Chapter 6 The Development of British Columbia
Multiple-Choice Questions
1. The Oregon Territory was, until 1846:
a. disputed by Britain and the United States
b. not controlled by any nation
c. Russian territory
d. American territory
2. Which of the following best represents American policy toward the
Oregon Territory?
a. it should be avoided by settlers
b. it should be settled by Americans
c. it should be abandoned to the British
d. Americans should join the fur trade
3. The HBC was opposed to settlement because:
a. it would disrupt the fur trade
b. settlers frightened fur-bearing animals away
c. it would strengthen the HBC’s trade monopoly
d. it would attract Americans
4. The term “Manifest Destiny” means:
a. Americans and the British should share North America
b. British policies were approved of by the Americans
c. Americans should rule all of North America
d. the Russians had no right to own Alaska
5. The individual in charge of Fort Vancouver was:
a. George Simpson
b. David Thompson
c. John McLoughlin
d. James Douglas
6. John McLoughlin:
a. hated Americans
b. was a kind leader
c. encouraged American settlement north of the Columbia River
d. encouraged American settlement south of the Columbia River
7. McLoughlin’s policies toward American settlers:
a. strengthened the British position in the Oregon Territory
b. provided extra income for the HBC
c. strengthened the American position in the Oregon Territory
d. discouraged American settlers from remaining in the Oregon
Territory
8. In 1839, the HBC and the Russians set the boundary for Russian
territory:
a. on the 49th parallel
b. on the 60th parallel
c. at 54˚ 40’ latitude
d. along the Skeena River
9. In 1841, McLoughlin and Simpson disagreed:
a. as to the sites of new HBC posts
b. over the establishment of trading posts on the coast
c. over the number of trading posts on the coast
d. over moving the HBC’s main post from Fort Vancouver to Fort
Langley
10. Fort Victoria was established in 1843 because:
a. the HBC felt Fort Vancouver was too isolated
b. the HBC feared that Fort Vancouver could be soon in American
territory
c. it was located in an area of rich fur resources
d. the site was attractive
11. James Polk’s 1844 election slogan was:
a. “Don’t tread on me”
b. “49˚ or fight”
c. “54˚ 40’ or fight”
d. “40˚ 40’ or fight”
12. When the Oregon boundary treaty was signed in 1846, the new
boundary:
a. was along the line 54˚ 40’ N
b. was along the Columbia River
c. was at 49˚ N
d. was along the Fraser River
13. The British created the Colony of Vancouver Island because they
wished to:
a. solidify their claim on the region
b. end the HBC trade monopoly
c. create an agricultural colony
d. protect the area’s mineral deposits
14. The British decided land should be allocated in the Colony of
Vancouver Island by:
a. granting free homesteads to any settler
b. giving all the land to the HBC
c. requiring settlers to buy land at the cost of £1 per acre
d. a settler’s lottery
15. Any settler who purchased 100 acres or more in Vancouver Island
was required to:
a. pay a fee to the HBC
b. bring at least five servants
c. bring at least ten servants
d. sign a loyalty oath
16. The British sold land in Vancouver Island to settlers because:
a. they wished to generate needed income
b. such sales would pay for the colony’s government
c. they wished to re-create the British class system
d. they wanted to discourage settlement
17. Most of the settlers in Vancouver Island were in fact:
a. Americans
b. ex-HBC employees
c. aristocratic Englishmen
d. from Canada
18. The colony of Vancouver Island was also established as:
a. a base for the Royal Navy
b. a trans-shipment point for goods from Asia
c. a base for the British army
d. a threat to the Americans
19. The English landowners in Victoria:
a. viewed the HBC people as their social equals
b. wanted to develop ties with the Americans
c. looked on naval officers as their social inferiors
d. looked on naval officers as desirable social contacts
20. Which of the following is not a reason why James Douglas is called
the “Father of British Columbia”?
