Answer:
(a) The white settlers moved westwards, first settled in the Appalachian plateau and then moved to the Mississippi valley. Here they burnt forests, cleared land for cultivation and sowed corn and wheat. After the 1860's the settlers swept in the Great Plains across the River Mississippi. (b) Their offorts in subsequent decades made this region the major wheat producing area of America. In the late 19" century, the American urban population rapidly expanded and the export market became bigger. (c) As demand increased, wheat prices also rose further encouraging farmers to produce wheat. The spread of the railways made it easy to transport grain from the wheat growing regions to the eastern coast for export. During the first world war, the world market boomed. (d) When Russian supplies of wheat were cut off due to the Russian Revolution it became America's responsibility to feed Europe. By 1919, 74 million acres of land was under wheat cultivation. Most of this increase was in the Great Plains where new areas were constantly being ploughed to extend cultivation. Thus the westward expansion of the white settlers helped to turn the Great Plains into the bread basket of America.
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