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

Short Answer Questions

1. Eventually the differences between the Native Americans and the settlers caused ________________ on both sides.

2. What did prairie families look forward to?

3. What type of animals usually worked the plow?

4. Prairie families tended to be large because of _______________________.

5. The disappearance of _______________ made the Native American visits less friendly.

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. When did the railroad become a viable method of transportation west?

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

5. In addition to fires, what other natural disasters did the homesteaders need to fend off?

6. What behavior of the Native Americans would catch the homesteaders off guard in their homes?

7. Describe a typical Christmas for a pioneer family.

8. What type of clothing did the pioneering families wear and how did the women keep them clean?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explain the role of religion on the Kansas prairie. Was there an increase in religious life because just living on the prairie was such a trying experience? What were the primary religions represented on the Kansas frontier?

Essay Topic 2

Describe holidays on the Kansas prairie. What was the favorite holiday of the homesteaders? How did they celebrate it? How were these days different from other social events? What traditions did the prairie women try to hold on to from their lives back East?

Essay Topic 3

What positions other than wife and mother did most prairie women hold? What was expected of a prairie woman by others? What expectations did she place on herself? Explain.

(see the answer keys)

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