Go West!

What is this article mostly about?

• Why railroads took so long to build
• What you can see at the Museum of American Railroads
• How railroads changes the Southwest
• Where each railroad in America began and ended

The completion of the first transcontinental railroad helped people to -

• find good jobs in the West
• travel to the West faster
• prepare more traditional foods
• become friends with Native Americans

The railroads wanted people to settle in the West because -

• it was good for business
• the East was too crowded
• some towns were not so lucky
• life in the West was dangerous

Which city began as a camp for railway workers?

• New York City
• Odessa, Texas
• San Francisco
• Dallas, Texas

In the late 1800s, many people traveled to the Southwest because -

• there were no businesses
• food was scarce
• Native Americans lived there
• land was cheap

Many railroad lines to the West were built by workers from -

• France
• England
• China
• Germany

How did the railroads help mining industries grow in the Southwest?

• They connected mines with factories.
• They changed ways of farming.
• They brought new foods and music.
• They added dining cars to trains.

Read this sentence from the article.
That's how the city of Odessa, Texas, was established.
Which word from the section "New Towns" means the opposite of established?

• lucky
• disappeared
• built
• important

Read this sentence from the article.
Before long, new communities began to form along the train lines.
What does the word communities mean?

• Churches
• Walls
• Battles
• Towns