Which of the following states was acquired as part of the Mexican Cession during the Mexican War?

• A. New Mexico
• B. Washington
• C. Kentucky
• D. Nebraska

Answer: (A)

The question tests what lands became part of the United States as a result of the Mexican War, specifically the Mexican Cession. After the war ended with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848, Mexico ceded a large block of territory to the U.S. in exchange for $15 million and the assumption of certain Mexican debts. This cession included present-day California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico, plus parts of Colorado and Wyoming. So New Mexico was among the areas acquired in that treaty, which is why it is the correct choice.

Washington state was added to the United States through earlier agreements with Britain, not the Mexican War. Kentucky was settled and admitted to statehood long before this period, and Nebraska came into U.S. hands through other expansion processes, ultimately linked to the Louisiana Purchase and later reorganizations—not the Mexican Cession.