1. Before many outsiders arrived, who ruled the quiet land of California?
- A. The United States
- B. Russia
- C. Mexico
- D. American Indians
2. What was the main job of the American explorers called 'mountain men'?
- A. They led wagon trains for families.
- B. They trapped animals and sold their fur.
- C. They built the first cities in California.
- D. They worked as farmers on large ranchos.
3. What was a primary activity of the American pioneers after they arrived in Mexican California?
- A. Building new missions
- B. Starting farms on the land
- C. Trading for furs with Russians
- D. Sailing ships around the coast
4. Why did different groups of outsiders, like Russians and Americans, become interested in Mexican California?
- A. They were invited by the Mexican government.
- B. They saw the area had rich natural resources.
- C. They wanted to escape wars in their own countries.
- D. They were looking for a faster sea route to Asia.
5. What was the main reason that Russian traders first came to the coast of California?
- A. To build farms and grow food
- B. To hunt animals for their valuable furs
- C. To search for gold in the rivers
- D. To create maps for the government
6. What was the name of the special agreement passed by the U.S. Congress that allowed California to become a state?
- A. The Missouri Compromise
- B. The Compromise of 1850
- C. The Kansas-Nebraska Act
- D. The California Statehood Act
7. The Compromise of 1850 was a legislative deal created by leaders in which governmental body?
- A. The California Constitutional Convention
- B. The U.S. Congress
- C. The Supreme Court
- D. The Mexican Government
8. In the context of the 1850s, what did it mean for California to be a 'free state'?
- A. Slavery was not permitted
- B. Land was given away for free
- C. It had no federal taxes
- D. It was independent from the U.S.
9. What was the primary issue that caused a delay in California's admission to the United States after it wrote its constitution?
- A. A dispute over its border with Mexico
- B. The ongoing chaos of the Gold Rush
- C. A national argument over whether slavery should be allowed in new states
- D. Disagreement on where to build the state capital
10. On September 9, 1850, California officially became which state in the Union?
- A. The 28th state
- B. The 31st state
- C. The 45th state
- D. The 50th state