Oklahoma History - College and Career Readiness Assessment (CCRA) — Questions and Answers

Question 1: What state agency is responsible for enforcing Oklahoma's environmental regulations related to air and water quality?

Oklahoma Conservation Commission
Oklahoma Pollution Control Authority
Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (Correct answer)
State Environmental Compliance Board

Correct answer: Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality

The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) enforces state and federal environmental laws related to air quality, water quality, and waste management.

Question 2: The Comanche, Kiowa, and Apache tribes were confined to what Oklahoma reservation by the Medicine Lodge Treaty of 1867?

The Cheyenne-Arapaho Reservation in western Oklahoma
The Unassigned Lands in central Oklahoma
The Kiowa-Comanche-Apache Reservation in southwestern Indian Territory (Correct answer)
The Cherokee Outlet in northern Oklahoma

Correct answer: The Kiowa-Comanche-Apache Reservation in southwestern Indian Territory

The Medicine Lodge Treaty assigned the Comanche, Kiowa, and Apache to a shared reservation in what is now southwestern Oklahoma.

Question 3: The 1889 Land Run posed significant risk management challenges for settlers primarily because of which unresolved issue?

Insufficient seed supplies for farming
No postal service for communication
Lack of established water rights and land boundary surveys (Correct answer)
Absence of federal military protection

Correct answer: Lack of established water rights and land boundary surveys

Without clear land surveys or water rights frameworks in place, settlers faced enormous legal and resource conflicts from the very first day.

Question 4: Approximately how many people died and how many buildings were destroyed in the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921?

Fewer than 10 killed and 50 buildings burned
Exactly 36 killed and 600 buildings damaged
An estimated 100-300 killed and over 1,200 buildings destroyed (Correct answer)
Over 1,000 killed and the entire city destroyed

Correct answer: An estimated 100-300 killed and over 1,200 buildings destroyed

The Tulsa Race Massacre left an estimated 100-300 or more people dead and destroyed over 1,200 homes and businesses in the Greenwood District.

Question 5: What was the purpose of the Dawes Commission established in 1893?

To settle land disputes between white settlers and Native Americans
To investigate corruption in the Bureau of Indian Affairs
To establish reservation boundaries in Oklahoma Territory
To negotiate with the Five Civilized Tribes for land allotment and tribal dissolution (Correct answer)

Correct answer: To negotiate with the Five Civilized Tribes for land allotment and tribal dissolution

The Dawes Commission was tasked with negotiating with the Five Civilized Tribes to accept individual land allotments and dissolve their tribal governments.

Question 6: McGirt v. Oklahoma (2020) was a landmark Supreme Court ruling that determined what about eastern Oklahoma?

That Oklahoma had full criminal jurisdiction over all Native Americans
That the Dawes Act allotments were unconstitutional
That the Creek Nation reservation had never been disestablished and remained Indian Country (Correct answer)
That tribal sovereignty in Oklahoma was subordinate to state law

Correct answer: That the Creek Nation reservation had never been disestablished and remained Indian Country

In McGirt v. Oklahoma (2020), the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Muscogee (Creek) Nation's reservation was never formally disestablished, meaning much of eastern Oklahoma is Indian Country.

Question 7: What was the significance of the Boley, Oklahoma community established in 1904?

It was the birthplace of the Oklahoma oil industry
It was the first integrated town in Indian Territory
It was one of the most prosperous and well-known all-Black towns in the United States (Correct answer)
It was established as a model agricultural community by the federal government

Correct answer: It was one of the most prosperous and well-known all-Black towns in the United States

Boley, founded in 1904, became one of the most prosperous and famous all-Black towns in the U.S., attracting visitors including Booker T. Washington.

Question 8: During the Civil War, most of the Five Civilized Tribes initially aligned with which side?

They remained strictly neutral
The Union
The Confederacy (Correct answer)
Different tribes split evenly

Correct answer: The Confederacy

Most of the Five Civilized Tribes, many of whose leaders held enslaved people and had southern cultural ties, initially signed treaties with the Confederacy.

Question 9: Why is evidence-based practice important in Oklahoma History?

It integrates best available evidence with professional expertise for optimal outcomes (Correct answer)
It replaces experience
It only applies to academic settings
It is a theoretical concept only

Correct answer: It integrates best available evidence with professional expertise for optimal outcomes

This is fundamental to Oklahoma History practice. It integrates best available evidence with professional expertise for optimal outcomes represents the professional standard for research in the Oklahoma History certification framework.

Question 10: What role did the railroads play in the Oklahoma land runs?

They opposed the land runs to preserve Native American land
They provided free land grants adjacent to their tracks
They were prohibited from entering Oklahoma until after statehood
They transported settlers to the starting lines and helped establish towns along their routes (Correct answer)

Correct answer: They transported settlers to the starting lines and helped establish towns along their routes

Railroads were crucial to the land runs, transporting tens of thousands of settlers and later establishing towns and infrastructure along their routes through Oklahoma Territory.

