American's accepted the west as an arid, mountainous landscape. They settled exclusively along rivers where there was water, and did NOT use engineering to try to transform the landscape.

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Restating the prompt in my own words: The statement claims that Americans who moved to the West treated it as an arid, mountainous region, settled only along rivers with water, and did not employ engineering to transform the landscape.
Option 1: True. Why this would be considered false: The claim that settlers avoided engineering and did not transform the landscape is historically inaccurate. In reality, settler groups pursued significant engineering projects such as irrigation canals, water management systems, and dam construction to support agriculture and settlement in arid regions. They also built roads, railroads, and other infrastructure to access and develop other areas, and used leveling, mining, and reclamation techniques to modify landscapes for habitation and economic activity. Thus, labeling the West as merely an arid, mountainous area settled exclusively along rivers, with no landscape transformation, misstates historical practices.
Option 2: False. Why this is the more accurate stance: The West’s settlement involved widespread engineering efforts to alter the environment. Agricultural irrigation projects, such as canal systems in arid zones, allowed farming away from permanent watercourses. Water questions and flood control led to dams, levees, and irrigation districts. Transportation networks—railroads and roads—also reshaped the landscape and facilitated settlement beyond river valleys. Additionally, mining, land reclamation, and urban planning reflected deliberate engineering to make the region livable and economically productive. Therefore, the assertion that there was no engineering to transform the landscape is incorrect, and the statement as a whole is not an accurate depiction of American settlement in the West.

rst_242_120251_245457 3.3 | Week 3 Quiz

American's accepted the west as an arid, mountainous landscape. They settled exclusively along rivers where there was water, and did NOT use engineering to try to transform the landscape.

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