The Erie Canal connected which two waterways?

The Erie Canal connected which two waterways?

• A. Lake Erie to Hudson River
• B. Mississippi River to Gulf of Mexico
• C. Great Lakes to Atlantic Ocean
• D. Lake Ontario to Hudson River

Answer: (A)

The key idea here is understanding what water route the Erie Canal created: a direct link from the interior Great Lakes region to the Atlantic coast by connecting a Great Lake to a major river that drains into the ocean. The canal runs from Lake Erie (in the western New York area) to the Hudson River (which flows south to New York City and the Atlantic) through upstate New York. This means ships could sail from the Great Lakes all the way to New York Harbor using a single navigable waterway. So, the two waterways connected are Lake Erie and the Hudson River. The other options don’t describe the specific, direct connection the canal provided: it isn’t a Mississippi-to-Gulf route, and while it facilitates movement toward the Atlantic, the precise link is between Lake Erie and the Hudson River, not Lake Ontario to the Hudson River.

The key idea here is understanding what water route the Erie Canal created: a direct link from the interior Great Lakes region to the Atlantic coast by connecting a Great Lake to a major river that drains into the ocean. The canal runs from Lake Erie (in the western New York area) to the Hudson River (which flows south to New York City and the Atlantic) through upstate New York. This means ships could sail from the Great Lakes all the way to New York Harbor using a single navigable waterway.

So, the two waterways connected are Lake Erie and the Hudson River. The other options don’t describe the specific, direct connection the canal provided: it isn’t a Mississippi-to-Gulf route, and while it facilitates movement toward the Atlantic, the precise link is between Lake Erie and the Hudson River, not Lake Ontario to the Hudson River.