.

a)

Northwest Ordinance

b)

Proclamation of 1763

c)

Treaty of Paris

d)

Magna Carta

27.

Acquisition of a territory by the United States from France in 1803. Doubled the size of the U.S.

a)

Louisiana Purchase

b)

Gadsden Purchase

c)

Mexican Cession

d)

Adams Onis Treaty

28.

The name given to the group of pioneers who went to California during the Gold Rush

a)

Forty Niners

b)

Golden Nuggets

c)

Golden Arches

d)

Seventy Sixers

29.

A 2000 mile trail that stretched from Missouri to Oregon, many pioneers traveled this trail to go west

a)

Mormon Trail

b)

Santa Fe Trail

c)

Oregon Trail

d)

California Trail

30.
Mormons moved from New York to the West in the early 1830s in order to
a)
obey the Book of Mormon
b)
prosper in the fur trade
c)
seek out religious freedom
d)
gold
31.
Who won the Battle of the Alamo?
a)
Mexico
b)
Texans
32.
Where is the location of the Alamo?
a)
Santa Anna, Texas
b)
San Angelo, Texas
c)
San Felipe, Texas
d)
San Antonio, Texas
33.

Where did Texas win its independence?

a)

The Alamo

b)

San Juan

c)

San Jacinto

34.

Who was the leader of the Texas soldiers at the Alamo?

a)

William B. Travis

b)

James Fannin

c)

Tom Sawyer

d)

James Bowie

35.

Even though Texans lost the Battle of the Alamo, what significant thing happened as a result?

a)

Women and children were not killed at the Alamo

b)

Santa Anna was killed at the battle

c)

Texas continued to fight for its freedom

d)

Six hundred Mexican soldiers were killed.

36.

What is another word for people who study history?

a)

teachers

b)

librarians

c)

philosophers

d)

historians

37.

Women, children, and servants were moved to the church because _______.

a)

they were not brave enough to stay and fight

b)

it would be the best escape route

c)

it was the safest area of the mission

38.
How much did the Louisiana Purchase cost?
a)
15 million
b)
1.5 trillion
c)
15 thousand
39.
Who did Thomas Jefferson choose to lead the Corps of Discovery? 
a)
Meriwether Lewis
b)
William Clark
c)
Sacagawea 
40.
Lewis and Clark choose Sacagawea to join the Corps of Discovery.  Sacagawea was a Native American born to which tribe?
a)
Cherokee
b)
Sioux
c)
Shoshone 
41.
The Corps of Discovery is also known as what?
a)
The Lewis and Clark Expedition
b)
The Lewis and Clark Trip
c)
The Lewis and Clark Journey
42.
Which president purchased the Louisiana Territory from France?
a)
Abraham Lincoln
b)
Thomas Jefferson
c)
John Adams
d)
George Washington
43.
What year was gold discovered at Sutter's Mill?
a)
1948
b)
1849
c)
1848
d)
1850
44.
What was the first thing miners did when they arrived in California?
a)
stake a claim for their land
b)
take a shower
c)
start gold panning
d)
try to meet friends
45.
Some store owners became rich selling gold prospectors their supplies.
a)
True
b)
False
46.
1. What was "gold fever?" 
a)
A. A disease caused by exposure to radioactive gold 
b)
B. A sudden rise in gold prices caused by the discovery of gold in California 
c)
C. A mental illness that caused people to mistake worthless metals for gold 
d)
D. The desire to get rich quick by acquiring gold
47.
In what way did camp life change for miners over time?
a)
Camps grew into towns with shops and restaurants.
b)
Fires spread from tent to tent more quickly and easily.
c)
Immigrants faced less discrimination than before.
d)
Miners began to live in tents instead of in cabins and houses.
48.
Prices during the Gold Rush ___________________ due to supply and demand.
a)
increased
b)
decreased
49.

Many forty-niners planned to make a quick fortune. What is a fortune?

a)

a large trip

b)

a large sum of money

c)

a large mine

d)

a large business

50.

Which of the following events happened in January 1848?

a)

The first gold was found in California

b)

Many people started moving out West.

c)

The first ship from China landed in California.

d)

California became a state.

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