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Husp Practice 11 17 09
Mr Eisenberg |
TEACHER ANSWER KEY
November 17, 2009 |
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1. Which event led to the start of the Great Depression? |
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| 1. Red Scare (1919–1920) |
3. stock market crash (1929) |
| 2. election of President Herbert Hoover (1928) |
4. passage of the Emergency Banking Act (1933) |
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3 The stock market crash (1929) led to the start of the Great Depression. In late October 1929, stock
prices plummeted as investors went on a selling frenzy. When the market finally bottomed out, the Dow Jones Industrial Average,
the major indicator of stock market trends, had dropped 89 percent from its peak. The crash of the stock market is attributed
to excessive speculation on the part of the public. The stock market is built on the idea of speculation. At all times, people
buy shares in a corporation with the hope that the price of the shares will rise. If there is strong demand for a particular
company's stock, the price of a share rises. Normally, demand for a stock goes up if the company reports that it is doing
well. But in the 1920s people bought stock without even considering the soundness of the company they were investing in. People
figured the market would just go up and up indefinitely. Stock brokers provided easy access to credit so people could buy
stock on margin, putting only a fraction of the cost of the stock down and promising to pay the rest on some future date.
This whole system of wild speculation completely unraveled in October 1929 when investors lost confidence in the market. The
stock market crash is cited as one of several causes of the Great Depression.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1)
The Red Scare (1919–1920) occurred a decade before the beginning of the Great Depression, so it would not be considered
a cause of the depression. Also, the Red Scare was a political event, not an economic one. The Red Scare was the crusade against
suspected communists, anarchists, and other radicals.
(2) The election of President Herbert Hoover (1928) is not considered
a cause of the Great Depression. Some historians fault him for not responding to the economic crisis more vigorously, but
the causes of the Great Depression are to be found in underlying economic problems of the 1920s.
(4) The Emergency Banking
Act (1933) was a response to the Great Depression, not a cause of it. The act was part of President Franklin Roosevelt's New
Deal and was designed to restore confidence in the banking system. |
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2. A condition of the 1920s that helped cause the Great Depression of the 1930s was |
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| 1. overspeculation in land in the West |
3. overproduction of goods by factories and farms |
| 2. overdependence on foreign trade |
4. overspending on social programs by the government |
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3 One of the causes of the Great Depression was the overproduction of goods by factories and farms. Agricultural
overproduction had been a chronic problem in the United States economy since the late 1800s. Overproduction in manufacturing
came about because wage rates remained so low in the 1920s that workers could not afford to buy what they were producing.
The stock market crash of 1929 was the dramatic event brought about by deep-seated problems with the economy.
WRONG
CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) A factor in bringing about the Great Depression was overspeculation in the stock market. There
was considerable speculation in real estate in Florida, but not in the West where farmers struggled to pay the mortgages on
their land. (2) Foreign trade was a problem in the 1920s because American producers increasingly had to compete with producers
in European nations. The United States began imposing high tariffs to keep out foreign goods. (4) The pro-business Republican
governments of the 1920s did not adopt social programs, which came later under the New Deal. |
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3. Motion pictures were popular during the Great Depression partly because |
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| 1. they were regarded as the best source of education and culture |
3. few other forms of leisure-time activities were available |
| 2. they were an inexpensive means of escaping the reality of economic hardship |
4. Americans wanted to imitate European lifestyles |
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2 Motion pictures were popular during the Great Depression because they provided an escape from reality
at a time when many were unemployed and wages were very low for those with jobs. Many of the films of the 1930s were escapist
musicals and comedies that provided light entertainment rather than heavy drama. Characters in motion pictures often lived
glamorous, carefree lives that viewers could share vicariously. Also, "talkies" replaced silent films in the 1930s. Spoken
words made films more varied and interesting. Going to the movies was an inexpensive night out, often costing only ten cents
for an admission.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) Motion pictures were a medium for entertainment, much of it escapist
musicals and comedies. The only educational films were newsreels, usually shown before the main feature. (3) The other leisure-time
activities available were the same ones people enjoyed before motion pictures became popular-dancing, socializing, listening
to the radio, reading, and going to live performances in theaters and music halls. (4) Going to motion pictures was also popular
in Europe; however, Hollywood was the world's leader in the motion picture industry. |
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4. A major criticism of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's programs to combat the Great Depression
was that these programs |
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| 1. reduced the power of the federal government |
3. provided too much protection for big business |
| 2. ignored the plight of homeowners with mortgages |
4. made people dependent on the federal government |
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4 A major criticism of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's program to combat the Great Depression was that
these programs made people dependent on the federal government. Roosevelt proposed emergency relief programs to help the destitute,
public works projects to create jobs, farm price subsidies to help farmers, and minimum wage laws to help workers. Many critics
believed that the federal government was stepping into areas of welfare and social policy that the Constitution reserved to
the states.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) Another criticism of the New Deal was that it would create huge federal
bureaucracies to administer the many programs and that it would threaten democracy by increasing the power of the federal
government. (2) The New Deal helped homeowners with the Home Owners Loan Corporation (HOLC) (1933) to help people threatened
with losing their homes because they couldn't make mortgage payments. The HOLC loaned homeowners money at low interest rates
to pay off their mortgages. (3) The New Deal did not provide protection for big business. Instead, big business complained
that the New Deal gave too much help to workers by the Wages and Hours Law (1938) to improve wages and working conditions
and by the National Labor Relations Act (1935) that helped labor unions in their dealings with management. |
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5. What was a major cause of the Great Depression? |
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| 1. decrease in the production of goods during most of the 1920s |
3. overregulation of the banking industry |
| 2. unequal distribution of wealth in the United States |
4. low tariffs on foreign goods |
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2 A major cause of the Great Depression was the unequal distribution of wealth in the United States.
In the 1920s, the wealthiest people saw their fortunes grow even larger, while workers' wages stagnated. One reason for low
wages among workers was that the union movement was weak. The Red Scare of the late 1910s and early 1920s intimidated people
from organizing unions. Also, average factory wages had been falling. In the 1910s and 1920s, unskilled assembly line workers
were replacing skilled craft workers. These unskilled workers received lower pay than skilled workers did. If workers had
received higher wages in the 1920s, they might have been able to absorb more of the consumer goods that were piling up in
warehouses from 1927 onward. In addition, overproduction of agricultural goods hurt farmers, depressing their income. Other
causes of the Great Depression include unsound banking practices and excessive speculation in the stock market.
WRONG
CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) A decrease in the production of goods in the 1920s was not a cause of the Great Depression.
There was an increase in the production of goods throughout most of the decade. Mass production techniques allowed factories
to turn out large quantities of consumer goods. The problem was that ordinary people were not making enough money to purchase
all the goods being produced. By the late 1920s, factories had to cut back production and reduce the size of the work force.
(3)
Overregulation of the banking industry was not a cause of the Great Depression. There was very little regulation of the banking
industry before the depression. Consequently, banks engaged in unsound practices, which led to depositors losing confidence
in banks. This lack of confidence resulted in bank runs, which led to the closing of thousands of banks. Later, during President
Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal, the Glass-Steagall Act (1933) created greater government oversight of the banking industry.
(4)
Low tariffs on foreign goods were not a cause of the Great Depression. In fact, the isolationist Republican presidents of
the 1920s enacted higher tariffs to keep out foreign goods. In 1922, the Fordney-McCumber Act dramatically raised tariff rates.
These higher tariff rates had the effect of reducing international trade and hurting American producers. |
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6. The popularity of escapist novels and movies during the Great Depression is evidence
that |
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| 1. the Great Depression was not really a time of economic distress |
3. American society did not try to solve the problems of the Great Depression |
| 2. popular culture is shaped by economic and social conditions |
4. the greatest employment opportunities for the average person in the 1930's were in the field of entertainment |
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| No Explanation Available. |
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7. Which economic factor was a major cause of the Great Depression? |
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| 1. purchase of stocks on credit |
3. reduction of tariffs on imports |
| 2. increases in taxes on business |
4. failure to produce enough consumer goods |
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1 There were several causes of the Great Depression. These include overproduction and underconsumption
of consumer goods, overproduction and declining prices in the agricultural sector, and stock market speculation. Throughout
the 1920s stock prices rose to unprecedented heights as people bought stocks on margin. Buying stock on margin is the practice
of paying only a small portion of the purchase price upfront with the promise of paying the remainder in the future. This
practice worked as long as stock prices rose, which they did throughout most of the 1920s. By the late 1920s, however, serious
investors began to see that stock prices were reaching new heights as the actual earnings of major corporations were declining.
This discrepancy between the price per share and the actual earnings of a corporation led investors to begin selling stocks,
which stimulated a panic. In October 1929, the stock market crashed, destroying individuals' investments and setting off a
series of reactions that resulted in the Great Depression.
Wrong Choices Explained:
(2) The pro-business
presidents of the 1920s, Harding, Coolidge, and Hoover, did not call for or pursue increased taxation of businesses.
(3)
Isolationist politicians in the 1920s and early 1930s did not reduce tariffs. They raised them. These politicians pushed for
legislation not only to keep foreigners out of the country but also to keep foreign goods out of the country. After the depression
hit, President Hoover pushed for the Hawley-Smoot Tariff (1930), which created the highest tariff in United States history
on imported agricultural goods. President Franklin Roosevelt later saw these high tariffs as counterproductive and lowered
tariffs to stimulate international trade.
