Which lands were acquired by the United States as a result of the Mexican-American War (the Mexican Cession)?

• A. California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and parts of Colorado
• B. Florida and Texas
• C. Alaska and Hawaii
• D. Louisiana Purchase region

Answer: (A)

The key idea is understanding what lands came to the United States through the Mexican Cession after the Mexican-American War. In 1848, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ceded about 525,000 square miles of territory to the U.S. This included California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and parts of Colorado (along with New Mexico and Wyoming). That’s why the option listing California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and parts of Colorado is the best answer—it reflects the core areas that were ceded in that agreement. The other choices reflect land acquisitions from different times: Florida and Texas relate to earlier expansion, Alaska and Hawaii were acquired later, and the Louisiana Purchase happened even earlier.