Chapter 12 Study Guide Key Content Terms (2 points each) Define and explain the significance of each Key Content Term listed below. Chisholm Trail transcontinental railroad Dawes Act Homestead Act Exodusters Populist Party Key Content Questions (3 points each) Consult History Alive! Pursuing American Ideals and your reading notes to answer the following questions. How did the growth of railroads affect the U.S. economy and geography? How did the opening of the West, including the growth of mining and the building of railroads, affect immigrants? Describe the consequences of westward expansion for American Indians and their culture. Analyze the role that government policies played in the settlement of the West .