Chapter 15

Quiz for Document 15-2: Currier & Ives, Across the Continent (1868)

Reader Quiz

Chapter 15b

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Question 1

The artist who painted “Across the Continent, Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way” intends to suggest that the railroad is a source ofA. natural destruction.
B. social progress.
C. Native American genocide.
D. pollution.

Question 2

The artist’s rendering of the painting’s background implies which of the following descriptions of the western lands?A. Civilization will despoil the natural beauty of the West.
B. Natural resources are scarce in the American West.
C. The West is an endless and unpopulated resource awaiting settlement.
D. Western lands are harsh and forbidding to settlers.

Question 3

Which of the following statements might best describe the significance of the Native Americans on horseback depicted in the lower right corner of the painting?A. Few Native Americans live in the West.
B. Railroads are civilizing and separate the settlers from Native Americans.
C. Settlers and Native Americans cooperate in the West.
D. The West is a place of danger and insecurity.

Question 4

What symbol of permanence, stability, family, and progress appears in the lower central foreground of the painting?A. Children and a schoolhouse
B. Factories and laborers
C. Jail cells and law enforcement
D. Municipal Hall and a courthouse