a. his actions to protect British sovereignty
b. his long years of HBC service
c. his treaties with First Nations
d. his ordering of the building of the Cariboo Wagon Road
21. Amelia Douglas was not:
a. from a fur-trading family
b. credited with saving her husband’s life
c. the head of Victoria society for 40 years
d. the head of one of the most powerful families in Victoria
22. James Douglas negotiated treaties with the First Nations of
Vancouver Island:
a. because the Colonial Office ordered him to do so
b. as a part of HBC trading policy
c. to gain title to the land
d. to deliberately marginalize them
23. The Douglas Treaties set a precedent because:
a. they allowed the First Nations to choose the location of their
reserves
b. they allowed First Nations hunting and fishing rights
c. they recognized Aboriginal title to the land
d. all of these
e. a. and c. only
24. Subsequent government leaders:
a. maintained Douglas’ First Nations policies
b. strengthened Douglas’ First Nations policies
c. ignored Douglas’ First Nations policies
d. reversed Douglas’ First Nations policies
25. When James Douglas signed treaties with the First Nations of
Vancouver Island:
a. he refused to pay them any compensation
b. he recognized that First Nations had title to their lands
c. he forced them to buy supplies from the HBC
d. he forced them to move to a reservation outside Victoria
26. Before gold was discovered in British Columbia, there had been a
gold rush in:
a. Washington Territory
b. California
c. Oregon
d. Nevada
27. Most really good claims in the California Gold Rush:
a. were staked by people in the state in 1848
b. were staked by people who arrived in 1849
c. were staked by Mexicans in the early 19th century
d. were staked during a second gold rush in 1852
28. In order to obtain gold, miners:
a. must sink a mine shaft to the gold deposits
b. could pick up nuggets on the banks of rivers
c. stake a claim to an area along a creek
d. both a. and c.
29. People went on gold rushes in the 19th century because:
a. they liked adventure
b. they wanted to settle in the gold region
c. they wanted to “get rich quick”
d. they saw gold as a solid investment
30. The vast majority of people who went on gold rushes:
a. became rich
b. died on the journey
c. did not get rich
d. were bored with their current lives
31. In late 1857, a trader brought James Douglas some nuggets he
had found along the:
a. Fraser River
b. Thompson River
c. Columbia River
d. Squamish River
32. Douglas feared a gold rush because:
a. thousands of miners would invade Vancouver Island
b. there was no political jurisdiction on the mainland
c. he had no army or militia
d. all of these
e. a. and b. only
33. By the middle of 1858, more than 10 000 miners were on the
Fraser River. Most were:
a. HBC employees
b. Canadians
c. First Nations
d. Americans
34. In order to preserve British control of the mainland, the British
government:
a. created a new colony of British Columbia
b. made James Douglas governor of the new colony
c. dispatched a contingent of Royal Engineers to British Columbia
d. all of these
e. a. and c. only
35. The Royal Engineers were sent to British Columbia in order to:
a. provide a military presence in the colony
b. survey the region
c. build towns and roads
d. all of these
36. Gold mining in British Columbia was first undertaken:
a. on the Thompson River
b. on sandbars on the Fraser River
c. in the Cariboo
d. near Lytton
37. The purpose of the Cariboo Wagon Road was:
a. to promote settlement of the interior
b. to ensure gold shipments did not leave the colony without
being taxed
c. to encourage economic development of the interior
d. all of these
38. The Cariboo Wagon Road became a problem for the colonial
government because:
a. no one used it
b. it was finished after revenues were in decline
c. it was never completed
d. no gold shipments were ever made along it
39. The main town of the Cariboo Gold Rush was:
a. Quesnel
b. Richfield
c. Barkerville
d. Horsefly
40. Hurdy gurdy girls were:
a. miners
b. miners’ wives
c. employed to dance with miners
d. employed to dance for miners in saloons
41. In 1868, Barkerville was:
a. abandoned as the gold had run out
b. incorporated as a city
c. burned to the ground, but quickly rebuilt
d. burned to the ground, and abandoned
42. By the end of the 19th century, Barkerville had become:
a. a ghost town
b. a tourist attraction
c. an important commercial centre
d. a forestry centre
43. By the middle of the 1860s, gold was running out. The result of
this was:
a. declining population
b. declining revenues
c. the closing of the Cariboo Wagon Road
d. all of these
e. both a. and b.
