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WorksheetsU.S. History – First Semester Study Guide (6th Grade)
Total questions: 110
Worksheet time: 55mins
What was discovered in Colorado in 1858?
Gold
Silver
Coal
Oil
Describe a boomtown.
A town that grew quickly because of mining
A permanent farming settlement
A military fort on the frontier
A planned city built by the government
What was the Comstock Lode?
A cattle trail in Texas
A large silver discovery in Nevada
A federal land law
The first transcontinental railroad
What was the Pacific Railway Act?
A treaty with Native Americans
A law that helped build a railroad across the U.S.
A ban on barbed wire
A tax on factory goods
Which two cities were connected by the transcontinental railroad?
Omaha and Sacramento
Denver and Cheyenne
St. Louis and San Francisco
Austin and Phoenix
Which two companies built the transcontinental railroad?
Central Pacific and Union Pacific
Southern Pacific and Northern Pacific
BNSF and Amtrak
Great Northern and Erie
Who was hired by the Central Pacific Railroad to build the transcontinental railroad?
Chinese immigrants
Irish immigrants
Mexican cowboys
British soldiers
Where did the transcontinental railroad meet when it was finished?
Promontory Point, Utah
Dodge City, Kansas
Carson City, Nevada
Sacramento, California
Why were cattle worth more in the East?
More people wanted beef
Railroads were banned
Grass was richer
Laws set fixed prices
Why did the Cattle Kingdom end?
Overgrazing, harsh winters, barbed wire
Too many gold strikes
Shortage of cowboys
Government subsidies increased
What was the Homestead Act?
It gave free land to settlers
It required settlers to pay high taxes
It outlawed homesteads
It created national parks only
What was the Oklahoma Land Rush?
A race to claim land
A flood that destroyed farms
A battle between ranchers
A march to protest taxes
What was the Dawes Act?
It divided Native American land
It expanded reservations
It guaranteed tribal sovereignty
It created new states
Why was farming hard on the Plains?
Little rain and hard soil
Too many forests
Excessive mountains
Year-round flooding
Why was Wounded Knee important?
It ended Native American resistance
It began the Civil War
It discovered gold
It created the Pony Express
What happened at Little Bighorn?
Native Americans defeated Custer
Custer defeated Native Americans
A peace treaty was signed
The railroad was completed
What was the Second Industrial Revolution?
A time of new machines and factories
The end of all industry
A return to farming only
A political movement to ban factories
What was the effect of railroad consolidation?
Fewer, larger railroad companies controlled big systems
Immediate end of rail travel in the U.S.
Free fares for all passengers nationwide
Rail lines became independent small lines with more competition
What did Thomas Edison invent?
The light bulb
The telephone
The airplane
The telegraph
Who built the first airplane?
The Wright brothers
The Duryea brothers
Rockefeller and Carnegie
Thomas Edison
What were the Duryea brothers known for?
The first gas-powered car in the U.S.
Building the first airplane
Inventing the telephone
Owning Standard Oil
How did the assembly line help cars?
Cars were made faster and cheaper
Cars became heavier
Cars were made slower
Cars became more expensive
What was the Bessemer Process?
A faster way to make steel
A method to refine oil
A system to send telegraphs
A law to stop monopolies
Who invented the telegraph?
Samuel Morse
Alexander Graham Bell
Thomas Edison
Andrew Carnegie
What did Alexander Graham Bell invent?
The telephone
The light bulb
The airplane
The steam engine
What is a patent?
Legal protection for an invention
A share of a company
A type of union
A tax on steel
What are corporations?
Businesses owned by many people
Inventions patented by Edison
Small family farms
Government agencies
What are stocks?
Shares of a company
Pieces of steel
Types of telegraphs
Parts of a car
What is true about shareholders?
They own part of a company
They run the government
They build airplanes
They invent patents
Who owned Standard Oil?
John D. Rockefeller
Andrew Carnegie
Henry Ford
Thomas Edison
What is a monopoly?
One company controls a business
Workers joining a union
A fast steel-making process
A group of shareholders
How did Rockefeller use horizontal integration?
He bought his competitors
He controlled all parts of production
He invented the telephone
He formed labor unions
What company did Carnegie own?
Carnegie Steel
Standard Oil
Ford Motor Company
Western Union Telegraph
How did Carnegie use vertical integration?
He owned all parts of production
He bought his competitors
He built the first airplane
He created a monopoly law
What was the Sherman Antitrust Act?
A law to stop monopolies
A faster way to make steel
A device for sending messages
A type of stock certificate
Why did labor unions form?
For better pay and safety
To build airplanes
To invent new telegraphs
To stop patents
How did the government respond to strikes?
