View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. 1874 was named ___________________ due to crop devastation.

2. What was especially valued for their ability to keep out the cold?

3. At what distance were horses changed on a stagecoach route?

4. Which Kansas county was especially ravaged by the Cheyenne and Sioux tribes in 1868?

5. What was the method of transportation chosen by single people or small families to get to Kansas?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe a typical Christmas for a pioneer family.

2. Describe how a winter storm was so incapacitating to prairie families.

3. What natural threats were ever present for prairie families?

4. Prior to the mid 19th century, as what was Kansas known and what happened in 1854 to change that?

5. What crops were the mainstays of Kansas crops and what else did the families eat?

6. Name the benefits and drawbacks of homesteading in eastern Kansas and western Kansas.

7. What was the incident at Sand Creek and what resulted from it?

8. Who were Sarah White and Anna Brewster Morgan and why did they gain notoriety?

9. Explain the roles of children in the prairie family.

10. What were the sources of hostility between the Native Americans and the homesteaders?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Name at least three environmental catastrophes that plagued the Kansas homesteaders. Then cite the reasons why each catastrophe was so devastating to the pioneers. If there were any preventative measures employed by the pioneers, state those also in your answer.

Essay Topic 2

What role did the Homestead Act of 1862 play in the displacement of Native Americans in Kansas? In what way did the U.S. government compensate the Native Americans for their land? Did the Native Americans fully grasp the nature of the treaties? Explain the hostilities that emerged as a result of the betrayal of the U.S. government.

Essay Topic 3

Why were social visits so welcome among the Kansas homesteaders? What was the nature of a typical social call from one family on another? What were some of the social events held so that groups of homesteaders could meet and form friendships? What were the usual activities that would occur at these events?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,102 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample