GCSEHistoryEdexcelPeriod Study (Paper 2, Booklet P)Exam QuestionsThe American West, c1835–c1895Development of the Plains, c1862–c1876

Development of the Plains, c1862–c1876 (Edexcel GCSE History: Period Study (Paper 2, Booklet P)): Exam Questions

Exam code: 1HI0

24 mins24 questions
Easy
Medium
Hard
1
1 mark

What year was the Pacific Railroad Act passed?

  • 1860

  • 1862

  • 1865

  • 1870

Choose your answer

2
1 mark

Which year did the Homestead Act come into force?

  • 1860

  • 1862

  • 1865

  • 1870

Choose your answer

3
1 mark

What was the price to file a claim under the Homestead Act?

  •  $1.

  • $5.

  • $10.

  • $50.

Choose your answer

4
1 mark

Who could claim land under the Homestead Act?

  • Only male citizens.

  • Men and women over the age of 21.

  • Only former soldiers.

  • Only former enslaved people.

Choose your answer

5
1 mark

Which of the following was a requirement to ‘prove up’ a claim under the Homestead Act?

  •  Plant ten acres of crops.

  • Build a two-story house.

  • Pay $100 upfront.

  • Live and work on the land for five years.

Choose your answer

6
1 mark

Which year did the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railways meet at Promontory Summit?

  • 1869

  • 1870

  • 1871

  • 1872

Choose your answer

7
1 mark

Which invention in 1874 helped homesteaders protect their crops from animals?

  • Windmills.

  • The Sulky Plow.

  • Barbed wire.

  • ‘Turkey Red’ wheat.

Choose your answer

8
1 mark

How many acres could be claimed under the Timber Culture Act?

  • 80 acres.

  • 120 acres.

  • 160 acres.

  • 200 acres.

Choose your answer

9
1 mark

Which cattle trail ended in Abilene, the first ‘cow town’?

  • Goodnight-Loving Trail.

  • Oregon Trail.

  • Western Trail.

  • Chisholm Trail.

Choose your answer

10
1 mark

Which cattle rancher introduced ranching on the open range?

  • Charles Goodnight.

  • John Iliff.

  • Joseph McCoy.

  • Oliver Loving.

Choose your answer

11
1 mark

When did the 'Beef Bonanza' in the West occur?

  • The 1860s.

  • The 1870s.

  • The 1880s.

  • The 1890s.

Choose your answer

12
1 mark

Who did John Evans hire to attack Black Kettle and his tribe in Sand Creek?

  • Colonel Chivington.

  • Sergeant Chivington.

  • General Chivington.

  • Lieutenant Chivington.

Choose your answer

13
1 mark

What was the name of the trail that the US government wanted the Lakota Sioux to allow white settlers to travel on, causing Red Cloud’s War?

  • The Oregon Trail.

  • The Chisolm Trail.

  • The South Pass.

  • The Bozeman Trail.

Choose your answer

14
1 mark

What conflict did the Second Fort Laramie Treaty end?

  • The Little Crow War.

  • The Sand Creek Massacre.

  • The American Civil War.

  • Red Cloud’s War.

Choose your answer

1
1 mark

What was a major consequence of the American Civil War on the West?

  • Decrease in settlement.

  • Decrease in the cattle industry.

  • Rise in lawlessness.

  • Expansion of slavery.

Choose your answer

2
1 mark

Which industry was significantly impacted by the development of the railroad?

  • Banking.

  • Agriculture.

  • Cattle ranching.

  • Mining.

Choose your answer

3
1 mark

What was the primary goal of the Pacific Railroad Act?

  • Provide transportation for military forces.

  • Increase settlement in the West.

  • Build a city in Nebraska.

  • Reduce tensions with Indigenous peoples.

Choose your answer

4
1 mark

What caused conflict between cattle ranchers and homesteaders?

  • Homesteaders accused cattle ranchers of rustling their cattle.

  • Cattle ranchers accused homesteaders of damaging their property and using violence.

  • Cattle ranchers accused homesteaders of restricting access to public land.

  • Homesteaders accused cattle ranchers of using their power to take the best land on the Plains.

Choose your answer

5
1 mark

What caused the Little Crow War in 1862?

  • In 1851, the Dakota Sioux signed a treaty with the US government. The Dakota Sioux had to pay off $200,000 of debt to traders before they received their annuity.

  • The number of white settlers increased rapidly in Montana. Settlers took the fertile farming land within the Dakota Sioux's reservation.

  • Corrupt agents from the Bureau of Indian Affairs ran the Lakota Sioux's reservation. They gave the tribe rotten supplies.

  • In 1862, the government forced the Dakota Sioux to give away half of their reservation land in exchange for money to pay off their debts.

Choose your answer

1
1 mark

What was one limitation of the Homestead Act?

  • Many plots were sold to cattle ranchers and railroad companies.

  • Only 10% of claims were ‘proved up’.

  • It did not have a significant impact on the landscape of the Plains.

  • It was too expensive for most settlers to buy their claim.

Choose your answer

2
1 mark

What did Joseph McCoy develop that impacted the cattle industry?

  • He created barbed wire.

  • He developed ranching on the open range.

  • He created cow towns.

  • He promoted the use of ranch hands.

Choose your answer

3
1 mark

What issue led to the development of quarantine laws in Kansas?

  • The spread of Texas fever.

  • Cattle rustling.

  • Raids on cattle ranches by Indigenous tribes.

  • The damage caused by stampeding cattle.

Choose your answer

4
1 mark

How did ranching on the open range change the way of life of cowboys?

  • Cattle drives took longer in the open range. This meant that each cattle drive a cowboy did took months rather than weeks.

  • Open-range ranching was an issue in the winter for cowboys. Cowboys felt lonely and cold and had to rescue cattle from snowdrifts.

  • There was no difference in ranching on the open range for cowboys. Cowboys continued to lack freedom.

  • Working in the open range was easier. Cowboys worked together on the open range to protect the cattle.

Choose your answer

5
1 mark

What was the impact of President Grant's Peace Policy on the tribes of the Plains?

  • The Peace Policy appointed new reservation agents. They allowed Indigenous people to follow their faith.

  • Ely Parker, a man with Indigenous ancestry, became the Commissioner of Indian Affairs. This inspired other Indigenous people to assimilate with white settlers.

  • The Peace Policy had negative impacts on the Indigenous tribes. They were no longer involved in negotiations and had no freedom to make their own choices.

  • The Peace Policy insisted that the government provided a $2 million budget to improve existing reservations. This improved conditions for many tribes.

Choose your answer