44. The Tsilhqot’in Uprising was caused by:
a. an influx of American miners into the area
b. a road being built inland from Bute Inlet
c. a smallpox epidemic
d. government refusal to enter into treaty negotiations
45. James Douglas could be best described as:
a. an aristocrat
b. a democrat
c. an autocrat
d. a republican
46. The Legislative Assembly of Vancouver Island:
a. was the brainchild of James Douglas
b. could pass binding legislation
c. had no authority to enforce its resolutions
d. consisted of seven members elected by universal suffrage
47. In 1855, the First Nations population along the coast was:
a. at least 60 000
b. around 40 000
c. under 30 000
d. over 75 000
48. In 1862, First Nations communities were decimated by an outbreak
of:
a. tuberculosis
b. measles
c. cholera
d. smallpox
49. In 1866, the Legislative Council of British Columbia consisted of 23
members. Of these, how many were elected?
a. none
b. all
c. nine
d. 17
50. Today, the Legislature of British Columbia is made up of:
a. the Lieutenant Governor
b. the Legislative Assembly
c. the Provincial Senate
d. all of these
e. a. and b. only
51. In order to run for office or vote in British Columbia today, a
person:
a. must be at least 18 years of age
b. must be a Canadian citizen
c. must have lived in British Columbia for at least 6 months
d. all of these
e. a. and b. only
52. Which of the following is not a responsibility of MLAs in British
Columbia today?
a. debating legislation
b. voting on legislation
c. representing their constituents in Ottawa
d. approving budgets
53. Language spoken by at least a third of the population of British
Columbia in the 1880s was:
a. Salishan
b. English
c. Chinook
d. French
54. The governments of Vancouver Island and British Columbia faced a
financial crisis in May, 1866, when:
a. the gold shipment from Barkerville was hijacked
b. local banks refused to grant any more loans
c. citizens refused to pay their taxes
d. the British government cut funding
55. The solution to the financial crisis of 1866 was:
a. the cancelling of all colonial debt
b. the appointment of a bankruptcy administrator
c. the union of the colonies of British Columbia and Vancouver
Island
d. a drastic rise in British government subsidies
56. Because financial troubles continued after the union of the two
colonies, a permanent solution was needed. Which of the
following was not proposed as a solution?
a. annexation by the United States
b. joining Confederation
c. not joining Confederation
d. the creation of a Dominion of British Columbia
57. The anti-Confederationists were strongest:
a. on the mainland
b. on Vancouver Island
c. in the Cariboo
d. in New Westminster
58. The Confederationists were strongest:
a. on the mainland
b. on Vancouver Island
c. in the Cariboo
d. in New Westminster
59. The preference for annexation by the United States was strongest:
a. among Cariboo merchants
b. among politicians on Vancouver Island
c. among Victoria business people
d. in New Westminster
60. The annexation movement failed when:
a. the United States refused to accept their petition
b. their leader died
c. they could not collect enough signatures for their petition
d. their petition was blocked in the courts
61. In 1869, a new governor was appointed. He was:
a. Anthony Musgrave
b. Arthur Kennedy
c. James Douglas
d. Frederick Seymour
62. When Anthony Musgrave was appointed governor in 1869, he
received instructions from the British government. These were:
a. to find a way to restructure the colony’s debts
b. to promote annexation
c. to get British Columbia to join Canada
d. to introduce responsible government
63. Musgrave was a personal friend of:
a. President Grant
b. John Helmcken
c. Amor De Cosmos
d. Sir John A. Macdonald
64. Musgrave decided the best way to convince the anticonfederationists that Confederation was a good idea was to:
a. bribe them
b. co-opt their support
c. have them resign from the Legislative Assembly
d. force them to accept the idea
65. When the delegates from British Columbia arrived in Ottawa with
their Confederation demands, the Canadian government:
a. refused to meet with them
b. accepted virtually all their demands
