The Dust Bowl (CommonLit)

What contributed to the Dust Bowl?

• One-third of the Great Plains suffered from severe dust storms during the Dust Bowl.

• People plowed over all of the natural prairie grasses that kept the topsoil in place.

• In 1939, large amounts of rain came and ended the drought.

• Farmers planted crops too often, instead of giving the soil a break every now and then.

PART A: Which statement identifies the central idea of the text? (RI,KID.2)

• Farmers aggressively harvested the land in the Great Plains, despite warning from environmentalists that it could result in dust storms.

• There was nothing that farmers could have done to prevent the Dust Bowl, as they merely chose the wrong time and place to farm.

• Farmer's treatment of the land weakened it against the elements and resulted in dust storms that negatively impacted life in the Great Plains.

• The Dust Bowl negatively impacted life for everyone in America, as dust spread beyond the Great Plains and farmers couldn't produce crops.

PART B: Which TWO details from the text best support the answer to Part A? (RI.KID.1)

• "Several factors caused the Dust Bowl. In the 1920s, the central US had more rain than usual, and agriculture boomed." (paragraph 4)

• "First, in order to plant as much wheat as possible, they plowed over all of the natural prairie grasses that kept the topsoil in place." (paragraph 4)

• "Those winds picked up all of the dry soil and sent it flying. People called these strong dust storms 'black blizzards,' which could sometimes last for one or two days straight." (paragraph 5)

• However, the whole United States suffered from an economic crisis, and California's agriculture sector did not have room for many new workers." (paragraph 6)

• "A group of government employees planted trees throughout the region to restore root networks and keep the dirt stuck to the ground." (paragraph 8)

Which of the following describes how the author introduces dust storms in the text? (RI.KID.3)

• as mysterious events that people struggled to understand for years.

• as deadly storms that claimed many people's lives in the Great Plains.

• as similar to other storms that people in the Great Plains encountered.

• as serious storms that frightened people by their appearance and power.

How does paragraph 6 contribute to the development of ideas in the text? (RI.CS.5)

• It shows the extent of the effects that dust storms had on families.

• it emphasizes how dust storms often extended beyond the Great Plains.

• it shows how families protected themselves from the dust storms.

• it reveals why some farmers decided to stay in the Great Plains.