Question 11: What was the largest land run in Oklahoma history, opening the Cherokee Outlet in 1893?

The Potawatomi Opening of 1891
The Cherokee Strip Land Run with approximately 100,000 participants (Correct answer)
The Iowa-Sac-Fox Opening of 1891
The Land Run of 1889 with 50,000 participants

Correct answer: The Cherokee Strip Land Run with approximately 100,000 participants

The Cherokee Strip Land Run of September 16, 1893 was the largest, with an estimated 100,000 participants racing to claim 6 million acres of the Cherokee Outlet.

Question 12: Oklahoma's Five Civilized Tribes historically adopted written forms of their languages; which tribe famously developed an 86-character syllabary still used digitally today?

Cherokee Nation (Correct answer)
Chickasaw Nation
Choctaw Nation
Creek Nation

Correct answer: Cherokee Nation

Sequoyah created the Cherokee syllabary around 1820, and it remains in active digital use through fonts, apps, and websites today.

Question 13: What is the first step in risk assessment for Oklahoma History professionals?

Purchasing insurance
Delegating to others
Implementing controls immediately
Identifying potential hazards and vulnerabilities in the specific context (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Identifying potential hazards and vulnerabilities in the specific context

This is fundamental to Oklahoma History practice. Identifying potential hazards and vulnerabilities in the specific context represents the professional standard for risk management in the Oklahoma History certification framework.

Question 14: The Homestead Act of 1862 provided settlers with how much land, which was the standard allotment in the Oklahoma land runs?

160 acres (a quarter section) (Correct answer)
80 acres (an eighth section)
320 acres (a half section)
640 acres (a full section)

Correct answer: 160 acres (a quarter section)

The Homestead Act granted 160 acres—a quarter section—to settlers who claimed, lived on, and improved the land for five years.

Question 15: Which federal act, complementing Oklahoma state law, gave the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs authority over mineral leasing on allotted Indian lands in Oklahoma?

The Indian Mineral Leasing Act of 1938 (Correct answer)
The General Mining Law of 1872
The Oklahoma Enabling Act
The Dawes Severalty Act

Correct answer: The Indian Mineral Leasing Act of 1938

The Indian Mineral Leasing Act of 1938 standardized federal oversight of mineral leasing on allotted tribal lands, directly affecting much of eastern Oklahoma.

Question 16: Oklahoma's 1907 constitutional convention delegates communicated their progressive policy stance most clearly through which feature of the new constitution?

Strong protections for railroad corporations
Extensive regulation of corporations and protections for labor and farmers (Correct answer)
A provision requiring English-only newspapers
A ban on tribal citizenship for non-Natives

Correct answer: Extensive regulation of corporations and protections for labor and farmers

Oklahoma's constitution was one of the most progressive of its era, reflecting labor and agrarian stakeholder demands through strong corporate regulation and consumer protection provisions.

Question 17: The Land Run of 1889 was authorized by what piece of legislation?

The Dawes Act of 1887
The Homestead Act of 1862
The Organic Act of 1890
The Indian Appropriations Act of 1889 (Springer Amendment) (Correct answer)

Correct answer: The Indian Appropriations Act of 1889 (Springer Amendment)

The Springer Amendment to the Indian Appropriations Act of 1889 authorized President Harrison to open the Unassigned Lands to settlement.

Question 18: A researcher examining Oklahoma's constitutional convention of 1906 finds that women were excluded from delegate participation. How should this fact inform the analysis of the resulting constitution?

It reveals a structural bias that shaped which perspectives and priorities were embedded in the founding document (Correct answer)
It is irrelevant since the constitution applies to all citizens
It proves the constitution is legally invalid
It should only be noted in a footnote

Correct answer: It reveals a structural bias that shaped which perspectives and priorities were embedded in the founding document

The exclusion of women from the convention reveals whose voices shaped founding decisions, which is critical context for interpreting the document's priorities.

Question 19: The Battle of Honey Springs in 1863, fought in Indian Territory, was significant because it involved what unusual aspect?

It was fought entirely by Native American soldiers with no white officers
It was one of the largest Civil War battles in Indian Territory and included Native American troops on both sides (Correct answer)
It resulted in the only Confederate victory in Indian Territory
It was the first battle in which women fought on the front lines

Correct answer: It was one of the largest Civil War battles in Indian Territory and included Native American troops on both sides

The Battle of Honey Springs was the largest Civil War engagement in Indian Territory and uniquely featured Native American troops fighting on both the Union and Confederate sides.

Question 20: What was the 'Osage Reign of Terror' in the 1920s?

A series of fraudulent land deals targeting the Osage
A violent uprising by the Osage against white settlers
A government crackdown on Osage oil lease agreements
A series of murders targeting wealthy Osage for their oil headrights (Correct answer)

Correct answer: A series of murders targeting wealthy Osage for their oil headrights

The Osage Reign of Terror refers to a series of murders in the 1920s where white men killed wealthy Osage members to inherit their oil headrights, investigated by the early FBI.

