Where the West Begins Poem Questions

The reader can conclude that Belinda Mulroney’s first restaurant —

• was the only restaurant in town

• also sold clothes and mining supplies

• was a successful business investment

• offered miners good food at low prices

Which phrase from paragraph 6 helps the reader understand the meaning of the word grueling in paragraph 7?

• Other noteworthy businesses involved

• prospectors were not allowed

• burdened with more than 1,000 pounds of provisions

• transporting goods along the trails

The author wrote this selection most likely to —

• explain different ways people profited from the gold rush

• describe the prospectors’ journey to the goldfields in detail

• highlight how the search for gold gave people hope for the future

• relate the history of how the gold rush began

Which sentence supports the idea that goods were in demand during the Klondike gold rush?

• They charged per mile and by weight when they helped carry supplies.

• When she reached Dawson—the closest town to the goldfields—she sold these items for seven times the amount she purchased them for.

• The men made their fortune collecting tolls from travelers.

• It publicized Seattle as the “Gateway to the Golden Fields,” hoping to bring the prospectors’ business to Seattle.

The map is included in the selection most likely to —

• explain why gold was found in the Yukon Territory of Canada

• illustrate why Seattle became an important port during the Yukon gold rush

• emphasize how dangerous the trails to the Yukon were

• demonstrate how much gold was found by prospectors

Read this line from the poem.

But I walked away a wiser man.

This line suggests that at the end of the poem the speaker —

• knows how valuable a small amount of gold can be

• realizes the most effective technique for panning for gold

• understands why so many people looked for gold during the gold rush

• gains a new perspective about the outcome of panning for gold

The repetition of the lines “Water and sand. That’s ALL it takes./Swish your pan. Pick out the flakes!” is used to emphasize the —

• importance of gold mining to the economy

• physical hardships and obstacles faced by miners

• additional tools needed by miners in the goldfields

• false promise that gold mining is an easy way to get rich

Read line 37 from the poem.

I should have known better.

From this line, the reader can infer that the speaker feels regret about —

• giving up his search for gold

• leaving his job to prospect for gold

• having the wrong equipment for panning for gold

• taking too long to locate an area to search for gold

This poem is mostly about a young man who —

• follows people going west in search of gold and tries different locations without success

• looks for a better alternative to a job that he does not enjoy doing and becomes a gold prospector

• goes west in hopes of finding gold and after several unsuccessful attempts finally realizes a better way to earn money

• tries the same method for finding gold and is unsuccessful because of his unwillingness to change

The poet’s use of short sentences helps create the poem’s —

• vivid imagery

• rhythm

• tone

• conflict