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Dust Bowl

Total questions: 46

Worksheet time: 41mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

In what region of the country did the Dust Bowl take place?

a)

Southwest

b)

Great Plains

c)

Pacific Northwest

d)

Southeast

2.

According to the article, what were giant dust storms called?

a)

Tornadoes

b)

Dirty Hurricanes

c)

Black Blizzards

d)

Dust Ups

3.

During what decade did the Dust Bowl occur?

a)

1890s

b)

1930s

c)

1950s

d)

2000s

4.

Which of the following was a result of dust storms?

a)

Houses were buried in dust.

b)

It was difficult to breathe.

c)

Livestock choked to death.

d)

Crops could not grow.

e)

All of the above

5.

Define Dust Bowl.

a)

area of the Midwest during the 1930's because of a severe drought.

b)

area of the Southeast during the 1920's because of terrible dust storms.

c)

area from Canada to Texas in the 1930's with severe storms.

6.

A drought was _________________________________.

a)

A period of heavy rain and flooding.

b)

A period that was extremely dry and dusty.

c)

A period where people experienced a bountiful harvest.

7.

Check the best answer to fill in the blank.

Black Blizzards were ________________.

a)

when the sun did not come out for days due to heavy cloud cover and dark rain.

b)

Snow that was so heavily mixed with soil that it looked black.

c)

giant dust storms that people could not see through.

8.

Which state was NOT part of the Dust Bowl?

a)

California

b)

Oklahoma

c)

Colorado

d)

Texas

9.

Which of the following did NOT lead to the Dust Bowl?

a)

A severe drought.

b)

Soil was used for growing wheat.

c)

Land was used for cattle.

d)

The government planted trees.

10.

Why did the federal government plant around 200 million trees between 1934 and 1942?

a)

To provide jobs for the "Okies" who came to California.

b)

To make the soil more nutrient-rich.

c)

To create a windbreak to protect the soil from wind evaporation.

d)

To help farmers who had suffered losses during the Dust Bowl.

11.

Around how many years did the Dust Bowl last?

a)

2

b)

10

c)

20

d)

25

12.

epidemics

a)

situations where disease spread quickly and affects many people

b)

act of maintaining cleanliness from dirt and disease

c)

action of showing disapproval

13.

Which word has almost the same meaning as the word calamity?

a)

advantage

b)

comfort

c)

disaster

d)

expectation

14.

Where are the Great Plains?

a)

in southern Canada

b)

west of the Rocky Mountains

c)

in the middle of North America

d)

east of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers

15.

How were the native grasses and the crops farmers planted different?

a)

Animals ate all of the native grasses, but not the crops.

b)

Native grasses had shallow roots and the crops had deep roots.

c)

Native grasses had deep roots and the crops had shallow roots.

d)

Native grasses did not grow back every year and the crops did.

16.

Parts of Kansas, Colorado, Oklahoma, Texas, and _____ were all part of the Dust Bowl.

a)

California

b)

Missouri

c)

Iowa

d)

New Mexico

17.

The land turned to desert and farmers could no longer ____.

a)

farm alone

b)

use certain farming practices

c)

grow crops

18.

Farmers sometimes _______ between their house and barn so they could find their way back through the dust.

a)

had dogs

b)

used flashlights

c)

started fires

d)

strung a clothesline

19.

People spent almost all their time trying to clean and get ____ out of their homes.

a)

dust

b)

water

c)

insects

20.

Many farmers and their families migrated to _____, where they heard there were jobs.

a)

New Mexico

b)

Arizona

c)

Texas

d)

California

21.

The ______ purchased land to allow it to regenerate (kick-start).

a)

taxpayers

b)

farmers

c)

government

d)

millionaires

22.
What caused the Dust Bowl?
a)
no rain, strong winds, poor farming
b)
rain and good weather
c)
too many people, railroads
d)
The President
23.
Why did the Okies go to California?
a)
promise of work
b)
to surf
c)
to fish
d)
for school
24.

Most children were able to attend school every day.

a)

yes

b)

no

25.

who was involved

a)

pioneers

b)

American citizens

c)

farmers

d)

franklin d roosevelt

e)

all of the above

26.

what else is going on at the time

a)

great deppresion

b)

Irish potatoe famine

c)

gold rush

d)

westward expansion

e)

going to school

27.

