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Westward Expansion Study Guide

Total questions: 30

Worksheet time: 16mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

What happened to the price of cattle in TEXAS when ranchers returned home after the war?

a)

The price of cattle increased because there were so many cows.

b)

The price of cattle increased because most of the cows had been eaten.

c)

Nothing happened to the price of cows.

d)

The price of cattle decreased because there were so many cows.

2.

Which statement would be true about the price of cattle?

a)

Cattle would cost MORE in an eastern urban area than a ranch in Texas.

b)

Cattle would cost LESS in an eastern urban area than a ranch in Texas.

3.

Which method of transportation was used to move cattle once they were in Kansas?

a)

Steamboats

b)

Cars

c)

Railroads

d)

Planes

4.

The Black Cowboys of Texas were important in the turn of the century. Why did the Black Cowboys of Texas form during this time?

a)

African Americans found work as farmers where they were given a fresh start and faced less discrimination.

b)

African Americans were always the best ranch hands.

c)

African Americans preferred the climate and the people in the West and in Texas.

d)

African Americans were the only ones who knew the trails to transport the cattle.

5.

Describe the purpose of the cattle trails.

a)

To feed the people in Texas

b)

To transport cattle from Kansas and Oklahoma to Texas

c)

To move cattle from the ranches in Texas to the railheads in Kansas and Oklahoma

d)

To help increase the population of cattle in the United States

6.

Which two items led to the end of cattle trails?

a)

The steamboat and airplane

b)

Barbed wire and the airplane

c)

Railroad expansion and steamboats

d)

Railroad expansion and barbed wire

7.

Which route took cattle to northern territories?

a)

The Great Western Trail

b)

The Chisholm Trail

8.

What was the first cattle trail that started in San Antonio,Texas and ended in Abilene, Kansas?

a)

The Great Western Trail

b)

The Chisholm Trail

9.

The reason cattle were cheap in Texas was because of ______________.

a)

high supply

b)

low supply

c)

high demand

10.

Cattle were herded along trails and then put on ________________.

a)

planes

b)

boats

c)

wagons

d)

trains

11.

African Americans went west to be cowboys because____________.

a)

they liked horses

b)

they were treated better there

c)

they thought it was cool

d)

they wanted to get rich

12.

African Americans who were recently freed and got jobs as cattle ranchers were known as __________________ ?

a)

The Freed Cattle Ranchers

b)

The African American Cattle Rancher's Society

c)

Freedman's Bureau

d)

The Black Cowboys of Texas

13.

True or False: the cattle trails help restore the economy

a)

True

b)

False

14.

The railroad building boom during the nineteenth century contributed to

a)

the rapid industrialization of the United States

b)

the establishment of trade relations with Mexico

c)

increasing agricultural production in the Northeast

15.

The cattle trails only lasted about twenty years because

a)

the demands for beef in the East ended

b)

cowboys were no longer popular

c)

railroads became more widespread

16.

After leaving Kansas, in which direction were cattle mostly shipped to high populations wanting to buy beef?

a)

North

b)

East

c)

South

d)

West

17.

In which direction were cattle herded out of Texas on the Chisholm Trail?

a)

North

b)

East

c)

South

d)

West

18.

Which trail helped ranchers get their cattle out to the frontier of Nebraska and the territories of Dakota, Montana, and Wyoming?

a)

The Great Western Trail

b)

The Chisholm Trail

19.

Which statements best reflect the perspective of most black cowboys in the late 19th century?

(Choose 2)

a)

“My life was better before the Civil War.”

b)

“I am a freed slave who chose to become a cowboy in order to improve my life.”

c)

“White cowboys and American Indian cowboys treat me with respect on the cattle trail.”

d)

“I live my life segregated on the cattle trail, just like blacks are segregated in the South.”

20.

Settlers headed for the _______________ where the _____________ gave free land to families.

a)

North; American Indians

b)

Great Plains; Homestead Act

c)

South; government

21.

The price that people in northeastern states were willing to pay for cattle during the mid-1800s created a price incentive for Texas ranchers to _______________.

(Choose 2)

a)

herd cattle south on cattle trails

b)

ship cattle east on railroads

c)

ship cattle west on railroads

d)

herd cattle north on cattle trails

22.

Why was it necessary to move cattle from Texas?

a)

People in Texas didn't eat beef

b)

There was a terrible drought in Texas and the cattle couldn't get enough food

c)

Cattle never even lived in Texas

d)

There was an over-supply of cattle in Texas and the demand for beef was greater in the Northeast

23.

Which two items led to the end of cattle trails?

a)

The steamboat and airplane

b)

Barbed wire and the airplane

c)

Railroad expansion and barbed wire

d)

Railroad expansion and steamboats

24.

What effect did the invention of barbed wire have on the cattle trails?

a)

Barbed wire was one of the reasons the cattle trails ended.

b)

It helped to keep the cattle trails going.

c)

Barbed wire made it easier for cowboys to drive cattle to the East.

d)

Barbed wire had no effect on the cattle trails.

25.

is a law that gave 160 acres of land to anyone willing to live and work the land for five years

a)

The Transcontinental Railroad

b)

Reservation Act

c)

Homestead Act

26.

True or False: People wanted to move west before it was settled because they wanted to have a fresh start and there were opportunities offered for moving out west.

a)

True

b)

False

27.

What does transcontinental mean?

a)

to travel north and south

b)

to travel across a continent

c)

to travel from one continent to another continent

d)

to travel to transport goods

28.

What was the main purpose of the Transcontinental Railroad?

a)

To make Native Americans move off their land.

b)

To help with transportation, communication, and to connect the nation.

c)

to give immigrants a job, to feel important, and needed in America.

29.

The Central Pacific and the Union Pacific companies hired workers from _________ and _________ to build their railroads.

a)

Japan and Germany

b)

China and Ireland

c)

Canada and Germany

30.

True or False: Beef was scarce in Texas.

a)

True

b)

False