Foreign Service Officer Test (FSOT) Practice Exam

What large-scale movement is associated with the establishment of the Great Plains as agricultural land?

1. The Dust Bowl

2. The Homestead Act

3. The Transcontinental Railroad

4. The New Deal

The correct answer is: The Homestead Act

The establishment of the Great Plains as agricultural land is closely associated with the Homestead Act. This pivotal legislation, enacted in 1862, aimed to encourage westward expansion by granting 160 acres of public land to settlers, provided they improved the land through cultivation and built a dwelling. This act significantly influenced the settlement patterns and agricultural development of the Great Plains, as it made land ownership accessible to many individuals and families, including immigrants and former enslaved people. The Homestead Act incentivized many to relocate to these expansive lands, where they could cultivate crops and raise livestock, ultimately transforming the Great Plains into a major agricultural region in the United States. It laid the groundwork for farming communities and the agricultural economy that defined the area in subsequent decades. In contrast, the other options focus on different historical contexts. For example, while the Dust Bowl signifies an ecological disaster affecting agricultural production during the 1930s, it does not directly relate to the initial establishment of the Great Plains as farmland. The Transcontinental Railroad played a crucial role in facilitating transportation and trade, but it was not specifically a legislative action aimed at land distribution for agricultural purposes. The New Deal, implemented in response to the Great Depression in the 1930s, included various reforms