(4) The Great Depression was partly caused by the production of too many, not
too few, consumer goods in the 1920s. With mass production, companies were able to dramatically increase the number of radios,
automobiles, and washing machines produced. But incomes did not significantly rise in the 1920s, and consumer demand was not
able to keep up with supply. |
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8. President Herbert Hoover's refusal to provide funds for the unemployed during the Depression
was based on his belief that |
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| 1. the unemployment problem was not serious |
3. labor unions should provide for the unemployed |
| 2. workers would not accept government assistance |
4. federal relief programs would destroy individual initiative |
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4 President Herbert Hoover resisted providing relief to the unemployed during the Great Depression because
he believed that government assistance was an improper use of government funds because it would destroy the individual initiative
of workers. Hoover believed that government should not interfere in the working of the economy because the free market system
would eventually restore full production and full employment.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) Hoover was aware
that the unemployment problem was serious because millions were out of work. However, he believed it was temporary and that
the economy would soon revive on its own. (2) Hoover could not know if workers would accept government assistance until it
was offered. It was clear that desperate people were accepting assistance from private charities. (3) Hoover was aware that
labor unions lacked the resources to provide assistance for workers and that relatively few workers were in labor unions. |
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9. How did the power of government change during the Civil War and the Great Depression? |
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| 1. Presidential powers were expanded. |
3. The Supreme Court expanded civil liberties. |
| 2. Congress exerted greater leadership. |
4. Power shifted from the federal government to the states. |
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1 Presidential power expanded during the Civil War and the Great Depression. During the Civil War, President
Lincoln used his powers as commander in chief to lead the nation in the struggle to preserve the Union. He suspended habeus
corpus to suppress opposition to the war and abolished slavery in occupied regions of the Confederacy. During the Great Depression,
Congress passed a number of laws setting broad outlines of federal policy to provide relief and public works programs; guarantee
loans to businesses, farmers, and homeowners; establish a social security system; and support organized labor in developing
bargaining agreements with management. The New Deal laws left it up to the executive department to work out the details of
the New Deal programs, resulting in a large increase in the federal bureaucracy controlled by the president.
WRONG
CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(2) Congress became almost a rubber stamp for President Roosevelt. His executive department drafted
New Deal proposals that Congress considered and passed as laws. One of the few times Congress balked at one of Roosevelt's
proposals was when he wanted to alter the composition of the Supreme Court.
(3) The Supreme Court paid little attention
to civil liberties during the Great Depression. Civil liberties were not expanded by the Supreme Court until the Warren Court
of the 1950s and 1960s.
(4) Power shifted from the states to the federal government. Congress passed a number of laws that
assumed responsibilities, such as welfare and farm policy, that previously had been the exclusive province of the states. |
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10. What was one factor that led to the Great Depression? |
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| 1. government limitations on the amount of money in circulation |
3. increases in the tax rate for corporations |
| 2. high wages paid by employers |
4. excessive speculation in the stock market |
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4 An important factor that led to the Great Depression was excessive stock market speculation, which
led to the crash of October 1929. The stock market is built on the idea of speculation. At all times, people buy shares in
a corporation with the hope that the price of the shares will rise. If there is strong demand for a particular company's stock,
the going price of a share rises. Often, demand for a stock goes up if the company reports that it is doing well. People reason
that the company is sound. But in the 1920s, people bought stock without even considering the soundness of the company they
were investing in. People figured the market would just go up and up indefinitely. Stock brokers provided easy access to credit
so people could buy stock on margin, putting only a fraction of the cost of the stock down and promising to pay the rest on
some future date. This whole system of wild speculation completely unraveled in October 1929 when investors lost confidence
in the market and a selling frenzy overtook Wall Street, sending stock prices down to a mere fraction of their high prices.
WRONG
CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) The government did not take steps to limit the amount of money in circulation. There was probably
enough money in circulation for a healthy economy in the late 1920s, but there was an extreme imbalance in wealth. While farmers
and workers struggled to make ends meet, the wealthiest people saw their fortunes grow even larger. The lives of the wealthy
were depicted in F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby. The amount of money in circulation is regulated by the
Federal Reserve Bank, which was created in 1913.
(2) Workers were not receiving high wages in the 1920s. The union movement
was weak. The Red Scare of the late 1910s and early 1920s intimidated people from organizing unions. Further, average factory
wages had been falling, as unskilled assembly line workers replaced skilled craft workers. If workers had higher wages, they
might have been able to absorb more of the consumer goods that were piling up in warehouses from 1927 onward.
(3) The
Republican presidents of the 1920s were pro-business and did not increase taxes for corporations. President Coolidge said
in 1925, "the chief business of the American people is business." |
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11. During the Great Depression, expressions such as Hoovervilles and Hoover blankets
showed that President Hoover |
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| 1. was seen as a role model |
3. was blamed for the suffering of the poor |
| 2. used the military to aid the unemployed |
4. supported relief and public housing for the needy |
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3 Herbert Hoover was president for only 6 months when the Great Depression began in 1929. Though he could
not be charged with causing the economic collapse, he was accused of doing little or nothing to end it or relieve the suffering
of those affected by it. Millions of people lost their jobs and were evicted from their homes or farms because they couldn't
pay their mortgages. Many of the poor people endured despair, hunger, and homelessness. Some lived in shantytowns called Hoovervilles
that were made of boxes and scraps of metal and wood. Other slept in parks on benches under layers of newspapers called Hoover
blankets to keep warm. They stuffed newspapers called Hoover leather in their shoes when holes wore through the soles and
referred to their empty pockets turned inside out as Hoover flags.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) President
Hoover was widely disparaged as a symbol of the inability and unwillingness of the federal government to take action to revive
the economy or help those made destitute by the Great Depression.
(2) Hoover did not use the military to aid the unemployed.
Instead, he used the army to disperse the 20,000 veterans of World War I who marched on Washington to demand a bonus that
had been voted by Congress in 1924.
(4) President Hoover did not support direct relief or public housing for the poor.
Late in his term, he took some action to develop public works programs and provide loans for business and banks; however,
it was too little and too late to have a significant impact on the economy. |
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12. An important factor contributing to the start of the Great Depression in the United
States was the |
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| 1. increase in military spending |
3. reduction of tariff rates |
| 2. failure to maintain the gold standard |
4. uneven distribution of wealth |
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4 One factor contributing to the Great Depression was the uneven distribution of wealth. Agriculture
remained a depressed industry in the 1920s. Factory wages remained low, in part because the labor union movement made little
progress in recruiting new members. Though some Americans became wealthy from stock market and real estate speculation, there
were not enough people with discretionary income to purchase the goods being churned out by American industries. Thus, by
the end of the 1920s industries began cutting back on production because unsold goods had accumulated in warehouses.
WRONG
CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) Under an isolationist policy, the United States had little need to maintain a large military
establishment. Consequently, the size of the army and navy and military expenditures decreased after World War I.
(2) The
United States maintained the gold standard from the late 1800s until 1933 when Franklin Roosevelt made paper money legal tender
without being convertible to gold as part of his New Deal program.
(3) Increased tariff rates, especially the Hawley-Smoot
Tariff of 1930, worsened the Great Depression by reducing international trade. Earlier protective tariffs contributed to the
start of the Great Depression. |
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13. The Dust Bowl experiences of the Oklahoma farmers during the Great Depression demonstrated
the |
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| 1. effect of geography on people's lives |
3. limitation of civil liberties during times of crisis |
| 2. success of government farm subsidies |
4. result of the Indian Removal Act |
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1 The Dust Bowl during the Great Depression shows how geography can influence people's lives. A severe
drought in 1933 plagued a number of states in the south central part of the United States. Lacking irrigation, farmland dried
up, crops withered, and high winds swirled dark clouds of powdery topsoil. Already impoverished by a depressed agricultural
segment of the economy during the 1920s, the farmers of Oklahoma and neighboring states lost their farms and became refugees
from a desolate land. Many of them fled to California where they worked for little money as migrant farm laborers. Their plight
is vividly portrayed in The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(2) Agricultural
relief programs came too late for the farmers of the Dust Bowl. Farm subsidies help only those farmers who are able to grow
crops to bring to market. The victims of the Dust Bowl drought could not grow anything.
(3) Civil liberties were not a
major concern during the 1930s. The Oklahoma farmers who traveled west became exploited labor; however, migrant workers had
commonly been poorly paid, mistreated, and had their civil liberties violated by local authorities who looked out for the
interests of farm owners rather than farmworkers.
(4) The Indian Removal Act was a shameless federal government policy
one hundred years before the Dust Bowl. |
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14. "Europeans can't buy goods from Americans because Europeans can't sell goods in the
American market. Obviously, they don't have the chance to earn the money they need to buy our goods." This statement focuses
on which cause of the Great Depression? |
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| 1. restriction of credit by banks |
3. low wages of American workers |
| 2. high protective tariffs |
4. overspeculation on the stock market |
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2 One of the causes of the Great Depression was the imposition of high protective tariffs. President
Harding called for high tariffs on foreign-made goods soon after his inauguration in 1921. Congress quickly passed the Fordney-McCumber
Tariff to keep foreign-made goods out of the United States. Other nations retaliated by imposing tariffs on American-made
products. International trade bogged down because of restrictions imposed to protect domestic industries. When domestic consumer
demand slackened and inventories built up in the late 1920s, United States manufacturers were unable to sell goods in foreign
markets. After the stock market crash in 1929, economic conditions were made worse by the even more protective Smoot-Hawley
Tariff passed in 1930.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) Banks freely extended credit to American consumers during
the 1920s; however, the statement refers to the inability of European consumers to buy American-made goods. (3) Low wages
were a factor contributing to the onset of the Great Depression because many workers lacked the income to purchase goods;
however, the statement refers to the inability of European consumers to buy American-made goods. (4) Overspeculation in the
stock market contributed to the onset of the Great Depression; however, the statement refers to the impact of protective tariffs. |
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15. In the 1920s which economic factor led to the Great Depression? |
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| 1. lack of investment in the stock market |
3. failure to develop new consumer goods industries |
| 2. attempt by the United States to promote free trade |
4. overproduction of farm products and manufactured goods |
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4 Overproduction was a main factor that led to the Great Depression in the late 1920s. Overproduction
in agriculture had been a economic problem for farmers since the late 19th century. Agriculture did not share in the economic
good times of the early and mid-1920s. American industry expanded rapidly in the 1920s; however, wages remained low. By the
late 1920s, industries were producing more goods than consumers could buy. As inventories increased, industries began cutting
production and laying off workers.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) Stock market investment in the 1920s was
high. One of the problems of the times was that people were buying stocks on speculation with only down payments. As industrial
production declined, stock prices began to fall. As they fell, investors had to sell at lower prices than they bought to cover
their debts. The escalating effect led to the stock market collapse in 1929.
