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The California Gold Rush is a free printable Grade 3 to Grade 5 social studies worksheet on how gold changed where people lived, aligned to C3 Framework indicator D2.Geo.6.3-5. It prints 8 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions that each ask different questions, so no two students in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.

Set 16 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.

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Set 1 has all 25 in a single PDF. All 25 sets ask different questions.

The California Gold Rush

D2.Geo.6.3-5

NameDate

Choose the best answer.

1.Chinese immigrants came to California in large numbers in the 1850s. Which is true?
  • A.None of them stayed in America
  • B.They worked hard as miners and in businesses but faced unfair laws and violence
  • C.They were welcomed by every law
2.When did California become a state?
  • A.In 1959
  • B.In 1850
  • C.In 1776
3.Many people grew rich in the Gold Rush without finding gold. How?
  • A.By printing their own money
  • B.By selling food, tools and clothing to miners
  • C.By staying at home in Europe
4.In the 1850s California made miners who were not US citizens pay special taxes. Who did this hurt most?
  • A.The governor
  • B.Mexican, Chilean and Chinese miners
  • C.Miners from New York
5.How did San Francisco change after gold was found?
  • A.It grew from a small town to a city of tens of thousands
  • B.Everyone left it
  • C.It stayed the same size
6.Why are the gold seekers called "forty-niners"?
  • A.There were only 49 of them
  • B.They were all 49 years old
  • C.Most of them arrived in 1849
7.Why did California's population grow so quickly after 1848?
  • A.Spain gave the land away
  • B.A railroad had just been built
  • C.Gold drew people hoping to get rich
8.What happened to California's Native peoples during the Gold Rush?
  • A.They became the richest people in the state
  • B.Nothing changed for them
  • C.Many thousands died from violence, disease and the loss of their land

LessonPrint · D2.Geo.6.3-5 · Set 16 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — The California Gold Rush

Set 16. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.They worked hard as miners and in businesses but faced unfair laws and violence
  2. 2.In 1850
  3. 3.By selling food, tools and clothing to miners
  4. 4.Mexican, Chilean and Chinese miners
  5. 5.It grew from a small town to a city of tens of thousands
  6. 6.Most of them arrived in 1849
  7. 7.Gold drew people hoping to get rich
  8. 8.Many thousands died from violence, disease and the loss of their land

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to D2.Geo.6.3-5 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.