Why People Moved West is a free printable Grade 3 to Grade 5 social studies worksheet on the reasons people moved west, aligned to C3 Framework indicator D2.Geo.7.3-5. It prints 2 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 14 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.
Set 1 has all 25 in a single PDF. All 25 sets ask different questions.
Why People Moved West
D2.Geo.7.3-5
NameDate
Draw a line from each event to how it drew people west.
1.Draw a line from each one to its match.
The Homestead Act, 1862
The transcontinental railroad, 1869
The Mormon trek, 1847
Manifest Destiny, 1845
A.Made a trip across the country take about a week instead of months
B.Brigham Young led Latter-day Saints to Utah to worship freely
C.The belief that the nation was meant to stretch across the continent
D.Offered 160 acres of public land to settlers who farmed it for five years
2.Draw a line from each one to its match.
The Comstock Lode, 1859
The Exodusters, 1879
The Oklahoma land run, 1889
Gold at Sutter's Mill, 1848
A.Black families left the South for Kansas to escape violence and own land
B.A huge find of silver that brought miners to Nevada
C.Drew hundreds of thousands of gold seekers to California
D.Settlers raced to claim land in Indian Territory
LessonPrint · D2.Geo.7.3-5 · Set 14 · free to copy for classroom use
Answer key — Why People Moved West
Set 14. Prints on its own sheet.
1.1. The Homestead Act, 1862 — D (Offered 160 acres of public land to settlers who farmed it for five years) 2. The transcontinental railroad, 1869 — A (Made a trip across the country take about a week instead of months) 3. The Mormon trek, 1847 — B (Brigham Young led Latter-day Saints to Utah to worship freely) 4. Manifest Destiny, 1845 — C (The belief that the nation was meant to stretch across the continent)
2.1. The Comstock Lode, 1859 — B (A huge find of silver that brought miners to Nevada) 2. The Exodusters, 1879 — A (Black families left the South for Kansas to escape violence and own land) 3. The Oklahoma land run, 1889 — D (Settlers raced to claim land in Indian Territory) 4. Gold at Sutter's Mill, 1848 — C (Drew hundreds of thousands of gold seekers to California)
Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to D2.Geo.7.3-5 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.