(2) Another factor in the 1920s economy was
the imposition of protective tariffs to protect American industries from competition.
(3) Many new consumer goods industries
developed in the 1920s, among them the automobile and related industries, radio and movie-making, telephones, and the production
of electric household appliances. |
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16. "You cannot extend the mastery of government over the daily worldng life of the people
without, at the same time, making it the master of the people's souls and thought."--President Herbert Hoover. The idea expressed
in the quotation is a basis for President Hoover's belief that the problems of the Great Depression could best be solved by |
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| 1. nationalizing major industries |
3. relying mostly on private enterprise and individual initiative to improve economic conditions |
| 2. requiring business to pay a minimum wage to workers |
4. creating government job programs for the unemployed |
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| No Explanation Available. |
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17. Which condition increased the negative effects of the Great Depression? |
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| 1. Factories had to decrease production because of low demand. |
3. The demand for imported products increased. |
| 2. Low levels of unemployment created labor shortages. |
4. The Federal Government raised taxes repeatedly. |
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| No Explanation Available. |
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18. Which event is most closely associated with the end of the Great Depression? |
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| 1. passage of the Social Security Act |
3. reelection of President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1940 |
| 2. beginning of World War II |
4. announcement of the Marshall Plan |
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2 The beginning of World War II brought an end to the Great Depression. Though the New Deal programs
of Franklin Roosevelt reduced unemployment, helped farmers, workers, and businesses, and relieved the suffering of millions
of people, the economy remained significantly depressed in 1939 when war broke out in Europe. The economy received a boost
because competition from Europe declined and demand for American farm and manufactured goods increased. During the 1940s,
the economy also revived because the United States increased its own military preparedness as a defensive measure. When the
United States entered the war in 1941, the economy had full employment with industries geared to turn out weapons and war
material for the U.S. armed forces and its allies.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) The Social Security Act was
passed in 1935 during the depths of the Great Depression. It provided a modest level of income for many of the elderly, but
it did not bring about an end to the depressed economy.
(3) The reelection of Franklin Roosevelt in 1940 coincided with
the end of the Great Depression, but it did not cause it.
(4) The Marshall Plan was announced in 1947, years after the
Great Depression ended. |
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19. The rapid, worldwide spread of the Great Depression of the 1930s was evidence of |
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| 1. the failure of government job programs |
3. a shortage of American factories making consumer goods |
| 2. global financial interdependence |
4. the negative effects of unrestricted immigration |
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2 The worldwide spread of the Great Depression of the 1930s was evidence of global financial interdependence.
The steep decline of stock prices following the stock market crash in New York in 1929 had repercussions throughout the world
as well as in the United States. The crash was partially triggered by the British who raised interest rates that encouraged
investors to sell U.S. securities to invest in Britain. The market collapse in New York led to a drop in foreign stocks as
well. Bank failures in the United States were followed by bank failures in other industrialized nations. The decline in production
and income in the United States led to a decline in imports, which affected production elsewhere in the world.
WRONG
CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) There were few government job programs before the Great Depression. Federal government work
programs during the New Deal were attempts to bring the nation out of the depression. (3) One of the causes of the depression
was overproduction in United States factories that were building up inventories because they were manufacturing more than
could be sold. (4) Immigration to the United States had been restricted by laws passed in the early 1920s. |
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20. The effectiveness of the New Deal in ending the Great Depression is difficult to measure
because |
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| 1. President Franklin D. Roosevelt died during his fourth term |
3. the Supreme Court declared most New Deal laws unconstitutional |
| 2. United States involvement in World War II rapidly accelerated economic growth |
4. later Presidents failed to support most New Deal reforms |
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2 The effectiveness of the New Deal is difficult to assess because the economy grew rapidly after the
United States became involved in World War II. By 1939, farmers were still producing huge food surpluses, millions of people
were still unemployed, and industrial output remained limited. After World War II broke out, the United States became a major
supplier of food and military equipment to nations fighting Germany. When the United States became the "arsenal for democracy,"
labor was in short supply and factories produced to their capacity.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) President Roosevelt
died in 1945 shortly before World War II ended. He led the nation during the New Deal and the war. (3) Most New Deal laws
were not declared unconstitutional; though some major ones were. Some, such as the Agricultural Adjustment Act, were rewritten
to satisfy the Court's objections after being declared unconstitutional. (4) Later Presidents supported New Deal reforms.
Harry Truman, who succeeded Roosevelt, was a major supporter. His successor, Dwight Eisenhower, a Republican, did not propose
the repeal of New Deal programs. |
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21. What was a main result of national Prohibition during the 1920s? |
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| 1. Respect for the law decreased. |
3. Racial prejudice increased. |
| 2. Woman's suffrage was restricted. |
4. Religious tolerance grew. |
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1 A main result of national Prohibition during the 1920s was that respect for the law decreased. Prohibition
became national policy in 1919 when the 18th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified. The 18th Amendment, which went into
effect on January 29, 1920, called for a ban on the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcoholic beverages. The movement
to ban alcohol from American society was one of the largest movements in the 19th century. There were several factors that
contributed to the success of the temperance movement. Many women were troubled by the large amount of alcohol their husbands
drank. Also, Nativists thought that the new immigrants, who were mostly non-Protestant, lacked the self-control of "proper,"
middle-class Protestant Americans. The final victory for the movement came as the United States entered World War I. The movement
successfully equated the prohibition of alcohol with the quest to bring democracy to the world. Also, with wartime shortages
of grain, it made sense to ban grain-based alcoholic beverages. The anti-German sentiment that developed during World War
I also played a role because many American breweries had German names. But the victory of the movement proved to be a hollow
victory. While the per capita consumption of alcohol went down during the Prohibition era, the amount of lawlessness in America
went up. Illegal bars, known as speakeasies, sprang up in cities across the country. Illegal producers and sellers of alcohol
also proliferated. Criminal activity became so widespread that the nation agreed to ratify another Amendment, the 21st, which
repealed Prohibition. The "noble experiment" of Prohibition demonstrated that it is difficult for the government to dramatically
change individuals' behavior.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(2) National Prohibition did not result in the restriction
of women's suffrage. Women gained the right to vote with ratification of the 19th Amendment, around the same time that Prohibition
went into effect. The 19th Amendment was ratified in August 1920, seven months after Prohibition went into effect.
(3)
There was a great deal of racial prejudice during the years of national Prohibition (1920–1933), but Prohibition would
not be considered a cause of racial prejudice.
(4) The 1920s are known as a time of growing intolerance, not tolerance,
with regard to religious issues. |
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22. The 1920s are often called the "Roaring Twenties" because the decade was noted for |
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| 1. changing cultural values |
3. political reform |
| 2. economic depression |
4. overseas expansion |
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1 The 1920s are referred to as the "Roaring Twenties" because of changing values during the decade. The
United States emerged from World War I to resume a rapid economic expansion and become a nation of automobile owners. As the
automobile gave mobility to restless Americans seeking freedom and excitement, the pursuit of pleasure replaced old-fashioned
virtues of work and religion. Some women expressed their new-found freedom by raising their hemlines, wearing more makeup,
smoking, drinking, and otherwise rebelling against stereotypical lifestyles. People openly ignored prohibition laws by frequenting
illegal bars and drinking smuggled liquor. Advertising had more blatantly sexual appeals to create false demands and encourage
people to spend.
Wrong Choices Explained:
(2) The decade of the 1920s "roared" in contrast to the 1930s
when economic depression cramped lifestyles and people endured, rather than enjoyed, life.
(3) Though some Progressives
agitated for political reform, the 1920s was mostly a decade when government took few initiatives to make changes or interfere
in the economy.
(4) The United States retreated from imperialism and made no overseas acquisitions in the 1920s; however,
the nation retained its claimed right to interfere in the affairs of other nations in the hemisphere under the Monroe Doctrine
and the Roosevelt Corollary. |
|
4
23. Many farmers failed to share in the general prosperity of the 1920s mainly because they |
|
| 1. lacked new farm machinery to increase production |
3. had to pay high wages to their workers |
| 2. did not have sufficient numbers of farm laborers |
4. received low prices for crops due to overproduction |
|
4 Many farmers failed to share in the general prosperity of the 1920s mainly because they received low
prices for crops due to overproduction. Farmers had put more acres under cultivation during World War I to meet increased
demand for agricultural goods. By the twenties, Europe was back on its feet, yet American farmers did not cut back on production.
Mechanization and expansion left the farmers of the 1920s in a cycle of debt, overproduction, and falling commodity prices.
In addition, increased tariff rates and an isolationist foreign policy further reduced the international market for American
agricultural goods.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) A lack of new farm machinery was not a major problem for
farmers in the 1920s. Many farmers had purchased modern machinery before the 1920s. Mechanical harvesters and combines increased
farm production but this did not solve the farmers' problems. In the 1920s, overproduction of farm goods led to a drop in
commodity prices. Further, farmers had to pay off the debt incurred from purchasing new machinery.
(2) Farmers did not
suffer from a lack of farm laborers. Farmers were adopting new machinery that allowed the same amount of work to be done with
fewer people.
