Question

Select the three states that the United States obtained from Mexico:

Answer 1

This could be a little bit of a trick question, so let me break it down. First off, the best answers are probably California, New Mexico, and Texas, but read through my explanation to figure out what your teacher might want:

California and New Mexico are definitely right. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which ended the Mexican-American War, granted the U.S. ownership and control of California and a big part of New Mexico, both of which at the time belonged to Mexico.

Texas could be where the trick is. Technically, the U.S. obtained most of Texas from the Republic of Texas and not from Mexico. The Republic of Texas lasted for about ten years, from 1836 to 1845, when it was annexed by the U.S. 

BUT a big chunk of Texas was also obtained from Mexico with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, since the border between the U.S. and Mexico was not firmly established. This is partly why the Mexican-American War was fought. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo set the border at the Rio Grande, which was much farther south than the Mexicans had originally agreed to. So technically this southern chunk of Texas was obtained directly from Mexico.

Oregon and Louisiana are completely wrong.

Answer 2

If it's multiple choice then it'd be California and New Mexico.