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California Gold Rush Quiz

Total questions: 12

Worksheet time: 3600secs

Name
Class
Date
1.

Why did people travel to California during the Gold Rush?

a)

To buy land

b)

To search for gold

c)

To escape wars

d)

To build railroads

2.

How did most miners find gold?

a)

By buying it from merchants

b)

By digging and extracting it from the earth

c)

By trading with Native Americans

d)

By finding it in cities

3.

Which group was mentioned as coming to California during the Gold Rush?

a)

Only Europeans

b)

Only Americans

c)

People from the United States, Mexico, China, and Europe

d)

Only farmers

4.

What happened to many miners who did not find gold?

a)

They became merchants

b)

They stayed and built cities

c)

They returned home without riches

d)

They moved to the East Coast

5.

What is one reason the California Gold Rush is still remembered today?

a)

It ended westward expansion

b)

It created the first cities in America

c)

It inspired future generations

d)

It caused the population to decrease

6.

What does the word “merchants” most nearly mean as used in the passage?

a)

Farmers

b)

People who sell goods

c)

Miners

d)

Travelers

7.

In the passage, the word “miners” refers to people who —

a)

Built towns

b)

Sold supplies

c)

Dug for gold

d)

Traveled by sea

8.

What does the word “extract” most nearly mean?

a)

Hide

b)

Remove

c)

Destroy

d)

Measure

9.

The word “fuel” in the sentence “It helped to fuel the growth and development of California” most nearly means —

a)

Stop

b)

Power or support

c)

Burn

d)

Slow down

10.

What does “legacy” mean in the passage?

a)

A mistake from the past

b)

Something forgotten

c)

Something handed down from the past

d)

A type of law

11.

Describe one challenge miners faced while searching for gold.

4 lines
12.

Why do you think people were willing to risk everything to search for gold?

4 lines