c. refused to take over the colonial debt
d. suggested they present less drastic demands
66. The key element of the terms by which British Columbia entered
Confederation was
a. big tax breaks
b. a promise of more settlers for British Columbia
c. the building of a railway between British Columbia and San
Francisco
d. the building of a railway between British Columbia and the
rest of Canada
67. The economic activity which first developed on Burrard Inlet was:
a. farming
b. fishing
c. forestry
d. mining
68. “British Columbia toothpicks” were:
a. fine quality dental cleaners
b. logs used in house construction
c. logs used as masts for sailing vessels
d. logs used for telegraph poles
69. “Gassy Jack” Deighton was a:
a. preacher
b. sawmill owner
c. shopkeeper
d. saloon owner
70. William van Horne rejected Port Moody as the terminus of the CPR
in 1884 because:
a. the inhabitants insulted him
b. there was too much space for a terminus
c. the harbour was filled with tidal flats
d. the harbour was subject to treacherous tides
71. The port of Vancouver began as a trans-shipment point between:
a. Canada and the United States
b. Asia and Canada
c. Canada and Britain
d. Canada and South America
72. The opening of the Panama Canal in 1914:
a. had little effect on Vancouver
b. caused a drastic drop in port activity in Vancouver
c. caused a rise in port activity in Vancouver
d. led to San Francisco replacing Vancouver as a major port
73. Modern methods in transportation have led to:
a. a reduction of business for the port of Vancouver
b. a diversification of goods handled by the port of Vancouver
c. the construction of new facilities in the port of Vancouver
d. both b. and c.
e. none of these
74. Kanakas came from:
a. California
b. Fiji
c. Hawaii
d. New Zealand
75. Kanakas were originally employed:
a. by the HBC
b. to build the CPR
c. as packers on the Cariboo Wagon Road
d. as servants of wealthy British Columbians
76. In 1858, Black citizens of San Francisco wished to settle on
Vancouver Island. They were:
a. denied permission to settle
b. ignored by government officials
c. encouraged by James Douglas
d. allowed to settle provided they paid an entry tax
77. When several Black citizens offered to form a militia unit in 1858,
James Douglas:
a. had them deported
b. refused their request
c. employed them as police officers
d. accepted their offer
78. In order to clinch the CPR terminus for Vancouver, David
Oppenheimer:
a. bribed Port Moody officials
b. offered half his landholdings in Vancouver to the CPR at half
price
c. offered half his landholdings in Vancouver to the CPR at no
cost
d. told Van Horne that there were big coals deposits near the
Vancouver
79. Because their opportunities were limited by racism, Chinese miners
would:
a. work for white miners
b. rework claims abandoned by white miners
c. cut trees for extra cash
d. act as government agents
80. In the 1880s, more than 17 000 Chinese immigrants came to
British Columbia to:
a. start vegetable farms
b. open stores
c. work on the CPR
d. work as miners
81. When the railway was finished in 1885, most Chinese railway
workers:
a. moved east to settle the prairies
b. returned to China
c. could not afford to return to China
d. left British Columbia for the United States
82. The majority attitude toward Chinese workers was:
a. discriminatory
b. accepting
c. tolerant
d. one of disinterest
83. The majority attitude toward Chinese workers was negative
because:
a. the Chinese got jobs before other workers
b. the Chinese prevented a homogeneous British culture
c. Chinese workers drove up wages
d. Chinese workers were lazy
84. In order to halt the immigration of Chinese workers, the
government introduced:
a. means testing
b. a head tax of $50
c. a ban on all Chinese immigration
d. rules which required all immigrants to be fluent in English
85. Amor De Cosmos opposed Chinese immigration because:
a. they “looked strange”
b. they “would undermine the British character of the province”
c. they “did not assimilate”
d. they “spoke in an uncouth manner”
86. Chinese labour contractors:
a. treated their workers fairly
b. often cheated Chinese workers
c. often became wealthy
d. a. and c. only