Question

Place in order the events that led to the American environmental catastrophe in the 1930s known as the Dust Bowl.

1. The ground lost its ability to retain moisture or resist erosion.
2. Westward expansion, spurred by cattle ranching, decimated Native American populations and bison herds on the Great Plains.
3. Mechanical plowing allowed the transformation of grasslands into row-crop monoculture.
4. A multiyear drought caused crops to wither; the exposed dry soil blew away in mass dust storms.

Answer 1

2 → 3 → 1 → 4

Explanation: Westward expansion (2) and the replacement of bison/Native-managed prairie set the stage. Mechanical plowing (3) converted deep-rooted grasslands to row-crop monocultures. That removal of native vegetation caused the soil to lose its ability to retain moisture and resist erosion (1). Then a multiyear drought (4) killed crops and left dry exposed soil that was carried away in massive dust storms.