(3) Farmers did not suffer from having to pay high wages to their workers. Farm laborers traditionally earned
low wages and in the 1920s, wages in all sectors of the economy stagnated. |
|
3
24. The changing image of women during the 1920s was symbolized by the |
|
| 1. passage of an equal pay act |
3. popularity of the flappers and their style of dress |
| 2. drafting of women into the army |
4. appointment of several women to President Calvin Coolidge's cabinet |
|
3 The changing image of women during the 1920s was symbolized by the popularity of the flappers and their
style of dress. Flappers were independent-minded young women of the 1920s who openly defied Victorian moral codes about "proper"
lady-like behavior. The typical flapper of the 1920s was characterized by a short haircut, called a bob, and shorter dresses.
Women of the 1920s also moved away from the heavy, matronly dresses of the Victorian era. But there was more to the "new"
woman of the 1920s than new fashions. The new woman of the 1920s was engaged in public issues. She might have participated
in the political struggles of the progressive movement and gained a new sense of confidence in public issues, especially after
women achieved the right to vote in 1920.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) The government has never passed an
equal pay act. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination based on sex in employment, but it does not guarantee
equal pay.
(2) Women have never been drafted into the army. Women served in the armed forces in World War II in noncombat,
women-only units. Women presently serve in the armed forces and participate in combat duties.
(4) President Coolidge did
not appoint any women to his cabinet. The first female cabinet member was Frances Perkins, who was appointed Secretary of
Labor by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933. |
|
4
25. The economic prosperity of the 1920s was mainly the result of the |
|
| 1. adoption of lower tariff rates |
3. success of most United States farmers |
| 2. stricter enforcement of antitrust laws |
4. development of new industries for consumer goods |
|
4 The economic prosperity of the 1920s was mainly the result of the development of new industries in
the consumer goods sector. New products such as automobiles and radios captured the public's imagination, and new production
techniques increased industrial output. The most important figure in the development of new production techniques was Henry
Ford. In 1913, he opened a plant with a continuous conveyor belt. The belt moved from worker to worker so that each worker
performed a small task in the process of assembling a car. Work became more efficient, but also more monotonous. If the quality
of work deteriorated for factory workers in the 1920s, the availability of consumer goods to average workers greatly increased.
Cars, radios, toasters, health and beauty aids, and a wide variety of other consumer goods filled the shelves of stores. Advertising,
easy credit, and lay-away plans helped move merchandise. Yet, by 1927, manufacturers noticed that warehouse inventories were
on the rise. Consumption just could not keep up with production. Manufacturers made the logical decision of beginning layoffs.
Of course, unemployed workers had even less ability to purchase goods. Thus, a spiral of economic problems began that resulted
in the Great Depression of the 1930s.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) The United States did not adopt lower
tariff rates in the 1920s. Isolationist sentiment ran high in the United States. Many Americans were disillusioned about World
War I. Isolationist Senators voted against United States membership in the League of Nations. This spirit of isolationism
was also reflected in a desire to keep foreign goods out of the United States. In 1930, isolationist legislatures pushed through
the Smoot-Hawley Tariff, which dramatically increased tariff rates.
(2) The government did not strictly enforce antitrust
laws in the 1920s. The presidents of the 1920s, Harding, Coolidge, and Hoover, were all pro-business Republicans. Coolidge
said, "The man who builds a factory, builds a temple." In this atmosphere, there was not the impetus to pursue antitrust cases
as there had been in the Progressive Era.
(3) American farmers did not experience a great deal of success in the 1920s.
Agriculture was the one sector of the economy that did not participate in the prosperity of the 1920s. Mechanization of farming
led to surpluses of farm goods, which led to falling prices for farm goods. In addition, farmers had gone into debt in the
1910s, buying additional land to feed war-torn Europe. As Europe regained the ability to feed itself in the 1920s, American
farmers found themselves with excessive output and shrinking markets. |
|
3
26. In the 1920s, both Langston Hughes and Duke Ellington made major contributions to |
|
| 1. economic growth |
3. the creative arts |
| 2. educational reform |
4. political leadership |
|
3 In the 1920s, both Langston Hughes and Duke Ellington made major contributions to the creative arts.
Both were part of the Harlem Renaissance, a cultural movement that grew out of the African American community. Langston Hughes
was an influential poet whose most well known poems include "Harlem," "The Negro Speaks of Rivers," and "I, Too, Sing America."
He wrote an essay that became a manifesto for Harlem Renaissance writers and artists entitled "The Negro Artist and the Racial
Mountain." Duke Ellington was a composer, pianist, and bandleader who was perhaps the most important figure in 20th-century
jazz. Some of his most important compositions are "Mood Indigo," "Don't Get Around Much Anymore," and "Take the A Train."
WRONG
CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) (2) and (4) Neither Langston Hughes nor Duke Ellington made contributions to economic growth,
educational reform, or political leadership. Some of Hughes's writing was political, but he was not a political leader. |
|
1
27. The trial of Sacco and Vanzetti in the 1920s was similar to the trial of the Rosenbergs
in the 1950s in that both trials were accompanied by |
|
| 1. nativist fears of foreign influence in the United States |
3. public reactions against organized crime |
| 2. concern that the United States would sink into a depression |
4. a grassroots movement to gain equal rights for minorities |
|
1 Two trials a generation apart demonstrated that nativist attitudes continue in the United States and
that some Americans continue to fear foreign influences. Nicolo Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were Italian immigrants arrested,
convicted, and sentenced to death for robbery and murder in 1920. Many believed that the two men were innocent of the crime
and that they were convicted because of their beliefs and nationality. Sacco and Vanzetti were anarchists, an ideology associated
with Marxism. Their trial was held around the time of the "Red Scare" when the federal government rounded up suspect aliens
and deported them with no regard for due process. A generation later Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were arrested, tried, and
convicted of espionage for passing atom bomb secrets to the Russians. They were executed in 1953. Nativists approved of the
death sentence because the Rosenbergs were Jews with communist sympathies. Others opposed their execution because they thought
the penalty was too severe, that it reflected the strident McCarthyist anticommunism that gripped the nation in the early
years of the Cold War.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(2) and (3) Neither case reflected economic concerns or a
reaction to organized crime.
(4) Nativists who supported the death sentences for Sacco and Vanzetti and the Rosenbergs
were not concerned about minority rights. To nativists, the ideal American is white, Protestant, and of West European ethnic
origin. |
|
4
28. The influence of nativism during the 1920s is best illustrated by the |
|
| 1. increase in the popularity of the automobile |
3. expansion of trusts and monopolies |
| 2. emergence of the flappers |
4. growth of the Ku Klux Klan |
|
4 Nativists are people critical of immigration and immigrants. Nativism has been part of American political
culture since the period before the Civil War, when the Know Nothing Party attracted many voters. The movement gained new
adherents in the 1920s. The movement successfully pushed for the Emergency Quota Act (1921) and the National Origins Act (1924),
both of which greatly reduced the number of new immigrants allowed into the United States. These acts set quotas for new immigrants
based on nationality. The growth of nativism in the 1920s is connected with other conservative trends in the 1920s, including
the popularity of the Ku Klux Klan, which had between 3 and 4 million members.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1)
The automobile became popular during the 1920s, but it is not directly connected to the rise of nativism. The popularity of
the automobile is attributed, in part, to Henry Ford, who developed the reasonably priced Model T.
(2) Flappers were independent-minded
young women of the 1920s who openly defied Victorian moral codes about "proper" lady-like behavior. The conservative movement
that sought to stem the flow of immigrants into the country was not pleased by the rise of the flapper.
(3) The
expansion of trusts and monopolies, a development often associated with the gilded age, is unrelated to the rise of nativism. |
|
1
29. "Public Ignores Prohibition Restrictions"
"Evolution and Creation Debated in Scopes
Trial"
"Women Bring Change to the Industrial Workforce"
What do headlines such as these from the 1920s illustrate? |
|
| 1. conflict between traditional and modern values |
3. hostility of certain groups toward ethnic minorities |
| 2. trend toward mass consumption of consumer goods |
4. debate over the role of government in the economy |
|
1 The headlines in this question illustrate a major theme in the 1920s: The conflict between traditional
and modern values. The traditionalists are associated with a fundamentalist interpretation of Christianity, nativism, rural
values, traditional roles for women, the popularity of the Ku Klux Klan, and support for prohibition. The modernists are associated
with Freudian psychology, experimental art, the Harlem Renaissance, radical political ideas, jazz music, and new roles for
women. This culture war was most dramatically played out in the Scopes trial, which concerned the teaching of evolution in
public schools.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(2) The 1920s was characterized by a trend toward mass consumption
of consumer goods, but the headlines do not concern this trend.
(3) There was hostility toward certain ethnic minorities
in the 1920s. The Ku Klux Klan was very strong, and anti-immigrant legislation was passed. But the headlines do not address
this issue.
(4) The debate about the role of government in the economy became pronounced in the 1930s as President Franklin
D. Roosevelt enacted his New Deal. |
|
1
30. During most of the 1920s, which group experienced the most severe economic problems? |
|
| 1. owners of small family farms |
3. bankers in urban centers |
| 2. workers in the automobile industry |
4. entertainers in the field of radio |
|
1 Owners of small family farms had the most severe economic problems during the 1920s. Agriculture had
been a depressed segment of the United States economy, except for the World War I years, since the late 1800s because of overproduction.
During World War I, many farmers bought up additional land and equipment because of increased demand. However, after the war,
American farmers had to again compete with European farmers in the world market for agricultural products. Farm prices decreased,
and farmers didn't earn enough to pay their debts and mortgages. Those who didn't go bankrupt suffered declining income.
WRONG
CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(2) Workers in the automobile industry didn't prosper because factory wages were low; however, they
had jobs that were relatively secure because automobile production was booming.
(3) Bankers in urban centers prospered
because a home-building boom and industrial expansion meant that businesses were coming to banks for loans while home buyers
came for mortgages.
