The California Gold Rush Of 1849 — IELTS Reading Answers

The writer suggests that Marshall’s discovery came at a good time for the US because

1. Athe Mexican-American War was ending so there were men needing work.
2. Bhis expertise in water power would be useful in gold mining.
3. Cthe population of California had already begun to increase rapidly.
4. Dthe region was about to come under the control of the US.correct

“just days after Marshall's discovery, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed, ending the Mexican-American War and transferring California, with its mineral deposits, into the ownership of the United States”

D: the Treaty was signed 'just days after Marshall's discovery', transferring California 'into the ownership of the United States'.

What was the reaction in 1848 to the news of the discovery of gold?

1. AThe press played a large part in convincing the public of the riches available.
2. BMany men in San Francisco left immediately to check it out for themselves.
3. CPeople needed to see physical evidence before they took it seriously.correct
4. DMen in other mines in the US were among the first to respond to it.

“Though the initial reaction in San Francisco was disbelief”

C: 'the initial reaction in San Francisco was disbelief', overcome only when Brannan displayed a bottle of gold as proof.

What was the result of thousands of people moving to California?

1. ASan Francisco could not cope with the influx of people from around the world.
2. BMany miners got more money than they could ever have earned at home.
3. CSome of those who stayed behind had to take on unexpected roles.correct
4. DNew towns were established which became good places to live.

“their wives had no option but to shoulder different responsibilities such as running farms or businesses, and many made a real success of them”

C: wives left behind had 'no option but to shoulder different responsibilities such as running farms or businesses'.

What does the writer say about using pans and rockers to find gold?

1. ABoth methods required the addition of mercury.
2. BA rocker needed more than one miner to operate it.
3. CPans were the best system for novice miners to use.
4. DMiners had to find a way round a design fault in one system.correct

“The primary disadvantage was that the rocker had difficulty in trapping the smallest particles of gold, commonly known as 'flour'”

D: the rocker failed to trap fine gold, so miners added mercury to the bottom, working around that design fault.

a reference to ways of making money in California other than mining for gold

“To accommodate the needs of the ’49ers, as the gold miners were known, towns had sprung up all over the region, complete with shops and other businesses seeking to make their own Gold Rush fortune”

C: towns with 'shops and other businesses seeking to make their own Gold Rush fortune' show non-mining income.

a suggestion that the gold that was found did not often compensate for the hard work undertaken

“Mining had always been difficult and dangerous labor, and striking it rich required good luck as much as skill and hard work. Moreover, the average daily pay for an independent miner had by then dropped sharply from what it had been in 1848”

F: mining was 'difficult and dangerous', riches needed luck, and average daily pay 'had ... dropped sharply', so effort often went unrewarded.

a mention of an individual who convinced many of the existence of gold in California

“storekeeper Sam Brannan set off a frenzy when he paraded through town displaying a small bottle containing gold from Sutter's Creek”

B: 'storekeeper Sam Brannan set off a frenzy when he paraded through town displaying a small bottle containing gold'.

details of the pre-Gold Rush population of California

“At the time, the population of the territory consisted of 6,500 Californios (people of Spanish or Mexican descent); 700 foreigners (primarily Americans); and 150,000 Native Americans”

A: paragraph A lists '6,500 Californios', '700 foreigners' and '150,000 Native Americans', the pre-Gold Rush population.

a contrast between shrinking revenue and increasing population

“Though gold mining continued throughout the 1850s, it had reached its peak by 1852, when gold worth some $81 million was pulled from the ground. After that year, the total take declined gradually, leveling off to around $45 million per year by 1857.”

G: gold output 'declined gradually' after 1852 while 'the state's population was 380,000', a shrinking return with growing settlement.

“The basic procedure was to place some gold-bearing materials, such as river gravel, into a shallow pan, add some water, and then carefully swirl the mixture around”

Gold-bearing material such as 'river gravel' goes into the pan, so gravel is the noun.

“If all went well, the heavier gold nuggets or gold dust would settle to the bottom of the pan”

The heavier 'gold nuggets or gold dust would settle to the bottom', so nuggets fits.

“The big rocks were caught in a sieve at the top, the waste exited the lower end with the water, and the heavy gold fell to the bottom of the box”

'The big rocks were caught in a sieve at the top', so sieve is the noun.

“Some miners added small amounts of mercury to the bottom of the rocker. Due to its chemical composition, it had a facility to trap fine gold”

Miners 'added small amounts of mercury' to trap fine gold, so mercury fills the gap.