They sent troops
They lowered taxes
They built more factories
They passed the Bessemer Process
What was the Homestead Strike about?
Low pay and long hours
Rising farm prices
Shorter workdays for bankers
Union leaders demanding vacation time
Which statement best compares the Knights of Labor and the AFL?
Knights accepted all workers; AFL accepted skilled workers
Knights organized only skilled workers; AFL admitted everyone
Knights represented factory owners; AFL represented immigrants only
Both groups accepted only unskilled workers
What was one major effect of the Triangle Fire?
New safety laws were passed
Immigration to New York stopped
Labor unions were banned
Tenements were torn down
Why did so many die in the Triangle Fire?
Locked doors and unsafe exits
Firefighters refused to respond
The building was made of stone
People chose to stay inside
What happened at Haymarket Square?
A bomb exploded during a protest
A peace treaty was signed
A factory opened
A flood destroyed the market
From where did many new immigrants come?
Southern and Eastern Europe
Northern Africa
Western Europe only
South America only
Why did immigrants travel in steerage?
It was cheap
It was the fastest
It had private rooms
It was safer than other areas
What gift from France stands in New York Harbor?
Statue of Liberty
Eiffel Tower
Arc de Triomphe
Liberty Bell
Which station opened in 1892 to process immigrants arriving on the East Coast?
Ellis Island
Angel Island
Alcatraz
Governors Island
Where is Angel Island located?
San Francisco Bay
Hudson River
Boston Harbor
Puget Sound
How were Chinese immigrants treated compared with European immigrants?
Worse than Europeans
Better than Europeans
Exactly the same
Only allowed in if wealthy
What did immigrants experience when they arrived at Ellis Island?
Health checks and interviews
Automatic citizenship
Military training
Language classes
Why did immigrants settle in ethnic neighborhoods?
For support and familiarity
To avoid all contact with others
Because rents were highest
To live near factories only
What was the Chinese Exclusion Act?
A law stopping Chinese immigration
A treaty encouraging Chinese settlement
A rule requiring language tests only
A program to provide jobs to newcomers
What is a tenement?
A crowded apartment building
A type of factory machine
An open-air market
A single-family farmhouse
Who was Jacob Riis?
A writer who exposed poor housing
A factory owner who built parks
An immigrant inspector at Ellis Island
A mayor who lowered taxes
What were sweatshops?
Unsafe factories with low pay
Public schools for workers
Community centers for families
Small family farms
Why did some employers hire immigrants?
They worked for lower wages
They spoke many languages
They had guaranteed housing
They refused to join unions
What problems came with city growth?
Crowding, pollution, crime
More open space and parks
Cleaner streets and air
Lower rents and fewer people
What were settlement houses?
Places that helped the poor
Factories that made clothing
Government offices for taxes
Hotels for tourists
What invention helped build skyscrapers?
The elevator
The telegraph
The steamship
The cotton gin
Who opened Tuskegee Institute?
Booker T. Washington
W.E.B. Du Bois
Frederick Douglass
Ida B. Wells
What was Yellow Journalism?
Exaggerated news stories
Scientific reporting
Government press releases
Local community newsletters
What was the Gilded Age?
A time of wealth and corruption
A period of colonial exploration
An era of world wars
A time when gold became the money standard
What were politics like?
Controlled by political machines
Run entirely by the military
Led only by farmers
Decided by the Supreme Court
Who were the Progressives?
People who wanted reforms
Business owners against unions
Politicians who opposed change
Artists during the Renaissance
What were political machines?
Groups controlling city government
Student councils at schools
Military units during wartime
Teams managing factories
What illegal methods were used?
Bribery and voter fraud
Peaceful protests
Public debates
Court trials
Who was Boss Tweed?
A corrupt New York leader
A famous newspaper editor
A western sheriff
A Civil War general
What was wrong with the Spoils System?
Jobs given to friends
Too many job exams
Too much training required
All jobs paid the same
What was the Pendleton Act?
It required job exams
It banned income taxes
It created national parks
It ended child labor
Who were muckrakers?
Journalists who exposed problems
Factory managers who hired workers
Politicians who raised taxes
Inventors who built machines
What happened after The Jungle?
Food safety laws were passed
A war broke out in Europe
Schools closed for inspections
New railroads were built
Who wanted government-owned industries?
Socialists
Populists
Anarchists
Conservatives
What was the 17th Amendment?
Direct election of senators
Women’s right to vote
Ending slavery
Freedom of speech
What is recall?
Removing elected officials
Adding new voters
Counting ballots faster
Repeating an election after a tie
What is a referendum?
Voters decide laws
Congress appoints judges
States choose presidents
Courts review decisions
What was Seneca Falls?
First women’s rights meeting
A gold rush town
The site of a famous battle
A major railroad hub
First state to allow women to vote?
