Deck 13: Intermontane West

Question 1

If you were visiting a small town in the Intermontane West and noticed many houses of a Greek Revival style,bordered by irrigation ditches and rows of Lombardy poplars you would reasonably conclude that the town had been settled by what group?

A)The Spanish
B)The Doukhobor
C)The Basque
D)The Mormons

Answer 1

D

Question 2

The largest population of Doukhobor people live in what part of the Intermontane West?

A)Saskatchewan
B)British Columbia
C)Montana
D)Idaho

Answer 2

B

Question 3

How did most Basque settlers to the Intermontane West make a living?

A)Mining
B)Growing crops
C)Ranching
D)Mercantilism

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Why did the followers of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints leave their homes in the eastern United States to settle in the Intermontane West?

A)They wanted to get away from the corrupting influence of big cities.
B)They were persecuted for their unusual religious beliefs.
C)Joseph Smith's prophecy told them of a "New Zion" in Utah.
D)The Mormons wanted to claim the prime agricultural land and the abundant resources of the Great Salt Lake before other groups.

Question 5

You are planning a trip through the Intermontane Region from Boise Idaho to the Grand Canyon in Arizona.You plan to take Interstate 84 southeast,following the Snake River,and then turning south past the Great Salt Lake and then Salt Lake City Utah.Then you figure you will take Interstate 15 south through Utah and Interstate 89 into Arizona,ending at the Grand Canyon.In order,from Boise to the Grand Canyon,what three physiographic provinces will you be traveling through?

A)Colorado Plateau,Great Columbia Plain,Basin and Range
B)Basin and Range,Great Columbia Plain,Colorado Plateau
C)Great Columbia Plain,Basin and Range,Colorado Plateau
D)Basin and Range,Colorado Plateau,Great Columbia Plain

Question 6

The first miners and ranchers in the Intermontane West were of what background?

A)Native American
B)Mormon
C)Spanish
D)Basque

Question 7

What type of vegetation would you expect to see in the wettest (subhumid)parts of the Intermontane?

A)Grassland
B)Dry sage and scrub
C)Scattered forest
D)Wetland plants and reeds

Question 8

In the Intermontane region,western is to windward as eastern is to what?

A)Stillward
B)Anti-windward
C)Leeward
D)Shielded

Question 9

Which of the following is the driest place in the United States,getting an average of only 3 inches of precipitation per year?

A)Death Valley
B)The Cadillac Desert
C)The Sonoran Desert
D)Frasier Valley

Question 10

Driving through eastern Washington you notice many areas of exposed rock,deep river canyons,and huge boulders scattered across the landscape.Then you remember these are all impacts left on the landscape of what?

A)Volcanic activity
B)Block faulting
C)Glacial scouring
D)The Missoula Flood

Question 11

What was the first (and most important)city founded by the Mormons?

A)Sedona
B)Provo
C)Salt Lake City
D)Sun Valley

Question 12

The Intermontane region includes some of the driest places in the United States.What is the primary cause of these low rates of precipitation?

A)The region is located on the leeward (eastern)side of a series of mountain ranges
B)The region is located to the west of the Rocky Mountains
C)The lack of groundwater in the area keeps humidity low
D)The region is affected by cold,dry northern air from Canada

Question 13

The deposition of sediments at the foot of mountain slopes is called what?

A)An alluvial fan
B)A sedimentary accumulation
C)A muddy accretion
D)A sandy deposition

Question 14

Looking at a mountains slope in the Intermontane on what part of the slope would you expect to find trees?

A)Higher up on the slope
B)At the foot of the slope
C)Lower on the slope
D)Trees only grow at low elevations in the Intermontane

Question 15

Historically,the settlement pattern of Intermontane West was low population densities that were centered around areas suited for farming or mining.Another way to say this is what?

A)It was a land of irregular population.
B)It was a land of discontinuous settlement.
C)It was a land of uneven settlement
D)It was a land of patchy population.

Question 16

In the 19th and early 20th centuries many people came to Arizona for what?

A)It was believed that the dry air improved their health.
B)Collecting discarded Native American relics.
C)Interest in the "Cowboy Lifestyle" as depicted by dime novels.
D)The influx of European immigrants to the East drove many settlers west to escape "corrupting influences".

Question 17

What characteristics of the Intermontane have made it a land of discontinuous settlement?

A)A rugged landscape and low average precipitation.
B)Lack of natural resources such as minerals and lumber.
C)Conflict with native groups living in the area left few safe areas.
D)Many settlers bypassed the area for choice land in California.

Question 18

Most Native American settlements in the Intermontane were located near what?

A)Mountains
B)Rivers
C)Forests
D)Rocky areas

Question 19

On average,which of the following is the driest state in the United States?

A)Utah
B)Nevada
C)Montana
D)Arizona

Question 20

Brigham Young planned to create a large area that would be controlled by the Mormon Church called what?

