The Impact of the Second Industrial Revolution on the Trans-Mississippi

How did expanding agricultural production in places like Argentina and the American West lead to the migration of rural populations to cities? A) Increasing output in the countryside created a new prosperity that allowed rural populations to travel. B) Since the growing agricultural output attracted ever-larger numbers of immigrants to the countryside, the older generations of rural settlers left for the cities. C) Increasing output worldwide pushed down the prices of farm products, making it more difficult for farmers to make ends meet. D) New production methods that were at the heart of growing farm productivity alienated many rural folks familiar with traditional farming practices. E) Peasants made such tidy profits in agriculture that they could afford to move to cities.

Why was the Hollywood version of the western "cowboy" based more on fantasy than reality? A) Railroad expansion before the Civil War had eliminated the need for "cattle drives" from Texas. B) Most cowboys were low-paid workers, some of whom even went on strike for higher wages. C) By the time of the Civil War, most open-range longhorns had been decimated by disease and harsh winters. D) Clothing such as wide-brimmed hats and boots were twentieth-century inventions of writers and movie producers.