1. What were the contributing factors that led to the Dust Bowl of the 1930s? What did various factions blame the disaster on? Take both sides of the debate and make an argument for each.

2. What type of work was Bam White looking for when he and his family traveled to the Texas Panhandle? Why were his hopes for a good job dashed, and what did he attribute it to? How did his son feel about the region many years after the family first arrived?

3. What was the XIT Ranch and what role did a Chicago syndicate have in its creation? What was the fate of the ranch, and what part did the syndicate have in the decline of the region?

4. Why did Hazel take no pay for her teaching job in Boise City? What did her baby die of, and why was she conflicted about leaving Boise City after she had another child?

5. What was John McCarty's stance on the debate over the blame for the decline of the High Plains? What did he do to push his view onto the people of the area? What was the name of the club he established and what impact did it require of its members?

6. What was Hugh Bennett's area of expertise and what opinion did he have on the cause of the conditions leading to the Dust Bowl? What position did he hold with the government and what was his plan for renewal of the land?

7. Contrast the difference between the approaches that Hoover and Roosevelt each had toward the crisis in the High Plains. What was Roosevelt's fundamental belief about man and the challenges of nature? What specific idea did Roosevelt have for helping to fix the High Plains, and how was it implemented?

8. What was the most devastating dust storm to hit the plains, and when did it hit? Describe its origin and its trajectory, the damage and misery left in its wake, and how it was different than other dust storms.

9. What was the importance of Don Hartwell's diary? What larger meaning did they have than just the words of one man? Reading between the lines, go through his entries and describe the deeper meaning they held.

10. What was the importance of the documentary made by Pare Lorentz, and how was it received by the people of the Dust Bowl? What impact did it have the rest of the country? Why McCarty was angry over the documentary and the paintings about the region and what steps did he take to diminish their impact?