(4) Entertainers in the field of radio worked in an expanding industry. The first commercial radio
station began operation in 1920. Over the next decade, radio became an important venue for news and entertainment as radio
stations went into business across the nation. |
|
4
31. The Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s can best be described as |
|
| 1. an organization created to help promote African-American businesses |
3. a relief program to provide jobs for minority workers |
| 2. a movement that sought to draw people back to the inner cities |
4. a period of great achievement by African-American writers, artists, and performers |
|
4 The Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s refers to the period of significant achievements of African American
writers, artists, and musicians who lived or performed in Harlem, a part of Manhattan that had become a center of African-American
culture. Among the outstanding African Americans of the time period were the writers Richard Wright and Langston Hughes; jazz
musicians Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Jelly Roll Morton; and performers Paul Robeson and Marian Anderson.
WRONG
CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) and (3) The Harlem Renaissance was a cultural flowering, not a business enterprise or a relief
program.
(2) African Americans migrated to Harlem to escape from segregation in the South, find work in urban areas, and
live among other African Americans where they did not have to face the daily indignities of white prejudice and discrimination. |
|
3
32. What was a major reason American farmers failed to obtain a fair share of the economic
prosperity of the 1920s? |
|
| 1. Crops failed due to poor weather conditions. |
3. Farm crops were overproduced. |
| 2. The government controlled food prices. |
4. Banks refused to lend money to farmers. |
|
3 American farmers did not share in the economic prosperity of the 1920s because of chronic overproduction
in agriculture. Overproduction had plagued American farmers since the late 1800s. The large number and the efficiency of American
farms led to more crops being produced than the public could consume or could be exported. The result was low prices for farm
products and increasing debt for farmers. The farmers' situation became especially acute in the 1920s because farmers had
acquired more farm land and planted more crops to meet temporary food shortages in Europe during World War I. However, when
the war ended, American farmers again had to compete with farmers in other countries in international markets. They remained
saddled with the costs of expanding their farms and buying farm equipment, but they could no longer sell their increased production.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) Crop failures and unreliable weather have always been problems faced by farmers.
The 1920s were no different from other decades.
(2) The federal government did not interfere in the market for agricultural
products. Food prices were not controlled until the New Deal programs of the 1930s.
(4) Banks continued to lend money
to farmers who often had to obtain loans to buy seed or to sustain themselves until they harvested their crops. Farmers' problems
escalated when crop prices were not high enough to repay bank loans. |
|
3
33. A condition of the 1920s that helped cause the Great Depression of the 1930s was |
|
| 1. overspeculation in land in the West |
3. overproduction of goods by factories and farms |
| 2. overdependence on foreign trade |
4. overspending on social programs by the government |
|
3 One of the causes of the Great Depression was the overproduction of goods by factories and farms. Agricultural
overproduction had been a chronic problem in the United States economy since the late 1800s. Overproduction in manufacturing
came about because wage rates remained so low in the 1920s that workers could not afford to buy what they were producing.
The stock market crash of 1929 was the dramatic event brought about by deep-seated problems with the economy.
WRONG
CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) A factor in bringing about the Great Depression was overspeculation in the stock market. There
was considerable speculation in real estate in Florida, but not in the West where farmers struggled to pay the mortgages on
their land. (2) Foreign trade was a problem in the 1920s because American producers increasingly had to compete with producers
in European nations. The United States began imposing high tariffs to keep out foreign goods. (4) The pro-business Republican
governments of the 1920s did not adopt social programs, which came later under the New Deal. |
|
2
34. The economic boom of the 1920s was primarily caused by the |
|
| 1. new economic policies of the League of Nations |
3. advent of advertising on radio |
| 2. development of new consumer goods industries |
4. elimination of barriers to international trade |
|
2 A significant cause of the economic boom for the 1920s was the development of new consumer goods industries.
The rapid spread of electrification created a demand for refrigerators, fans, toasters, and washing machines. Another significant
factor in the economic boom was home construction. However, the most influential new consumer item was the automobile because
its growing popularity spurred many related industries, such as filling stations, repair facilities, road building, tire production,
and gasoline and oil production.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) The League of Nations was not formed to develop
economic policy. Its primary goal was to preserve world peace.
(3) Commercial radio broadcasts began in 1920 and spread
rapidly throughout the nation. Though radio became a popular source of home entertainment, advertising on radio did not create
an economic boom, though it may have influenced which competing brands of popular products listeners bought.
(4) Barriers
to international trade that increased during the 1920s contributed to the worldwide economic collapse that began in 1929. |
|
1
35. "It is our true policy to steer clear of permanent alliances with any portion of the
foreign world..." - George Washington, Farewell Address.
In the 1920s and 1930s, some Americans used this statement to
justify a policy of |
|
| 1. isolationism |
3. mercantilism |
| 2. collective security |
4. imperialism |
|
1 Some Americans used George Washington's Farewell Address to justify a policy of isolationism. They
distorted Washington's recommendation to steer clear of "permanent alliances" by ignoring that he spoke at a time when the
new nation needed time and space to build up its new government, defenses, and economy. They used Washington's words to argue
that the United States should not join the League of Nations because it was an entangling alliance They also ignored the reality
that distance from Europe no longer provided the degree of security for the United States that it did in the 1790s.
WRONG
CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(2) and (4) Both collective security and imperialism require the United States to become closely
involved with other nations and continents, either by forming alliances or establishing colonies overseas. Both policies are
inconsistent with Washington's advice. (3) Mercantilism is an economic policy that requires trade with other nations. Washington
did not intend that the United States should forgo foreign trade. |
|
1
36. Unites States immigration legislation of the 1920s most closely reflected the views
of Speakers |
 |
|
| 1. A and C |
3. B and C |
| 2. A and D |
4. C and D |
|
1 United States immigration laws passed in the 1920s placed a limit on the number of immigrants who could
be admitted each year. The laws also included a national origins quota system that favored immigrants who came from northern
and western Europe. Thus, the restrictive immigration laws satisfied those who supported Speaker A because new immigrants
would have the same ethnic background as most native-born Americans. The laws also satisfied supporters of Speaker C because
they severely limited the number of immigrants admitted each year.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(2) Immigration
laws of the 1920s agreed with Speaker A, but rejected the principle of Speaker D that the United States should be an open
door for the poor and oppressed. (3) Speaker B reflects the principle of the Immigration Act of 1965 that abandoned the discriminatory
national origins quota system in favor of a policy that gave preferences to immigrants of any region or ethnic group who had
skills useful in the economic and technological development in the United States. (4) Immigration laws of the 1920s reflected
the views of Speaker C, but not that of Speaker D. The two positions are directly opposed to each other. |
|
4
37. Based on a study of the trial of Sacco and Vanzetti (1920s) and the internment of Japanese
Americans (1940s) which conclusion is most accurate? |
|
| 1. The Bill of Rights is not intended to apply to naturalized citizens. |
3. Internment of suspected criminals is necessary during wartime. |
| 2. Racial and ethic hostilities are effectively checked by adherence to due process of law. |
4. Nativism and racism sometimes override the ideals of constitutional democracy. |
|
4 The trial of Sacco and Vanzetti (1920s) and the internment of Japanese-Americans (1940s) show that
democratic ideals can be overridden by nativism and racism. Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were Italian-born immigrants
who held unpopular anarchist political beliefs. They were convicted and executed for robbery and murder without adequate evidence.
Many believed they were brought to trial because of their ideas and ethnicity. Most legal observers regard their execution
to have been a blatant miscarriage of justice. In 1942, an executive order led to the forcible removal from their homes of
Japanese-Americans living on the West Coast. The Japanese-Americans, most of whom were American citizens, were held in inland
detention camps for the duration of the war, even though they had committed no crimes and there was no evidence that they
posed a security threat to the United States.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) The Bill of Rights applies to all
residents of the United States whether they are aliens, naturalized citizens, or native-born citizens. (2) Racial and ethnic
hostilities have been an unfortunate element in American history since the Republic began. Strict adherence to due process
of law may prevent injustices committed by government, but are unlikely to end private prejudices, discrimination, and unfair
treatment of minorities. (3) Japanese-Americans interned during World War II were not suspected criminals because no crimes
had been committed. They were interned because of an irrational, racist fear that their loyalty to Japan was stronger than
their loyalty to the United States. |
|
4
38. Which characteristic of the 1920s is illustrated by the trial of Sacco and Vanzetti? |
|
| 1. hostility toward woman's suffrage |
3. opposition to separation of church and state |
| 2. support for segregation |
4. intolerance toward immigrants |
|
4 The trial of Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti for robbery and murder illustrated the intolerance
that many Americans had toward immigrants in the 1920s. The two men were accused of robbing and killing a payroll clerk in
Massachusetts in 1920. The evidence against them was sketchy and the judge was openly hostile to the two men, who were not
only immigrants, but anarchists as well. After they were found guilty, many Americans protested the verdict and wondered if
an immigrant, especially one with radical ideas, could get a fair trial in the United States. Despite protests the two men
were executed in 1927. Anti-immigrant sentiment ran very high in the 1920s. The United States passed the Emergency Quota Act
(1921) and the National Origins Act (1924), both of which greatly reduced the number of new immigrants allowed into the United
States. These acts set quotas for new immigrants based on nationality.
Wrong Choices Explained:
(1) The
trial of Sacco and Vanzetti did not illustrate hostility toward woman's suffrage. Some of the same people who were anti-immigrant
were also critical of women getting the right to vote, but neither Sacco nor Vanzetti was female.
(2) The trial of Sacco
and Vanzetti did not illustrate support for segregation. The trial was of two Italian immigrants. Segregation by race of public
facilities existed at the time. It was not outlawed until the Civil Rights Act (1965).
(3) The trial of Sacco and Vanzetti
did not illustrate opposition to the separation of church and state. Some of the same people who were anti-immigrant also
opposed the separation of church and state. The issue of separation of church and state emerged in the Scopes trial (1925).