Wyoming
New York
California
Virginia
Who formed NAWSA?
Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton
Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth
Carrie Nation and Jane Addams
Abigail Adams and Martha Washington
Who was Alice Paul?
A women’s rights leader
A U.S. president
A Civil War general
A famous inventor
What amendment gave women the vote?
15th Amendment
18th Amendment
19th Amendment
21st Amendment
What was the Temperance Movement?
A movement to stop alcohol
A campaign to expand voting rights
A movement to end child labor
A plan to build national parks
What was the 18th Amendment?
Created income tax
Gave women the vote
Banned alcohol
Ended segregation
Who became president after McKinley?
William Taft
Theodore Roosevelt
Woodrow Wilson
Grover Cleveland
How did Roosevelt help conservation?
Expanded overseas territories
Protected land and parks
Lowered trade tariffs
Increased factory production
What was the 16th Amendment?
Income tax
Direct election of senators
Prohibition of alcohol
Women’s suffrage
Why did Roosevelt create the Progressive Party?
He disagreed with Taft
He wanted to support Wilson
He opposed national parks
He sought to end prohibition
Another name for Progressive Party?
Liberty Party
Bull Moose Party
Free Soil Party
Know-Nothing Party
Order of presidents?
Roosevelt, McKinley, Wilson, Taft
McKinley, Roosevelt, Taft, Wilson
Taft, Wilson, Roosevelt, McKinley
Wilson, Taft, Roosevelt, McKinley
What was Plessy v. Ferguson?
A court case allowing segregation
A treaty ending World War I
A law creating national parks
A debate over women’s suffrage
What is the purpose of the NAACP?
To promote overseas expansion
To manage federal taxes
To fight discrimination
To regulate railroads
Difference between isolationism and expansionism?
Isolationism seeks alliances; expansionism avoids trade
Isolationism stays out of foreign affairs; expansionism grows influence
Isolationism increases colonies; expansionism reduces military
Isolationism focuses on industry; expansionism limits immigration
What is imperialism?
Controlling other countries
Sharing equal power among nations
Building democratic institutions at home
Avoiding international trade
What drove imperialism?
Religious freedom and education
Trade, power, and resources
Local elections and reforms
Isolation from foreign affairs
What was isolationism?
Staying out of foreign affairs
Building overseas colonies
Encouraging international trade
Joining military alliances
What was Seward’s Folly?
The purchase of Alaska
A failed railroad project
A tariff on sugar
A war with Hawaii
What was Hawaii’s leading export?
Coffee
Pineapple
Sugar
Cotton
How did the U.S. help Hawaii’s sugar industry?
By buying sugar
By sending troops
By banning imports
By building railroads
What was the Bayonet Constitution?
A constitution favoring U.S. leaders
A peace treaty ending the Spanish-American War
A law granting voting rights to all Hawaiians
An agreement creating the Panama Canal Zone
Who was Hawaii’s last monarch?
Queen Liliuokalani
King Kamehameha I
Queen Victoria
King Kalākaua
What did Queen Liliuokalani want?
To restore Hawaiian power
To join the United States
To expand the sugar trade
To cede control to foreign investors
What led to Hawaii’s annexation?
The overthrow of the queen
A vote by all Hawaiian citizens
A treaty with Spain
Pressure from the United Nations
What Pacific islands did the U.S. gain?
Guam and the Philippines
Samoa and Tahiti
Puerto Rico and Cuba
Hawaii and Midway
Causes of the Spanish-American War?
Yellow journalism
The explosion of the USS Maine
The Platt Amendment
Annexation of Hawaii
Who was president during the war?
William McKinley
Theodore Roosevelt
Grover Cleveland
Woodrow Wilson
How did the press report the conflict?
They exaggerated stories
They ignored major events
They printed only official reports
They refused to cover the war
What problems did soldiers face?
Disease
Poor supplies
Abundant fresh food
Comfortable housing
What was the Platt Amendment?
Gave the U.S. control over Cuba
Ended the war with Spain
Guaranteed Cuban independence from all foreign powers
Created a canal through Panama
What land did the U.S. gain?
Cuba
Puerto Rico
Guam
Philippines
Hawaii
Why build the Panama Canal?
To move ships faster
To control Caribbean trade
To establish naval bases on Pacific islands
To prevent hurricanes from reaching the Gulf
First step in building the canal?
Supported Panama’s independence
Purchased land directly from Colombia
Signed the Roosevelt Corollary
Sent engineers to Cuba first
What was the Roosevelt Corollary?
U.S. could intervene in Latin America
U.S. promised neutrality in European wars
U.S. guaranteed independence for all colonies
U.S. required free trade across the Atlantic
