The American Vision: Modern Times © 2008

Chapter 4: Settling the West

Settling the West

1
Why did so many of the West’s boomtowns become ghost towns?
A)Mining exhausted the ore deposits, and miners moved on to other strikes.
B)Overproduction of cattle led to depressed market prices for beef.
C)Nomadic miners did not establish communities in the West.
D)The transcontinental railroad did not reach beyond the Rocky Mountains.
2
American cowhands learned their trade from __________.
A)Native Americans
B)Hispanic herders
C)African Americans
D)Irish immigrants
3
The town of __________ yielded one of the richest strikes found in the Colorado mountains.
A)Virginia City
B)Comstock
C)Black Hills
D)Leadville
4
Why was the railroad important to the open-range cattle industry?
A)because the railroad purchased the cattle to feed workers building the transcontinental railroad
B)because the railroad brought supplies to the cowhands working the open range
C)because the railroad transported the beef to eastern markets
D)because the railroad brought settlers out West, creating a larger western market for beef
5
All of the following had a negative impact on the open-range cattle industry EXCEPT __________.
A)barbed wire
B)the transcontinental railroad
C)nature
D)overproduction of cattle
6
In what way did the Homestead Act support the settlement of the Great Plains?
A)It provided low-cost loans to prospective settlers.
B)It sold settlers inexpensive tracts of land along the railways.
C)It provided a legal method for settlers to acquire property rights.
D)It financed the construction of the transcontinental railroad.
7
Farmers adapted to the harsh weather of the Great Plains by using __________ farming—a method of planting seeds deep in the ground.
A)bonanza
B)deep
C)sod
D)dry
8
What initiated the conflict between the Plains Indians and American settlers?
A)encroachment of ranchers, miners, and farmers onto Native American territories
B)American restrictions on Native American religious ceremonies
C)Congress’s delay of annuities to Native Americans living on reservations
D)Native American attacks on settlers’ mining camps and wagon trains
9
After 1867, who ran the Native American reservations?
A)Native Americans
B)the United States Army
C)federal agents from the Bureau of Indian Affairs
D)a council of Native American leaders
10
Why did the Dawes Act fail to assimilate Native Americans?
A)Many Native Americans had little training or enthusiasm to become farmers or ranchers.
B)Native Americans were unwilling to leave the reservations.
C)Although Congress passed the Dawes Act, it was never implemented on the local level.
D)The Dawes Act failed to establish a system by which the reservation lands would be divided.
Glencoe Online Learning CenterSocial Studies HomeProduct InfoSite MapContact Us

The McGraw-Hill CompaniesGlencoe

Please read our Terms of Use and Privacy Notice before you explore our Web site. To report a technical problem with this Web site, please contact the Web Producer.