What was the most significant effect of the gold and silver boom on development in the west?
a.
most prospectors made large fortunes and established thriving communities.
b.
boom towns that went “bust” turned into ghost towns and population decreased in the west.
c.
a “population boom” accompanied the mining boom.
d.
most prospectors did not strike it rich and moved back east, depleting the west’s population.

While B is semi-correct, it is not the most siginificant effect. I do not find D to be true, either. I'm between A and C for this, since some textbooks emphasize different effects of events--do with that what you may :)

an expansion is one of two basic business cycle phases; the other is contraction. the transition from expansion to contraction is a peak, and the changeover from contraction to expansion is a trough.

the answer is c, all the other options are things they are known for.

hope this ☺️