Correct. The answer is b. There were three routes to California during the Gold Rush: sailing around the southern tip of South America; sailing to Panama, walking through its jungles, and then sailing up to San Francisco; or crossing the continent in a covered wagon or on foot. Whichever method a gold seeker chose, the trip was long, difficult, and dangerous.

Incorrect. The answer is b. There were three routes to California during the Gold Rush: sailing around the southern tip of South America; sailing to Panama, walking through its jungles, and then sailing up to San Francisco; or crossing the continent in a covered wagon or on foot. Whichever method a gold seeker chose, the trip was long, difficult, and dangerous.

Correct. The answer is d. Marshall and his men were working for John Sutter to build a sawmill when Marshall discovered gold, so they had to finish the mill before they could go searching for gold. Marshall wrote that he thought it was “our best policy to keep it as quiet as possible till we should have finished our mill,” which suggests that he worried that news of the discovery would bring hungry gold seekers before he and his men had a chance to look for more gold themselves.

Incorrect. The answer is d. Marshall and his men were working for John Sutter to build a sawmill when Marshall discovered gold, so they had to finish the mill before they could go searching for gold. Marshall wrote that he thought it was “our best policy to keep it as quiet as possible till we should have finished our mill,” which suggests that he worried that news of the discovery would bring hungry gold seekers before he and his men had a chance to look for more gold themselves.

Correct. The answer is a. In this document, Royce and her family encountered an abandoned wagon party along the trail. Its supplies were strewn on the ground, and dead cattle lay just in front of the wagons they had once pulled. This scene suggests that the death of the cattle pulling these wagons had required the members of this party to abandon many of their supplies hastily, and continue traveling with only the most essential items.

Incorrect. The answer is a. In this document, Royce and her family encountered an abandoned wagon party along the trail. Its supplies were strewn on the ground, and dead cattle lay just in front of the wagons they had once pulled. This scene suggests that the death of the cattle pulling these wagons had required the members of this party to abandon many of their supplies hastily, and continue traveling with only the most essential items.

Correct. The answer is b. Woods found gold mining to be extremely frustrating because, as he wrote in his diary, “the ‘chances of our making a fortune in the old mines are about the same as those in favor of our drawing a prize in a lottery.’ No kind of work is so uncertain.” Woods’s experience illustrates how gold mining made very few people rich, dashing the hopes of many aspiring miners.

Incorrect. The answer is b. Woods found gold mining to be extremely frustrating because, as he wrote in his diary, “the ‘chances of our making a fortune in the old mines are about the same as those in favor of our drawing a prize in a lottery.’ No kind of work is so uncertain.” Woods’s experience illustrates how gold mining made very few people rich, dashing the hopes of many aspiring miners.

Correct. The answer is c. These documents, especially the testimonies of Sarah Royce and Daniel B. Woods, illustrate how the promises of the Gold Rush did not usually sync with the realities. Very few people ever struck it rich, and most instead experienced hardships, exhaustion, danger, and made extremely small profits.

Incorrect. The answer is c. These documents, especially the testimonies of Sarah Royce and Daniel B. Woods, illustrate how the promises of the Gold Rush did not usually sync with the realities. Very few people ever struck it rich, and most instead experienced hardships, exhaustion, danger, and made extremely small profits.