John Scopes, a Tennessee biology teacher, was tried for teaching the theory of evolution in violation of state law. |
|
3
39. What was a principle reason for rapid economic growth in the United States during the
1920s? |
|
| 1. prosperity of American agriculture |
3. development of many new consumer goods |
| 2. increase of American imports |
4. increased spending on defense |
|
3 The production and consumption of consumer goods stoked the American economy for much of the 1920s.
New products, such as automobiles and radios, captured the public's imagination, and new production techniques increased industrial
output. The most important figure in the development of new production techniques was Henry Ford. In 1913 he opened a plant
with a continuous conveyor belt. The belt moved the chassis of the car from worker to worker so that each did a small task
in the process of assembling the final product. This mass production technique reduced the price of his Model T car, and also
dealt a blow to the skilled mechanics that previously built automobiles. Unskilled assembly line workers gradually replaced
skilled craft workers in American industry. Related to this trend were the scientific management techniques developed by Frederick
Winslow Taylor. Taylor carefully watched workers, noted the most efficient techniques and wrote down in exacting detail how
a particular task was to be done. Work became more efficient, but also more monotonous. If the quality of work deteriorated
for factory workers in the 1920s, the availability of consumer goods to average workers greatly increased. Cars, radios, toasters,
health and beauty aids, and other consumer goods filled the shelves of stores. The advertising industry also changed a great
deal in the 1920s. Advertising men tapped into the ideas of Freudian psychology to reach the public on a subconscious level.
Easy credit and lay-away plans also helped move merchandise. Yet, by 1927 manufacturers noticed that warehouse inventories
were on the rise. Consumption just couldn't keep up with production. Manufacturers made the logical decision of beginning
layoffs. Of course, unemployed workers had even less ability to purchase goods. Thus a spiral of economic problems began that
resulted in the Great Depression of the 1930s.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) The agricultural sector was not
prosperous in the 1920s. Mechanization and expansion left the farmers of the 1920s in a cycle of debt, overproduction, and
falling commodity prices.
(2) America did not increase its imports in the 1920s. The isolationist Republican presidents
of the 1920s enacted higher tariffs to keep out foreign goods. The 1922 Fordney-McCumber Act dramatically raised tariff rates.
(4) The presidents of the 1920s attempted to isolate the United States from world affairs and to reduce spending on war
munitions. President Harding successfully pressed for a reduction of naval power among Britain, France, Japan, Italy, and
the United States at the Washington Disarmament Conference in 1921. |
|
4
40. What common problem did farmers of the 1890s and farmers of the 1920s face? |
|
| 1. failure to plant enough crops to meet local needs |
3. low tariffs on crops |
| 2. government overregulation of farming |
4. overproduction compared to consumer demand |
|
4 A problem farmers faced in the 1890s and the 1920s was overproduction. Better techniques, increased
reliance on machinery, and a greater amount of land under cultivation led to a dramatic increase in output. The United States
population was increasing, but demand could not keep up with supply. The problem was worsened by the cycle of debt that farmers
found themselves in. Farmers borrowed money to buy land and machinery. In order to pay back their loans, they put more acres
under cultivation and tried to increase production. But if thousands of farmers increase production to boost their income,
then the markets will get flooded with farms products. This will lead to falling prices for farm products, making the situation
for farmers worse.
Wrong Choices Explained:
(1) Farmers were more than able to meet local needs. The problem
was too much production.
(2) There was no government regulation of agriculture before the 1930s. If there had been, perhaps
the government could have discouraged overproduction. The New Deal era Agriculture Adjustment Act (1933) began some government
oversight of the agricultural sector.
(3) Low tariffs on crops would not be seen as a problem for farmers. Farmers have
generally pushed for a low tariff trade policy. In that way, there would be more international trade and more markets for
farm goods. |
|
1
41. Which group of Americans generally failed to experience the economic prosperity of the
1920s? |
|
| 1. farmers |
3. consumers |
| 2. retailers |
4. manufacturers |
|
1 Farmers did not share in the economic prosperity of the 1920s. Agriculture had been a chronically depressed
segment of the economy since the late 1800s. Farmers were plagued by overproduction, low prices for their produce, and variations
in weather patterns. Farmers enjoyed a brief period of prosperity during World War I when other nations at war imported more
agricultural goods from the United States. During that time, they bought up and farmed marginal land and bought new equipment.
However, after the war, American farmers again had to compete with farmers of other nations. Agricultural exports went down
and farmers could no longer make a profit from using marginal land. With lower incomes, they couldn't pay their mortgages
and loans for equipment. Many went bankrupt at a time when industry was enjoying prosperity.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(2),
(3), and (4) Retailers, consumers, and manufacturers shared in the prosperity of the 1920s. Manufacturers, under a laissez-faire
economic philosophy of Republican administrations and advanced technology, turned out consumer goods such as clothing, automobiles,
and new household electrical appliances. Their profits were high because wages were low and the federal government passed
protective tariffs. Retailers and consumers benefited because the quality, quantity, and variety of consumer goods increased.
Consumers could buy the goods available because prices were relatively low and credit was available to buy goods with some
money down followed by monthly payments. |
|
4
42. In the 1920s which economic factor led to the Great Depression? |
|
| 1. lack of investment in the stock market |
3. failure to develop new consumer goods industries |
| 2. attempt by the United States to promote free trade |
4. overproduction of farm products and manufactured goods |
|
4 Overproduction was a main factor that led to the Great Depression in the late 1920s. Overproduction
in agriculture had been a economic problem for farmers since the late 19th century. Agriculture did not share in the economic
good times of the early and mid-1920s. American industry expanded rapidly in the 1920s; however, wages remained low. By the
late 1920s, industries were producing more goods than consumers could buy. As inventories increased, industries began cutting
production and laying off workers.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) Stock market investment in the 1920s was
high. One of the problems of the times was that people were buying stocks on speculation with only down payments. As industrial
production declined, stock prices began to fall. As they fell, investors had to sell at lower prices than they bought to cover
their debts. The escalating effect led to the stock market collapse in 1929.
(2) Another factor in the 1920s economy was
the imposition of protective tariffs to protect American industries from competition.
(3) Many new consumer goods industries
developed in the 1920s, among them the automobile and related industries, radio and movie-making, telephones, and the production
of electric household appliances. |
|
4
43. What was a major result of Prohibition in the United States during the 1920s? |
|
| 1. restriction of immigration |
3. destruction of family values |
| 2. growth of communism |
4. increase in organized crime |
|
4 A major result of Prohibition during the 1920s was an increase in organized crime. Prohibition was
an example of what happens when government tries to regulate morality because millions of generally law-abiding citizens who
opposed Prohibition ignored the law by purchasing smuggled or illegally produced alcoholic beverages. Organized crime satisfied
a public demand by smuggling liquor into the country and operating illegal clubs where people could drink. Organized crime
prospered because those cheated, intimidated, or abused by criminals could not go to the police because it was an admission
that they themselves were involved in illegally buying prohibited beverages.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1)
Restrictions on immigration began about the same time that Prohibition came into effect. This was a coincidence, not a cause-effect
relationship.
(2) Membership in the Communist Party grew somewhat during the 1920s because of the success of communists
in taking over in Russia in 1917 and because wages remained low and working conditions remained poor in the United States.
(3)
One could argue that Prohibition weakened family values because ordinary people thought little of breaking the law by consuming
illegal beverages. However, family values certainly were not destroyed. It could also be argued that the increased number
of private automobiles in use had a greater impact on family values. |
|
3
44. Which event of the 1920s symbolized a conflict over cultural values? |
|
| 1. election of Herbert Hoover |
3. Scopes trial |
| 2. transatlantic flight of Charles Lindbergh |
4. stock market crash |
|
3 The Scopes trial, sometimes called "monkey trial," of 1925 symbolized the clash between religious values
and science. John Scopes was accused of violating a Tennessee law that forbad the teaching of Darwin's theory of evolution
to his high school biology class. The theory of evolution was regarded by fundamentalist Christians to be in conflict with
the Biblical version of creation. The trial gained nationwide publicity because two of the most well-known lawyers in the
country opposed each other. Though Scopes was convicted of violating the law, the law was later repealed. However, fundamentalists
continued, and still continue, to press for creationism to be taught in public schools in science classes as well as Darwin's
theory of evolution. A conflict over cultural values is also reflected in the current disagreement between religious conservatives
and scientists advocating stem cell research.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) The election of Herbert Hoover
in 1928 as president of the United States reflected political differences and conflicting economic philosophies, not a conflict
in cultural values. Herbert Hoover ran on a platform of continuing the prosperity of the 1920s by maintaining a laissez-faire
approach to business. His Democratic Party opponent, Al Smith, called for greater regulation of business and for federal aid
to help small farmers.
(2) The transatlantic flight of Charles Lindbergh in 1927 was praised by all Americans as a tribute
to American technology and a great personal achievement for an American pilot. Lindbergh was the first person to fly solo
across the Atlantic Ocean from New York nonstop to Paris, a 33-hour flight.
(4) The stock market crash of 1929 was viewed
not as a clash of cultural values but instead as a reflection of the American economic system. Business-oriented people saw
it as a temporary setback that would correct itself. Those opposed to laissez-faire saw the stock market crash as evidence
of a basic flaw in the system that could be corrected only by either changing the system or by providing for greater government
regulation to protect investors. |
|
4
45. The intent of the United States immigration laws of the 1920s was to |
|
| 1. increase economic opportunities for recent immigrants |
3. restore an open-door policy toward immigration |
| 2. encourage cultural diversity |
4. restrict immigration through the use of quotas |
|
4 The immigration laws of 1921, 1924, and 1929 were the first immigration laws to limit the number of
immigrants who could enter the United States in any one year. The laws included a national origins quota system that determined
the number of immigrants who could come to the United States from eligible nations. The quota systems were generally designed
to favor immigrants from northern and western Europe. Immigration from Asia was banned, whereas immigration from nations within
the Western Hemisphere remained unrestricted.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) One of the purposes of the immigration
laws was to increase economic opportunities for native-born Americans who would not have to compete for jobs with immigrants
from Europe.
