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 5 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 transcontinental railroad, 1869
The Oregon Trail, 1840s
Gold at Sutter's Mill, 1848
Manifest Destiny, 1845
A.Led families about 2,000 miles to farmland in the Pacific Northwest
B.Drew hundreds of thousands of gold seekers to California
C.Made a trip across the country take about a week instead of months
D.The belief that the nation was meant to stretch across the continent
2.Draw a line from each one to its match.
The Mormon trek, 1847
Cattle drives after the Civil War
The Erie Canal, 1825
The Homestead Act, 1862
A.Opened a water route from New York City to the Great Lakes
B.Offered 160 acres of public land to settlers who farmed it for five years
C.Cowboys drove herds north to railroad towns in Kansas
D.Brigham Young led Latter-day Saints to Utah to worship freely
LessonPrint · D2.Geo.7.3-5 · Set 5 · free to copy for classroom use
Answer key — Why People Moved West
Set 5. Prints on its own sheet.
1.1. The transcontinental railroad, 1869 — C (Made a trip across the country take about a week instead of months) 2. The Oregon Trail, 1840s — A (Led families about 2,000 miles to farmland in the Pacific Northwest) 3. Gold at Sutter's Mill, 1848 — B (Drew hundreds of thousands of gold seekers to California) 4. Manifest Destiny, 1845 — D (The belief that the nation was meant to stretch across the continent)
2.1. The Mormon trek, 1847 — D (Brigham Young led Latter-day Saints to Utah to worship freely) 2. Cattle drives after the Civil War — C (Cowboys drove herds north to railroad towns in Kansas) 3. The Erie Canal, 1825 — A (Opened a water route from New York City to the Great Lakes) 4. The Homestead Act, 1862 — B (Offered 160 acres of public land to settlers who farmed it for five years)
Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to D2.Geo.7.3-5 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.