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Class Period: ____________________

Westward Expansion Unit Test

Part 1: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct answer for each question and fill it in on your scantron. Each question is worth 2.5 points.

1. A major benefit of the Transcontinental Railroad was that

a. supplies and mail moved more quickly and cheaply.
b. fewer buffalo were left on the Plains.
c. the Native American lifestyle was changed.
d. many workers were killed while building the railroad.

2. The main reason the government wanted the Native Americans on reservations was:
a. to keep them from starving.
b. to preserve the remaining buffalos.
c. to teach them new skills.
d. to take over their land.

3. What law passed in 1862 offered inexpensive land to new settlers?

a. Reconstruction Act.
b. Homestead Act.
c. Dawes Act.
d. Frontier Act.

4. Which box below represents technological advances that helped settlers adapt to life on the Great Plains?

A B C D
Cotton Gin Barbed Wire Electricity Railroad
Steel Plows Steel Plows Steel Plows Steel Plows
Sod houses Sod houses Sod houses Sod houses
Windmills Windmills Windmills Electricity

5. The Transcontinental Railroad was built to

a. Discourage settlers from moving west.
b. Link the U.S. and Europe together.
c. Link the eastern and western U.S. together.
d. Create an easier route to Canada.

6. Why is Chief Joseph remembered?

a. He defeated General George Custer and US Army troops at the Battle of Little Bighorn.
b. He attacked many settlers to keep them off his land.
c. He helped many homesteaders to survive on the Great Plains.
d. He led his tribe in an unsuccessful attempt to escape to Canada to avoid life on the reservation.

7. The Dawes Act:

a. Provided 80 acres of land to anyone who would settle it for five years.
b. Tried to turn Native Americans into farmers and forced Indian children to attend boarding schools.
c. Allowed people to buy 640 acres of dry land on the Great Plains for $23.
d. Returned all land taken from Native Americans to Native Americans.

8. The way of life for the Native Americans on the Great Plains changed because white settlers
a. captured wild ponies.
b. hunted the buffalo for hides.
c. stole their cattle.
d. built windmills.
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9. Complete the chart below by choosing the best answer.

Reasons for Westward

Expansion
Adventure
a. New Beginning for Native Americans, New Beginning for Former Slaves
?
b. Advances in Technology, Religious Freedom
c. New Beginning for Former Slaves, Advances in Technology
d. Religious Freedom, Entertainment careers

10. The Transcontinental Railroad and barbed wire eliminated the need for…..
a. newly freed slaves to come West.
b. windmills and water pumps.
c. Cowboys and cattle drives.
d. Cotton Gin and mechanical reaper.
?

11. Lack of rain, timber, and swarms of locusts caused major difficulties for :
a. Miners
b. Homesteaders
c. Railroad Builders
d. Ranchers and Cowboys

12. The Central Pacific railroad company, who began building East from Sacramento, California, relied primarily on
workers from ________________,
a. France
b. China
c. South Africa
d. Ireland

13. Who did Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse defeat at the Battle of Little Bighorn?
a. George A. Custer
b. The Sioux
c. The Cheyenne
d. Chief Joseph

14. What is dry farming?

a. Farming in the ocean
b. Farming by digging deeply into the soil to reach the water there and planting drought resistant crops
c. Farming using the seeds of dried plants and planting them over gold and silver deposits
d. Farming by planting seeds on the surface of the soil so that rain can water them
15. How did people view the Great Plains before the Civil War?
a. As a treeless wasteland
b. As America’s promised land
c. As similar to the Eastern United States
d. As a new place to settle

16. Congress passed legislation that encouraged people to settle the “Great American Desert”. What other condition
would complete the list in the box below for how people could claim land?
THE GREAT AMERICAN DESERT
 160 Acres of Land
 Live on the Land and Build a Home
 ?
a. The settler had to be a white male
b. The settler had to be married and have children
c. The settler had to stay and live on the land for five years
d. The settler had to have at least five other families settle with it

17. The land that the U.S. government allowed a Native American tribe to live on was called:
a. public land.
b. tribal nation land.
c. a reservation.
d. an internment camp.

18. Who was the leader of the Nez Perce who is known for saying “I will fight no more, forever.”?
a. Sitting Bull
b. Sacajawea
c. Chief Joseph
d. Crazy Horse

19. The Battle of Little Bighorn was important because

a. It was the site of the last major Native American victory over the U.S. Army.
b. It was the end of armed conflict between Native Americans and the U.S. Army.
c. It was the site of Chief Joseph’s surrender.
d. It was the site of George Custer’s largest victory.

20. All of the following are ways to describe to Great Plains, EXCEPT:
a. The land rises gradually from east to west.
b. Little rain falls on the area each year.
c. It is windy, stormy, and dusty.
d. There are many trees throughout the area and it rains frequently.

21. Which of the following groups did NOT benefit from Westward Expansion?
a. Farmers
b. African Americans
c. Miners
d. Native Americans

22. Which of the following technologies made it easier for farmers to protect their crops from cattle?
a. The reaper
b. Barbed wire
c. The steel plow
d. The windmill

23. A negative side to building the transcontinental railroad was that

a. immigrants came from many places to the west.
b. fruits and vegetables could be shipped from the west to the east.
c. the lifestyle of Native Americans was changed forever.
d. manufactured goods could be shipped from the east to the west.
24. The main crop farmers grew on the Great Plains was
a. cotton.
b. tobacco.
c. wheat.
d. potatoes.

25. Who was a famous leader of the Apache tribe who was known for raiding white settlements?
a.Chief Joseph.
b.Geronimo.
c. Wild Bull.
d.Black Elk.

26. The Native American population in the U.S. was greatly reduced by all of the following EXCEPT:
a. Starvation.
b. Urbanization.
c. Warfare.
d. Disease.

27. What provided shelter to settlers in the Great Plains?

a. Brick Houses
b. Log Cabins
c. Tepees
d. Sod Houses

28. All of the following are characteristics of the Great Plains region EXCEPT:
a. Tornadoes
b. Dust storms
c. Frequent rainfall
d. Droughts
Part 2: Short Answer
Make sure to answer each question in complete sentences. Make sure to answer all parts of the question to
receive full credit. (Each short answer question is worth 10 pts.)

1. The quote below is a song from the time period of Westward Expansion. How is the song a good
reflection of the time period? (HINT: Think of the reasons that people moved west. You should
include at least two reasons why people moved west in your answer.)

“Come along, come along, make no delay,

Come from every nation, and come from every way,
Our lands are broad enough, have no alarm,
For Uncle Sam is rich enough to give us all a farm.”

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 2. How does the image below represent the conflict between the Native Americans and the settlers?

Slaughtered Buffalo on the Plains

 Make sure to explain the:
o Native American Perspective
o Settlers’ Perspective
o Result

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3. List two inventions or adaptations that contributed to Westward Expansion and explain their
importance in detail (at least 3 sentences).

Invention/Adaptation Significance/Importance