What disease did people get during the dust bowl

a)

Dust Pneumonia

b)

Cancer

c)

Stomach Acid

d)

Flu

28.

What was it called when the big dust cloud covered cities and made people sick

a)

Purple Friday

b)

Red Saturday

c)

Black Sunday

d)

Pink Monday

29.

Who did the Dust Bowl affect the most?

a)

Police Officers

b)

Teachers

c)

Farmers

d)

Steel Workers

30.

Billie Jo actually wishes for more dust in this season so that (66) -

a)

A. she can hide from those who blame her

b)

B. the piano will be covered

c)

C. she won't be able to hear Ma's moans

d)

D. None of these

31.

The scenes in which Billie Jo tries to save her Ma (61) and tries to save the apple trees (68-69) are similar because -

a)

A. she sacrifices her hands in both

b)

B. she is defeated both times

c)

C. she is fighting to save what she loves

d)

D. All of these

32.

Billie Jo thinks she is similar to the trees that President Roosevelt says the people in the Dust Bowl should plant (75). They are alike because

a)

A. they're not meant to be in that area

b)

B. they would all struggle to survive there

c)

C. they wouldn't be able to grow there

d)

D. All of these

33.

Miss Freeland's lesson in the poem "The Path of our Sorrow" (83) is similar to Don Brown's graphic novel because

a)

A. They both feature Billie Jo

b)

B. They both teach historical facts

c)

C. They both explain the causes and effects of the dust storms

d)

both B and C

34.

"My father and I, we can’t soothe each other. I’m too young, he’s too old, and we don’t know how to talk anymore if we ever did."

What does soothe mean in the text?

a)

communicate with

b)

have fun with

c)

provide comfort to

d)

arrange help for

35.

"The dust blew, they say, so you’d think it would have smothered the fire out, but the flames, crazy in the wind, licked away at the wooden frames of the three box cars, until nothing remained but warped metal, and twisted rails, scorched dirt, and charred tiles."

What is Billie Jo's tone in this excerpt?

a)

logical

b)

hateful

c)

impartial

d)

reflective

36.

What was the author's purpose for "Out of the Dust" by Karen Hesse?

a)

The author's purpose was to examine the challenges of surviving in the Dust Bowl from the point of view of someone living there.

b)

the author's purpose was to describe her life to her friend so she would know what was happening.

c)

The author's purpose was to try to convince the American people to support his ideas of how to help the farmers in the Dust Bowl.

37.

"A boy came by the house today,/he asked for food./He couldn't pay anything, but Ma set him down/and gave him biscuits/and milk./...We watched him walk away/down the road,/in a pair of Daddy's mended overalls,/his legs like willow limbs,/his arms like reeds" (Hesse 58-59).

What is the meaning of the simile, "his legs like willow limbs,/his arms like reeds," as it is used in the excerpt of the poem?

a)

His arms and legs were short.

b)

He was covered in leaves and sticks from the dust storm.

c)

He had a peg leg and arms made out of wood.

d)

His arms and legs were very thin.

38.

Which word means "extremely weak"?

a)

gaunt

b)

frail

c)

forsaken

d)

sparse

39.

How old is Billie Jo

a)

12

b)

14

c)

13

d)

15

40.

What kind of person is Ma?

a)

Honest

b)

Annoying

c)

Strict

d)

Loving

41.

What kind of store owner is Mr. Hardly?

a)

Kind

b)

Loving

c)

A thief

d)

Mean

42.

Billie Jo loved to do what?

a)

Play soccer

b)

Play piano

c)

jump rope

d)

double dutch

43.

What was Billie Jo's dad?

a)

truck driver

b)

bus driver

c)

farmer

d)

dog catcher

44.

When is the Dust Bowl time period?

a)

1930s

b)

1950s

c)

2000s

d)

2021

45.

What animal was destroying Mr. Romney and Mr. Noble’s crops?

a)

Raccoons

b)

Snakes

c)

Dogs

d)

Rabbits

46.

Where does Billie Jo and her family live?

a)

Texas

b)

Louisiana

c)

Oklahoma

d)

Arkansas