(2) The immigration laws reduced cultural diversity by favoring immigration from Europe and by limiting overall
immigration.
(3) The United States had an open-door policy throughout its history until the Immigration Act of 1921 imposed
a limit on immigration and a discriminatory national origins quota system. |
|
4
46. A major reason for the emergence of a "consumer culture" in the 1920s was that |
|
| 1. the federal government encouraged labor to unionize |
3. minimum-wage laws expanded buying power |
| 2. enforcement of antitrust laws resulted in higher prices |
4. advertising and installment payments encouraged buying |
|
4 A "consumer culture" emerged in the 1920s, in part because advertising and installment payments encouraged
buying. American industries had grown rapidly during World War I and had retooled from producing war material to producing
consumer products. They were anxious to sell new products such as automobiles, refrigerators, and radios to a public that
sought relief from the privations of a wartime economy. Advertising helped to create a demand, and easier access to credit
allowed people with modest incomes to buy products over time that they couldn't otherwise purchase in a single payment. The
general acceptance that the economy was growing and that "good times" would continue also encouraged consumer spending.
WRONG
CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) The labor union movement was not supported by the pro-business, Republican-controlled governments
of the 1920s. The unionization of labor made little progress until the New Deal. (2) The pro-business, Republican-controlled
governments relaxed the enforcement of antitrust laws. (3) Minimum-wage laws were not adopted until the 1930s under the New
Deal program of Franklin Roosevelt. |
|
1
47. One similarity between the 1920s and the 1960s in the United States is that during both
decades |
|
| 1. traditional standards of dress, conduct, and conformity were challenged |
3. economic conditions led to a severe depression |
| 2. involvement in international peacekeeping organizations was rejected |
4. civil rights legislation improved conditions for minorities |
|
1 The 1920s and the 1960s were similar in that traditional standards of personal behavior were challenged
in both eras. Women in the 1920s freed themselves of the clothing restrictions of bustles and long skirts and openly smoked
and drank alcohol. The increased use of the automobile gave men and women greater freedom to escape from the watchful eyes
of small-town neighbors and engage in unchaperoned activities that ten years earlier would have been scandalous. The 1960s
also saw new freedoms in personal behavior, especially among young adults. They were much more casual about what they wore,
engaged in protests against social injustices and the Vietnam War, and rebelled against what they called middle-class morality.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(2) The United States isolationist policy during the 1920s was demonstrated by its
rejection of membership in the League of Nations. However, the United States remained a strong supporter of the United Nations
in the 1960s. (3) Both the 1920s and the 1960s were times of economic growth. (4) Major civil rights laws were adopted during
the 1960s to end discrimination against minorities; however, no civil rights progress was made in the 1920s, a time when the
Ku Klux Klan was in resurgence. |
|
2
48. One reason for the economic decline in the United States in the late 1920s was |
|
| 1. a drastic reduction in tariffs |
3. excessive government regulation |
| 2. industrial and agricultural overproduction |
4. insufficient capital for investment |
|
2 The economic decline in the late 1920s that led to the Great Depression was due, in part, to industrial
and agricultural overproduction. Farmers bought up marginal land to satisfy increased food needs during World War I. After
the war, overseas markets declined and they produced more food than Americans could consume. Factories churned out manufactured
goods, but wages remained so low that people couldn't afford them. As a consequence, factory inventories increased and businesses
began to cut back on production.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) Tariffs were already high when they were increased
in 1930 to the highest rates in United States history. The high tariffs were a factor in economic decline because they stifled
trade. (3) Government followed a "hands-off" economic policy during the 1920s. The prosperity of the 1920s was attributed
to the unrestricted free enterprise system. (4) There was sufficient capital for investment, as shown by the sharp increase
in stock market prices during the 1920s. Also, many real estate ventures were launched and businesses expanded with the abundant
available capital. |
|
4
49. An important goal of United States foreign policy in the 1920s was to |
|
| 1. make the League of Nations successful |
3. end the policy of Dollar Diplomacy in Latin America |
| 2. build a large colonial empire |
4. avoid involvement in foreign conflicts |
|
4 The United States developed an isolationist policy after World War I. Discouraged by the grasping attitudes
of its World War I European allies to acquire more colonies in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, the United States retreated
to its historic foreign policy of avoiding entangling alliances with other nations and involvement in foreign conflicts.
WRONG
CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) Though President Wilson proposed the League of Nations, the United States Senate refused to
ratify the Versailles Treaty under which the United States would have become a member of the League of Nations. The refusal
of the United States to join the League was a factor in its failure to become an effective force for peace between the two
world wars.
(2) The United States was not interested in increasing its colonial empire in the 1920s. It made no territorial
acquisitions between World War I and World War II.
(3) The United States continued to dominate the Caribbean area in the
1920s by using its economic influence and threat of military intervention to interfere in the internal affairs of islands
in the Caribbean and in Central America. Under "Dollar Diplomacy," American business interests were encouraged to invest in
the region with the assurance that the United States government would protect their investments. |
|
3
50. Which action is an example of nativism in the 1920s? |
|
| 1. widespread violation of Prohibition laws |
3. passage of laws restricting immigration |
| 2. efforts to improve living conditions for Native American Indians |
4. provision of credit to farmers |
|
3 The immigration laws passed in 1921, 1924, and 1929 reflected nativism. Nativism, meaning hostility
to foreigners and foreign ideologies, reflected the thinking of some Americans as early as the 1840s. A growing opposition
to unrestricted immigration grew until Congress legislated restrictions on immigration after World War I. The nativist influence
was shown by the national origins quota system that was built into the immigration acts. The quotas gave preference to immigrants
from western Europe who were "less different" in their customs and appearance than people from southern and eastern Europe.
The immigration laws continued to exclude immigration from Asia.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) Prohibition
laws were widely violated by nativists; however, almost all other groups and shades of thinking also violated Prohibition
laws.
(2) Nativists were not concerned about the plight of Native American Indians. Nativists preferred only white, Protestant,
native-born citizens.
(4) Though many nativists were farmers who wanted credit, nativists took positions on social, not
economic, policy. |
|
2
51. Which economic practice became significantly more widespread during the 1920s? |
|
| 1. governmental regulation of business |
3. dependence on government welfare programs |
| 2. stock market speculation |
4. reduction of tariff rates |
|
2 Stock market speculation increased significantly during the 1920s. With the economy growing rapidly
and a government that supported unrestricted capitalism, many people wanted to benefit from rising stock prices. They used
their savings and borrowed heavily to purchase stocks on the assumption that prices would continue to rise. Similar to high
technology and Internet stocks of the 1990s, investors looked only at the sharp increase in stock values and disregarded the
basic economic health of the companies. When stock market prices declined, investors who were forced to sell to pay off their
debts lost much of their investments.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) As noted in question 30, the government
opposed regulation of business in the 1920s.
(3) What few government welfare programs existed declined during the 1920s.
Significant federal government welfare programs were not established until the 1930s.
(4) Tariffs were increased during
the 1920s to increase prices of imported goods. This demonstrated that government became involved in the economy only when
it would help business interests. |
|
1
52. What was a main result of national Prohibition during the 1920s? |
|
| 1. Respect for the law decreased. |
3. Racial prejudice increased. |
| 2. Woman's suffrage was restricted. |
4. Religious tolerance grew. |
|
1 A main result of national Prohibition during the 1920s was that respect for the law decreased. Prohibition
became national policy in 1919 when the 18th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified. The 18th Amendment, which went into
effect on January 29, 1920, called for a ban on the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcoholic beverages. The movement
to ban alcohol from American society was one of the largest movements in the 19th century. There were several factors that
contributed to the success of the temperance movement. Many women were troubled by the large amount of alcohol their husbands
drank. Also, Nativists thought that the new immigrants, who were mostly non-Protestant, lacked the self-control of "proper,"
middle-class Protestant Americans. The final victory for the movement came as the United States entered World War I. The movement
successfully equated the prohibition of alcohol with the quest to bring democracy to the world. Also, with wartime shortages
of grain, it made sense to ban grain-based alcoholic beverages. The anti-German sentiment that developed during World War
I also played a role because many American breweries had German names. But the victory of the movement proved to be a hollow
victory. While the per capita consumption of alcohol went down during the Prohibition era, the amount of lawlessness in America
went up. Illegal bars, known as speakeasies, sprang up in cities across the country. Illegal producers and sellers of alcohol
also proliferated. Criminal activity became so widespread that the nation agreed to ratify another Amendment, the 21st, which
repealed Prohibition. The "noble experiment" of Prohibition demonstrated that it is difficult for the government to dramatically
change individuals' behavior.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(2) National Prohibition did not result in the restriction
of women's suffrage. Women gained the right to vote with ratification of the 19th Amendment, around the same time that Prohibition
went into effect. The 19th Amendment was ratified in August 1920, seven months after Prohibition went into effect.
(3)
There was a great deal of racial prejudice during the years of national Prohibition (1920–1933), but Prohibition would
not be considered a cause of racial prejudice.
(4) The 1920s are known as a time of growing intolerance, not tolerance,
with regard to religious issues. |
|
1
53. "Public Ignores Prohibition Restrictions"
"Evolution and Creation Debated in Scopes
Trial"
"Women Bring Change to the Industrial Workforce"
What do headlines such as these from the 1920s illustrate? |
|
| 1. conflict between traditional and modern values |
3. hostility of certain groups toward ethnic minorities |
| 2. trend toward mass consumption of consumer goods |
4. debate over the role of government in the economy |
|
1 The headlines in this question illustrate a major theme in the 1920s: The conflict between traditional
and modern values. The traditionalists are associated with a fundamentalist interpretation of Christianity, nativism, rural
values, traditional roles for women, the popularity of the Ku Klux Klan, and support for prohibition. The modernists are associated
with Freudian psychology, experimental art, the Harlem Renaissance, radical political ideas, jazz music, and new roles for
women. This culture war was most dramatically played out in the Scopes trial, which concerned the teaching of evolution in
public schools.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(2) The 1920s was characterized by a trend toward mass consumption
of consumer goods, but the headlines do not concern this trend.