A)Deseret
B)Utah
C)New Zion
D)Adam-ondi-Ahman

Question 21

In recent decades the importance of mining to the economy of the Intermontane has ________.

A)Increased
B)Decreased
C)Stayed about the same
D)There is no longer mining in the region.

Question 22

The largest city in the Canadian Intermontane,a center for tourism and winemaking,is ________.

Question 23

Wyoming has a history of promoting ________ in its government.

Question 24

Nevada permits gambling and Utah does not,so people living near the border travel to Nevada in order to gamble.This is an example of the ________.

Question 25

The rugged terrain,low population densities,dry climate,and high transportation costs of the Intermontane meant that which sector of the economy never successfully developed?

A)A primary sector
B)A secondary sector
C)A tertiary sector
D)A quaternary sector

Question 26

The largest city in the Intermontane Region is ________.

A)Salt Lake City
B)Las Vegas
C)Boise
D)Provo

Question 27

Conflict over what resource has been common in the Intermontane since the days of early settlement?

A)Gold
B)Water
C)Oil
D)Land

Question 28

Another name for steep-sided dry canyons found in eastern Washington is what?

A)Gulches
B)Box Canyons
C)Coulees
D)Perennial Canyons

Question 29

Which of the following best defines the term "snowbirds"?

A)Birds that travel above the continental snowline in the summer.
B)Avian species still in existence,unchanged from the last glacial maximum.
C)Retirees from colder parts of North America who travel to spend winters in warm,dry areas
D)People who travel to snowy areas in the winter for recreation.

Question 30

Because of its pattern of discontinuous settlement,most of the population of the Intermontane West lives where?

A)In large cities such as Las Vegas,Salt Lake City,and Boise
B)In small towns and cities centered around mining,logging,and ranching
C)In rural areas because most people are still involved in mining,ranching,and logging
D)Population is evenly mixed between rural and urban areas

Question 31

The largest city in the "Inland Empire",which includes eastern Washington and Northern Idaho,is what?

A)Boise
B)Spokane
C)Tri-Cities
D)Coeur d'Alene

Question 32

Looking at the map (Figure 13.13),which Western state has the most Uranium deposits?

A)Colorado
B)Arizona
C)Nevada
D)Wyoming

Question 33

How did the principle of appropriation impact farming in the Intermontane West?

A)It allowed farms to appropriate land if they could use it productively for five years.
B)It allowed farmers to build ditches and canals so that they could irrigate their farms,even if the farms were not located next to a water source.
C)It allowed vast tracks of former Native American land to be claimed by the Government.
D)It allows farmers to formally claim streams for their use only.

Question 34

Which of the following locations is associated with the development of the atomic bomb during WWII?

A)Los Alamos
B)Los Angeles
C)Las Vegas
D)Area 51

Question 35

More than 50% of the land in Idaho,Nevada,and Utah is owned by ________.

Question 36

Which of the many national parks in the Intermontane was the first such park created in North America?

A)Canyonlands
B)Zion
C)Grand Canyon
D)Yellowstone

Question 37

What primary sector activity led to the creation of many "ghost towns" in the Intermontane?

A)Farming
B)Ranching
C)Mining
D)Logging

Question 38

Growth in what city is having a major impact on water levels in Lake Mead,a reservoir on the Colorado River?

A)Las Vegas
B)Los Angeles
C)Grand Junction
D)Phoenix

Question 39

What tertiary sector industry has caused major population growth in many parts of the Intermontane?

A)Tourism
B)Healthcare
C)Entertainment
D)Banking

Question 40

During the early settlement of the Intermontane,mining and farming towns attracted many people to work in the tertiary sector in jobs such as ________.

Question 41

Despite the fact that the population of the Intermontane West is now highly urbanized and primary sector activities now employ few people in the region,conflicts over natural resources are still common.Explain some reasons for this trend.

Question 42

Several different groups were involved in the early settlement of the Intermontane West.Using Zelinksky's principle of first effective settlement,make an argument for one of these groups having the most significant impact on the development and character of the region.

Question 43

The mighty Columbia River forms the boundary between Washington and Oregon,but this river and its tributary,the Kootenay River,begin in ________.

Question 44

NIMBY residents of the Intermontane West are concerned about population growth in the region,which may have impacts on ________.

Question 45

One factor that has lead to population growth in the Intermontane West in recent years is ________.

Question 46

The quaternary sector in the Intermontane has frequently been connected to ________ research.

Question 47

Population growth caused by mining booms in the Intermontane resulted in populations that ________.

Question 48

Why was mining such an important factor in the early settlement and population growth in the Intermontane West?

Question 49

Compare the way that use of water is regulated in the Eastern United States in contrast to the dry Intermontane West.Be sure to explain why these different systems developed.

Question 50

What will be the most important environmental issue facing the Intermontane West in the 21ˢᵗ century? Use what you know about current trends and the history of the region to support your argument.