Question 21: Which Cherokee scholar created the Cherokee syllabary in the early 19th century?

Stand Watie
Major Ridge
John Ross
Sequoyah (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Sequoyah

Sequoyah (also known as George Guess) created the Cherokee syllabary around 1821, enabling the Cherokee to become literate in their own language within a few years.

Question 22: Oklahoma's 'Blue Sky Law,' enacted in 1913, was designed to protect citizens from what?

Environmental pollution
Fraudulent securities sales (Correct answer)
Banking insolvency
Railroad price gouging

Correct answer: Fraudulent securities sales

Oklahoma's Blue Sky Law of 1913 regulated the sale of securities to protect investors from fraudulent investment schemes.

Question 23: The first Oklahoma Land Run took place on April 22, 1889. What area was opened for settlement?

The Cherokee Outlet in northern Oklahoma
The Unassigned Lands (approximately 2 million acres in central Oklahoma) (Correct answer)
The Kiowa-Comanche-Apache Reservation
The entire Indian Territory

Correct answer: The Unassigned Lands (approximately 2 million acres in central Oklahoma)

The Land Run of 1889 opened approximately two million acres of Unassigned Lands in central Oklahoma to non-Native settlement.

Question 24: A student researching the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921 finds that the Greenwood District was sometimes called 'Black Wall Street.' What does this nickname reveal about the district?

It was the location of Tulsa's main financial exchange
It was the district where Wall Street investors owned property
It was a prosperous African American business and residential community (Correct answer)
It was a neighborhood known for its banking fraud scandals

Correct answer: It was a prosperous African American business and residential community

The 'Black Wall Street' nickname reflected Greenwood's thriving African American-owned businesses, banks, hotels, and professional offices that made it one of the wealthiest Black communities in the nation.

Question 25: The forced relocation of the Cherokee Nation to Indian Territory is known by what name?

The Long Walk
The Great Removal
The Trail of Tears (Correct answer)
The Bitter Trail

Correct answer: The Trail of Tears

The forced relocation of the Cherokee and other tribes to Indian Territory is called the Trail of Tears, during which thousands died from exposure, disease, and starvation.

Question 26: The Dust Bowl of the 1930s disproportionately affected the Oklahoma panhandle and surrounding areas. What was the primary cause of the Dust Bowl?

Overgrazing by cattle ranchers who removed all native grasses
A series of tornadoes that destroyed topsoil across the Great Plains
Industrial pollution from early Oklahoma oil refineries
Combination of severe drought and poor farming practices that stripped the land of vegetation (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Combination of severe drought and poor farming practices that stripped the land of vegetation

The Dust Bowl resulted from a combination of prolonged drought and decades of farming practices that plowed up native grasses, leaving soil vulnerable to wind erosion.

Question 27: What communication tool did Oklahoma tribal nations increasingly use from the 1990s onward to inform members and assert sovereignty claims publicly?

Tribal websites, social media, and tribal newspapers (Correct answer)
CB radio networks across reservation lands
Annual petitions delivered by hand to the BIA in Washington
Classified ads in Oklahoma City newspapers

Correct answer: Tribal websites, social media, and tribal newspapers

Oklahoma tribes embraced digital communication tools—websites, social media, and revitalized tribal newspapers—to inform citizens, attract tourism, and publicly assert sovereignty.

Question 28: How many land runs and openings were there in Oklahoma between 1889 and 1895?

Two major openings
One major opening
Ten major openings
Five major openings (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Five major openings

There were five major land openings in Oklahoma: 1889 (Unassigned Lands), 1891 (Iowa, Sac and Fox, Pottawatomie lands), 1892 (Cheyenne-Arapaho), 1893 (Cherokee Outlet), and 1895 (Kickapoo).

Question 29: The Greenwood District of Tulsa, destroyed in the 1921 Race Massacre, was known by what nickname due to its prosperity?

Prosperity Row
The Negro Quarter
Freedom Town
Black Wall Street (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Black Wall Street

The Greenwood District was known as 'Black Wall Street' due to its remarkable concentration of African American wealth, businesses, and professional services.

Question 30: The Organic Act of 1890 established what political entity that would later become part of Oklahoma?

Oklahoma Territory (Correct answer)
Cherokee Outlet
Indian Territory
Unassigned Lands

Correct answer: Oklahoma Territory

The Organic Act of 1890 officially organized the Unassigned Lands into Oklahoma Territory.

Oklahoma History - College and Career Readiness Assessment (CCRA)

The Oklahoma CCRA U.S. History assessment tests Grade 11 students on Oklahoma Academic Standards covering Native American heritage, the territorial period and land runs, Oklahoma statehood, and the development of state government and modern Oklahoma.

Questions

35 min

Time Limit

70%

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