Question

Informational Text: Historical Article
Read the following passage about the Indian Removal Acts. Then, answer the following question(s)

(1) John Ross was worried. It was 1830, and President Andrew Jackson had signed the Indian Removal Act, which meant his tribe, the Cherokee Indians, would have to leave Georgia and head West across the Mississippi. As the leader of the Cherokee, Ross was able to move in both Native American and European-descended worlds because he had a Cherokee mother and a Scottish father. Ross told President Jackson that the government had no right to remove his people from their land, but Jackson was not swayed by Ross’s arguments. When Jackson refused to back down, Ross took his grievances to the U.S. Supreme Court. The Supreme Court sided with John Ross and the Cherokee, but Jackson refused to follow the Court’s orders.

(2) Ross struggled to keep his tribe together, but there was another faction of Cherokee who disrupted his efforts. This faction was led by Ross’s close friend, Major Ridge. Ridge told the tribe that they had lost too much already, and if they signed a treaty with President Jackson, they would at least get money for their land. Ross fought against any treaty, but in the end, Ridge and his followers signed the treaty that gave the Cherokee $5 million in exchange for leaving their land in two years.

(3) Ross wanted to keep fighting, but his hands were tied. The Cherokee had to leave their land, which the white settlers craved not only for the land itself, but also for the gold that had been discovered there. The government sent soldiers to remove the Cherokee by force, throwing them out of their homes. Taking only what they could carry, the Cherokee were sent on an eight-hundred mile trail west. Because of the harsh weather conditions, many Cherokee died on the move west. The Cherokee called this terrible journey the “Trail of Tears.”

The following question has two parts. Answer Part A first, and then Part B.

Part A
Based on the passage, what can you infer about President Jackson’s feelings about removing the Cherokee from their land?
A. He thought it should happen, even if the courts said it was illegal.
B. He was conflicted about whether to listen to John Ross or Major Ridge.
C. He preferred it, but only if a treaty was signed between the Cherokee and the government.
D. He thought $5 million was too much to give the Cherokee in exchange for leaving their land.
Part B
Which sentence from the passage most clearly supports the answer to Part A?
A. When Jackson refused to back down, Ross took his grievances to the U.S. Supreme Court. (paragraph 1)
B. The Supreme Court sided with John Ross and the Cherokee, but Jackson refused to follow the Court's orders. (paragraph 1)
C. Ridge told the tribe that they had lost too much already, and if they signed a treaty with President Jackson, they would at least get money for their land. (paragraph 2)
D. Ross wanted to keep fighting, but his hands were tied. (paragraph 3)

Answer 1

Part A: A. He thought it should happen, even if the courts said it was illegal.

Part B: B. "The Supreme Court sided with John Ross and the Cherokee, but Jackson refused to follow the Court's orders." This shows Jackson refused to obey the court and proceeded with removal.