Chapter 5 Test - Westward Expansion

The open range was a large area of grassland where cattle ranchers could

• graze their herds in exchange for a small fee.

• claim land within limits set by the government.

• graze their herds for free.

• buy land from the government.

Emma and Ava were discussing why the Homestead Act encouraged people to move west. They concluded it was because it

• promised protection from Native Americans

• offered free land to those willing to farm it.

• offered land to gold prospectors.

• established ranching towns for cattle drives.

Colonel George Armstrong Custer is best known for his

• defeat in the Sand Creek Massacre.

• support of the rights of Native Americans.

• disastrous loss in the Battle of Little Bighorn.

• defeat of the Sioux and Cheyenne in the Indian Wars.

One approach to farming on the Great Plains was “dry farming,” in which farmers

• grew crops that could withstand long periods of rain.

• cooperated to build community irrigation ditches.

• planted seeds deep in the ground where the trapped moisture was.

• dug out depressions to create ponds for irrigation.

Why was the 160 acre allotment system created through the Dawes Act ineffective?

• It created conflict between Native American families competing for the best land

• It promoted a way of life that Native Americans did not want to adopt.

• There were too few allotments for the number of Native Americans on each reservation.

• It did not provide Native Americans with enough land to support themselves

Which of the following factors contributed to the demise of the open-range system and the need for cowboys.

• the invention of barbed wire.

• the disappearance of of big mining companies.

• the development of railroads.

• the use of sod for houses.

The Comstock Lode was a rich deposit of

• gold.

• diamonds.

• silver.

• copper.

Which act divided up Indian reservations into plots of land to be given to the Indian families?

• The Indian Peace Commission

• The Hayes Act

• The Homestead Act

• The Dawes Act.

In the rapidly growing town of Goldville, to enforce law and order, many residents formed

• commission forms of government.

• vigilance committees.

• settlement houses.

• volunteer fire departments.

Settlement of the Great Plains was promoted by the railroads and supported by

• plow manufacturers.

• cattle ranchers.

• the mining industry.

• the government.