Westward Expansion — Answer Key
Part A: Multiple Choice
Circle the best answer for each question.
1. What was the main cause of the California Gold Rush?
A) The government ordered people to move to California
B) Gold was discovered at Sutters Mill in 1848
C) The Transcontinental Railroad reached California
D) Native Americans invited settlers to California
James Marshall's discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill on January 24, 1848 triggered the Gold Rush.
2. Which was an effect of the Homestead Act of 1862?
A) Thousands of settlers moved west to claim free land
B) All Native American tribes received their own states
C) The Oregon Trail was closed to new travelers
D) California lost most of its population
The Homestead Act encouraged western settlement. By 1900, over 600,000 homestead claims had been filed.
3. Why did the United States government pass the Indian Removal Act?
A) To help Native Americans build better homes
B) To protect Native American hunting grounds
C) To open eastern lands for white settlement
D) To invite Native Americans into the government
The Indian Removal Act (1830) was passed to force Native Americans off their eastern lands so white settlers could take them.
4. What effect did the Transcontinental Railroad have on western settlement?
A) It made travel west much faster and easier
B) It stopped all migration to the West Coast
C) It only carried mail and never passengers
D) It was built entirely by the United States Army
The railroad reduced cross-country travel time from months to about a week, making western settlement far more accessible.
Part B: Fill in the Blank
Write the correct answer on each line.
1. The Indian Removal Act was signed by President Jackson.
President Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act on May 28, 1830.
2. The Transcontinental Railroad was largely built by Chinese and Irish workers.
Chinese laborers built the Central Pacific's difficult mountain sections; Irish immigrants did much of the Union Pacific's work.
3. Settlers who claimed land early in Oklahoma were called Sooners.
Some settlers sneaked into Oklahoma Territory early before the official land run — they were called 'Sooners.' Oklahoma's nickname is the Sooner State.
4. The discovery of gold at Sutters Mill started the Gold Rush.
James Marshall's discovery of gold flakes in the American River on January 24, 1848 started the California Gold Rush.
5. Lewis and Clark traveled with a group called the Corps of Discovery.
The Corps of Discovery was the name of Lewis and Clark's expedition party, commissioned by President Jefferson in 1803.