Example Item
Read the article “The Panama Canal” and answer questions 1-3.
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The Panama Canal
by Rhian Hunt
The world's most famous waterway, the Panama Canal, is a 48-mile ribbon of water connecting the
Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Begun by the French, finished by the Americans, and finally handed over to the local
people, this canal was a key part of 20th century sea trade. Today, it is getting too small for the bigger, modern
day cargo ships. The Panama government is planning an expansion, but the famous canal has at least two rivals.
Before the Canal
The Spanish conquered Central America during the early 16th century, defeating the Aztecs and other
local empires. They soon saw the Isthmus of Panama is the narrowest place in Central America. This made the
Isthmus a good spot to move goods between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. The other choice was to sail all the
way around Cape Horn, the southern tip of South America. That voyage took many months and was very
dangerous. Ships taking it were forced to sail through waters near Antarctica. This area has many violent storms.
The Spanish did not make a canal in Panama but they built two roads across it. Work began in the 1520s,
using Native American slaves. The Nicaraguan Native Americans kept many slaves before the Spanish came. The
Spanish bought or stole many of these. More slaves were bought from Native American slave traders. Tens of
thousands of people died building the roads, but they were finally built. Mule convoys were used on the finished
road to carry goods from one coast to the other. This allowed Spain to trade far more easily with Asia.
The Isthmus of Panama roads eventually fell out of use. So many slaves died that the Spanish found
themselves unable to maintain the roads. The Spanish king also outlawed use of slaves on the road, which made
it harder to use them. A hundred years after the Spanish built the roads, they were in bad repair. A journey took
twice as long as when they were new. Bandits or river pirates often robbed mule convoys. The British had such
success sailing around Cape Horn that merchants finally gave up on the Panama roads.
Building the Canal
In 1811, a German explorer named Alexander von Humboldt wrote that Panama was an ideal spot for a
canal. He guessed that a Panama Canal would cut sea voyages by 6,000 miles. He also thought it would open up
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trade to America's west coast, China, and Japan. All of his ideas were correct. Some time passed before anyone
acted on them.
People kept talking about a canal, though, and it was an exciting idea for European and American
thinkers. The German writer Goethe guessed in 1827 that the Americans would make the canal to link their east
and west coasts. The people of Panama were also eager for a canal, knowing it would help their economy grow.
President Andrew Jackson of the U.S. sent Charles Biddle to set up a canal building contract in 1835, but
the deal fell through. When the California Gold Rush began in 1849, an American businessman named William
Aspinwall built a railroad across the Isthmus. People going to California soon started using his railroad rather
than the much longer and more dangerous Cape Horn route. Building the railroad, even with free laborers, cost
a lot but Aspinwall made a fortune anyway.
A group of French businessmen formed a company to build a canal across the Isthmus. Work started in
1877. The French chose a very bad route for their canal, and created huge swamps with their digging method.
These swamps bred mosquitoes, and malaria spread among the workers and killed many of them. Hiring
became more expensive as men refused to work in the deadly area without high pay to compensate. The
company went broke and closed in 1888 with the canal only partly finished.
The Americans began building the Panama Canal in 1905. Few people from Panama worked on the canal
because of the risks. They could also get better wages elsewhere in their country. Americans, Italians, Spanish,
and people from the Caribbean countries formed most of the work force. American colonel William C. Gorgas
oversaw keeping the canal work area disease-free. The Americans managed to wipe out the local mosquitoes.
Even though malaria was almost unknown on the work site, accidents and other diseases still claimed 5,000 to
6,000 lives.
The canal was built using steam shovels, dynamite, and human labor. President Theodore "Teddy"
Roosevelt visited the Panama Canal work zone in 1906. A photographer took a picture of him sitting in a steam
shovel. The Americans dammed the Chagres River to make Gatun Lake. This flooded part of inland Panama, and
the lake is still part of the route. The canal itself is made up of a series of locks. Most of it is not at sea level.
Ships going through the canal enter one lock, move to the next that is at a higher level, and so on. These ships
then go through lower and lower locks on the other side of the Isthmus.
Many labor troubles occurred during the time when the Americans built the Panama Canal. Strikes for
better wages happened, and expenses climbed. But the Americans continued and opened the canal for ship
traffic in 1914. The first ship to go through, on August 15, 1914, was the SS Ancon. The voyage was basically a
sightseeing tour of the new Panama Canal for 200 important people.
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The Panama Canal Today
America kept control of the Panama Canal for several decades after it was built. In 1977, President
Jimmy Carter transferred partial control of the canal to Panama. In 1999, the US government handed full control
of the Panama Canal over to the Panamanian government. A condition of this transfer is that the canal is
neutral, usable by the ships of all nations.
Since it was built, about 800,000 ships have gone through the Panama Canal. 15,000 ships use it every
year. Many of the most recent cargo ships are too big to fit through the canal. The Panama government is
working on a major expansion to widen the canal and keep it in business.
At least two major challenges to the Panama Canal now exist. One of these is the Nicaragua Canal. A
Hong Kong company is building this canal, which will link up to Lake Nicaragua. The Hong Kong company will
keep all money earned by the canal for 50 years. This makes it very unpopular in Nicaragua, and the country may
not be able to pay for completing the canal.
The Suez Canal is another major rival. This canal, built by the French and now owned by Egypt, will
benefit from a widening project by the end of 2015. The Egyptians will beat the Panama Canal to the punch with
a waterway wide enough for modern ships. Only time will tell if the Suez Canal takes traffic from the Panama
Canal. The Panama Canal might also stay as one of the world's most important waterways.
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Directions: Using information and details from the article “The Panama Canal” answer the questions
below.
1. What are the modern day concerns of the Panama Canal?
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2. What were some of the problems that arose from building the Panama Canal?
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3. What were/are the benefits of the Panama Canal?
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Constructed Response Scoring Rubric
Points
Description
2
The response achieves the following:
 demonstrates a thorough understanding of the question and text(s)
 uses sufficient evidence and includes specific examples/details that
make clear references to the text(s)
 describes or explains adequately by using clearly relevant information
based on the text(s)
1
The response achieves the following:
 demonstrates a basic understanding of the question and text(s)
 uses limited evidence and includes vague/limited examples/details
that make references to the text(s)
 somewhat describes or explains by using vague/limited information
based on the text(s)
0
The response achieves the following:
 demonstrates no understanding of the question and text(s)
OR
 uses limited or no evidence and may or may not include
examples/details that may or may not make references to the text(s)
OR
 includes no explanation or no relevant information from the text(s)
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