1
1 mark
When did the California Gold Rush begin?
1836
1842
1849
1855
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The Early Settlement of the West, c1835–c1862 (Edexcel GCSE History): Exam Questions
Exam code: 1HI0
20 mins20 questions
2
1 mark
Who founded the Mormon Church in 1830?
Brigham Young.
Joseph Smith.
Jedediah Smith.
John Fremont.
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3
1 mark
What year did the US government pass the Indian Appropriations Act?
1830
1851
1848
1862
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4
1 mark
Which group of settlers played a key role in establishing Salt Lake City in 1847?
The Donner Party.
The Cheyenne.
The Mormons.
The Sioux.
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5
1 mark
Which act legally allowed the US government to build forts to guard the 'Permanent Indian Frontier'?
The Indian Trade and Intercourse Act.
The Indian Appropriations Act.
The Dawes Act.
The Homestead Act.
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6
1 mark
What year did California become a state?
1848
1850
1855
1860
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7
1 mark
What was the concept of Manifest Destiny?
To civilise the West as it was God’s will for settlers to expand westward and spread Christianity.
To predict how the American West would look like after settlement.
To find gold in the American West.
To allow God to decide if white settlers or the Indigenous people should claim the whole of the American West.
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8
1 mark
Which of the following tribes was the largest in the Great Plains?
Cheyenne.
Pawnee.
Sioux.
Apache.
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9
1 mark
What did the Indigenous people of the Great Plains use the buffalo for?
Only for food.
Rituals and ceremonies.
For building tipis.
Everything—from food to clothing to tools.
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10
1 mark
What was a Warrior Brotherhood's role in the tribe?
They defended the tribe from settlers.
They organised the buffalo hunts and protected the tribe from enemies.
They focused on farming and gathering.
They negotiated peace treaties with European settlers.
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1
1 mark
What was the main reason the Donner Party's journey failed in 1846?
An attack from an Indigenous tribe.
They did not bring supplies for their journey.
Half of the Donner Party caught tuberculosis.
Half of the Donner Party took a poorly marked shortcut.
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2
1 mark
Which US law forced Indigenous peoples west of the Mississippi River?
The Missouri Compromise.
The Indian Removal Act.
The Dawes Act.
The Fort Laramie Treaty.
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3
1 mark
Which of the following was not a cause of Westward migration in the 1830s and 1840s?
Manifest Destiny.
Economic crisis in the East.
The abolition of slavery.
Religious persecution.
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4
1 mark
What was the purpose of the Oregon Trail?
To create a boundary between East and West by building new military bases.
A land route used by settlers migrating West.
A railroad that connected East to West.
A trail used only by fur traders.
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5
1 mark
What caused the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1851 to be passed?
Increased competition for food and resources on the Plains.
A desire to annex Texas.
The discovery of gold in Oregon.
Tensions between tribes and the US Army.
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1
1 mark
Why did the Mormons choose the Salt Lake Valley for settlement in 1847?
It was close to other cities.
It was a fertile farming area.
It was outside of US jurisdiction.
The US government assigned them the land.
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2
1 mark
Why did European settlers find it challenging to negotiate with the Indigenous tribes?
The tribes had only one leader, making negotiations complex.
European settlers did not understand the multiple-chief structure of Indigenous tribes.
Indigenous tribes refused to communicate with the US government over treaties.
The tribes did not have any form of government.
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3
1 mark
How did Indigenous people view land ownership?
They believed in controlling and dividing land like Europeans.
They believed land could be owned and traded freely.
They believed that the land was a gift from the spirits and could not be owned.
They did not have any concept of land or territory.
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4
1 mark
Which of the following best describes the impact of buffalo on the lives of Indigenous tribes?
Buffalos provided all of the food, clothing and materials needed for surviving the Plains. They were essential to the lives of Indigenous peoples.
Buffalos were used for transportation across the Plains. As a result, they were important for the nomadic lifestyle of the Indigenous tribes.
Buffalos were primarily used for sporting activities so they had little impact on the day-to-day lives of Indigenous tribes.
Buffalos were used only during spiritual rituals. Whilst they were important for Indigenous culture, they did not impact how the Indigenous peoples lived on the Plains.
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5
1 mark
How did tribal warfare compare to the methods of warfare used by European settlers?
There was no difference in the methods used by both societies as they had access to the same weapons.
European settlers idolised the tribal methods of warfare. When they settled in America, they adopted fighting on horseback, counting coup and scalping.
The Indigenous peoples had much more advanced ways of fighting that suited the terrain of the American West. They won many battles with the European settlers.
European settlers were disgusted with methods of tribal warfare, especially scalping. The settlers viewed the Indigenous peoples as savages.
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