In the field of historiography—the writing of history based on a criti

In the field of historiography—the writing of history based on a critical examination of authentic primary information sources—one area that has recently attracted attention focuses on the responses of explorers and settlers to new landscapes in order to provide insights into the transformations of the landscape itself has undergone as a result of settlement. In this endeavor historiographers examining the history of the Pacific Coast of United States have traditionally depended on the records left by European American explorers of the nineteenth century who, as commissioned agents of the U.S. government, were instructed to report thoroughly their findings in writing.

But in furthering this investigation some historiographers have recently recognized the need to expand their definition of what a source is. They maintain that the sources traditionally accepted as documenting the history of the Pacific Coast have too often omitted the response of Asian settlers to this territory. In part this is due to the dearth of written records left by Asian settlers; in contrast to the commissioned agents, most of the people who first came to western North America from Asia during this same period did not focus on developing a self-conscious written record of their involvement with the landscape. But because a full study of a culture’s historical relationship to its land cannon confine itself to a narrow record of experience, these historiographers have begun to recognize the value of other kinds of evidence, such as the actions of Asian settlers.

As a case in point, the role of Chinese settlers in expanding agriculture throughout the Pacific Coast territory is integral to the history of the region. Without access to the better land, Chinese settlers looked for agricultural potential in this generally arid region where other settlers did not. For example, where settlers of European descent looked at willows and saw only useless, untillable swamp, Chinese settlers saw fresh water, fertile soil, and the potential for bringing water to more arid areas via irrigation. Where other settlers who looked at certain weeds, such as wild mustard, generally saw a nuisance, Chinese settlers saw abundant raw material for valuable spices from a plant naturally suited to the local soil and climate.

Given their role in the labor force shaping this territory in the nineteenth century, the Chinese settlers offered more than just a new view of the land. Their vision was reinforced by specialized skills involving swamp reclamation and irrigation systems, which helped lay the foundation for the now well-known and prosperous agribusiness of the region. That 80 percent of the area’s cropland is now irrigated and that the region is currently the top producer of many specialty crops cannot be fully understood by historiographers without attention to the input of Chinese settlers as reconstructed from their interactions with that landscape.

1. Which one of the following most accurately states the main point of the passage?

A. The history of settlement along the Pacific Coast of the U.S., as understood by most historiographers, is confirmed by evidence reconstructed from the actions of Asian settlers.
B. Asian settlers on the Pacific Coast of the U.S. left a record of their experiences that traditional historiographers believed to be irrelevant.
C. To understand Asian settlers’ impact on the history of the Pacific Coast of the U.S., historiographers have had to recognize the value of non-traditional kinds of historiographical evidence.
D. Spurred by new findings regarding Asian settlement on the Pacific Coast of the U.S. historiographers have begun to debate the methodological foundations of historiographer.
E. By examining only written information, historiography as it is traditionally practiced has produced inaccurate historical accounts.

2. Which one of the following most accurately describes the author’s primary purpose in discussing Chinese settlers in the third paragraph?

A. To suggest that Chinese settlers followed typical settlement patterns in this region during the nineteenth century.
B. To argue that little written evidence of Chinese settlers’ practice survives
C. To provide examples illustrating the unique view Asian settlers had of the land
D. To demonstrate that the history of settlement in the region has become a point of contention among historiographers.
E. To claim that the historical record provided by the actions of Asian settlers is inconsistent with history as derived from the traditional sources.

3. The passage states that the primary traditional historiographic sources of information about the history of the Pacific Coast of the U.S. have which one of the following characteristics?

A. They were written both before and after Asian settlers arrived in the area
B. They include accounts by Native Americans in the area
C. They are primarily concerned with potential agricultural uses of the land.
D. They focus primarily on the presence of water sources in the region
E. They are accounts left by European American explorers.

4. The author would most likely disagree with which one of the following statements?

A. Examining the actions not only of Asian settlers but of other cultural groups of the Pacific Coast of the U.S. is necessary to a full understanding of the impact of settlement on the landscape there.

B. The significance of certain actions to the writing of history may be recognized by one group of historiographers but not another.
C. Recognizing the actions of Asian settlers adds to but does not complete the writing of the history of the Pacific Coast of the U.S.
D. By recognizing as evidence the actions of people, historiographers expand the definition of what a source is
E. The expanded definition of a source will probably not be relevant to studies of regions that have no significant immigration of non-Europeans.

5. According to the passage, each of the following was an aspect of Chinese settlers’ initial interactions with the landscape of the Pacific Coast of the U.S. EXCEPT:

A. New ideas for utilizing local plants
B. A new view of the land
C. Specialized agricultural skills
D. Knowledge of agribusiness practices
E. Knowledge of irrigation systems

6. Which one of the following can most reasonably be inferred from the passage?

A. Most Chinese settlers came to the Pacific Coast of the U.S. because the climate was similar to that which they were familiar
B. Chinese agricultural methods in the nineteenth century included knowledge of swamp reclamation
C. Settlers of European descent used wild mustard seed as a spice
D. Because of the abundance of written source available, it is not worthwhile to examine the actions of European settlers.
E. What written records were left by Asian settlers were neglected and consequently lost to scholarly research.

7. Which one of the following, if true, would most help to strengthen the author’s main claim in the last sentence of the passage?

A. Market research of agribusinesses owned by descendants of Chinese settlers shows that the market for the region’s specialty crops has grown substantially faster than the market for any other crops in the last decade.
B. Nineteenth-century surveying records indicate that the lands now cultivated by specialty crop businesses owned by descendants of Chinese settlers were formerly swamp lands.
C. Research by university agricultural science departments proves that the formerly arid lands now cultivated by large agribusinesses contain extremely fertile soil when they are sufficiently irrigated
D. A technological history tracing the development of irrigation systems in region reveals that their efficiency has increased steadily since the nineteenth century
E. Whether records compiled over the previous century demonstrate that the weather patterns in the region are well-suited to growing certain specialty crops as long as they are irrigated.