(3) There was hostility toward certain ethnic minorities
in the 1920s. The Ku Klux Klan was very strong, and anti-immigrant legislation was passed. But the headlines do not address
this issue.
(4) The debate about the role of government in the economy became pronounced in the 1930s as President Franklin
D. Roosevelt enacted his New Deal. |
|
3
54. The national policy of Prohibition ended when the states |
|
| 1. strengthened food and drug laws |
3. ratified the 21st amendment |
| 2. legalized alcohol for medical purposes |
4. banned interstate shipment of alcoholic beverages |
|
3 The national policy of Prohibition ended when the states ratified the 21st Amendment in 1933. Prohibition
became national policy in 1919 when the 18th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified. The 18th Amendment called for a ban
on the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcoholic beverages. The movement to ban alcohol from American society was
one of the largest movements in the 19th century. The temperance movement was especially popular among women. Many women were
troubled by the large amount of alcohol their husbands drank. Alcohol was part of the fabric of daily life for many men, but
women, who had the responsibility of putting food on the table, were troubled by the fact that their husbands often literally
drank away their paychecks. Another reason for the popularity of the temperance crusade was that it complemented the growing
nativist, or anti-immigrant, movement. Nativists thought that the new immigrants, who were mostly non-Protestant, lacked the
self-control of "proper," middle-class Protestant Americans. The final victory for the temperance movement came as the United
States entered World War I. The movement successfully equated the prohibition of alcohol with the quest to bring democracy
to the world. The United States would purify the world of undemocratic forces and purify its citizens of corrupting alcohol.
Also, with wartime shortages of grain, it made sense to ban grain-based alcoholic beverages. The anti-German sentiment that
developed during World War I also played a role because many American breweries had German names. All these factors led to
the ratification of the 18th Amendment, which banned alcohol production, sales, and consumption as of January 1, 1920. But
the victory of the movement proved to be hollow. While the per capita consumption of alcohol went down during the Prohibition
era, the amount of lawlessness in America went up. Criminal activity became so widespread that the nation agreed to ratify
another amendment, the 21st, which repealed Prohibition.
Wrong Choices Explained:
(1) Stronger food and
drug laws did not end Prohibition. Prohibition and its repeal were constitutional issues. Both required constitutional amendments.
(2)
Prohibition banned alcohol for "beverage purposes." It did not ban the use of alcohol in medical procedures. Therefore no
action was needed to legalize alcohol for medical purposes.
(4) The Prohibition amendment itself banned the transportation
of alcoholic beverages. This action is part of Prohibition, not the reason it ended. |
|
3
55. During which period in United States history were the amendments concerning the income
tax, direct election of Senators, Prohibition, and women's suffrage enacted? |
|
| 1. Reconstruction |
3. Progressive Era |
| 2. The Gilded Age |
4. New Deal |
|
| No Explanation Available. |
|
4
56. What was a major result of Prohibition in the United States during the 1920s? |
|
| 1. restriction of immigration |
3. destruction of family values |
| 2. growth of communism |
4. increase in organized crime |
|
4 A major result of Prohibition during the 1920s was an increase in organized crime. Prohibition was
an example of what happens when government tries to regulate morality because millions of generally law-abiding citizens who
opposed Prohibition ignored the law by purchasing smuggled or illegally produced alcoholic beverages. Organized crime satisfied
a public demand by smuggling liquor into the country and operating illegal clubs where people could drink. Organized crime
prospered because those cheated, intimidated, or abused by criminals could not go to the police because it was an admission
that they themselves were involved in illegally buying prohibited beverages.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1)
Restrictions on immigration began about the same time that Prohibition came into effect. This was a coincidence, not a cause-effect
relationship.
(2) Membership in the Communist Party grew somewhat during the 1920s because of the success of communists
in taking over in Russia in 1917 and because wages remained low and working conditions remained poor in the United States.
(3)
One could argue that Prohibition weakened family values because ordinary people thought little of breaking the law by consuming
illegal beverages. However, family values certainly were not destroyed. It could also be argued that the increased number
of private automobiles in use had a greater impact on family values. |
|
3
57. Henry Ford produced a more affordable car primarily because his company |
|
| 1. paid workers lower wages than its competitors paid |
3. developed a less expensive method of production |
| 2. used foreign-made parts |
4. offered a variety of options to buyers |
|
3 Henry Ford produced a more affordable car primarily because his company developed the assembly line
method of construction. In 1908, Ford developed a basic Model T car that was assembled by workers who stood in one place next
to a pile of parts while the car moved on a conveyer belt. Each worker repetitively assembled the same part of the automobiles
that passed before him. Before the assembly line, a team of workers worked on one car at a time. The lack of variety in model
options and colors and the assembly line process allowed cars to be manufactured at much lower cost. By the 1920s, Ford Motor
Company was selling a basic car for as little as $260.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) In 1914, Henry Ford offered
his workers a minimum wage of $5.00 for an eight-hour day. This was considerably above the prevailing wage rates for unskilled
labor. By paying more generously than others, Ford developed a loyal, efficient workforce. He also increased the number of
working Americans who were being paid enough to afford the cars he was producing, thereby encouraging mass consumption to
go hand-in-hand with mass production.
(2) Henry Ford used parts made in the United States, often by companies also owned
by Ford Motor Company.
(4) Henry Ford is reputed to have said that the buyers of his cars could have any color they want
as long as it is black. By limiting options, he lowered production costs to make his cars more affordable. |
|
Husp 10 21 09 Practice
Mr Eisenberg |
TEACHER ANSWER KEY
October 21, 2009 |
|
2
1. President Franklin D. Roosevelt's response to Supreme Court decisions that declared several
New Deal laws unconstitutional was to |
|
| 1. ask Congress to limit the Court's jurisdiction |
3. demand the resignation of several justices |
| 2. propose legislation to increase the size of the Court |
4. ignore the Court's rulings |
|
2 President Roosevelt wanted to increase the size of the Supreme Court after it ruled a number of his
New Deal laws unconstitutional. Roosevelt wanted the power to appoint a new Justice for every Justice over the age of 70 to
a maximum of fifteen justices instead of nine. He claimed that his proposal would add new vigor to a Court made up mostly
of old men. Roosevelt's proposal was denounced as an attack on the principle of checks and balances. Congress refused to pass
enabling legislation.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) Congress could not limit the jurisdiction of the Supreme
Court. To do so would require an amendment to the Constitution.
(3) Justices are appointed for life or until removed by
impeachment and trial. Roosevelt's "court-packing" proposal was designed to get around this limitation.
(4) The president
cannot ignore a ruling by the Supreme Court because the Court is the final judge on the constitutionality of a law. |
|
1
2. The National Labor Relations Act (Wagner Act) of 1935 gave labor unions the right to |
|
| 1. represent workers in collective bargaining |
3. establish quotas on immigration |
| 2. insist on an open shop in the workplace |
4. use blacklists and yellow dog contracts |
|
1 The National Labor Relations Act of 1935 was a New Deal measure that gave labor unions the right to
represent workers in collective bargaining if a majority of workers voted to join their union. This was the first time the
federal government took a position in support of the rights of unions to represent workers. The law created a National Labor
Relations Board (NLRB) to supervise union elections and to monitor labor practices of unions and management.
WRONG
CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(2) Unions do not want an open shop in the workplace where workers could choose to join a union
or not. Unions want a closed shop, meaning that a factory or business could only hire union workers, or a union shop where
new employees must join the union within a set time period.
(3) The National Labor Relations Act did not legislate immigration
issues.
(4) Blacklists and yellow dog contracts were unfair practices used by management that were banned by the National
Labor Relations Act. A yellow dog contract was a commitment made by a new employee not to join a union as a condition of being
hired. |
|
4
3. One difference between the administrations of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and President
Herbert Hoover is that Roosevelt was |
|
| 1. unwilling to allow government agencies to establish jobs programs |
3. able to ignore economic issues for most of his first term in office |
| 2. unable to win congressional support for his economic program |
4. more willing to use government intervention to solve economic problems |
|
4 President Franklin D. Roosevelt was more willing than President Herbert Hoover to use government intervention
to solve economic problems. The Great Depression began in 1929, the first year of Hoover's presidency. After the stock market
crash, Hoover assumed that the economy would correct itself and soon revive. Toward the end of his term, he initiated some
measures to provide loans to banks, corporations, and state and local governments, but he did little to relieve the plight
of the unemployed who were losing their homes and had little to eat. When Franklin Roosevelt became President in 1933, he
initiated a number of "New Deal" measures to provide aid to individuals, increase jobs and production, and restore faith in
the economy. He closed the banks to prevent bank failures until they could demonstrate their solvency. He initiated programs
of public works to create jobs, reformed the banking and securities industries, and provided direct relief to those in need.
WRONG
CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) The PWA (Public Works Administration), WPA (Works Progress Administration), and CCC (Civilian
Conservation Corps) were all programs begun by President Roosevelt to create jobs for the unemployed.
(2) Both houses of
Congress elected in 1932 had large Democratic majorities. They quickly passed Roosevelt's New Deal proposals with little debate.
(3)
Both presidents had to deal with economic issues because the Great Depression extended from Hoover's first year in office
until Roosevelt's third term when World War II dominated his attention. |
|
4
4. In the 1920s which economic factor led to the Great Depression? |
|
| 1. lack of investment in the stock market |
3. failure to develop new consumer goods industries |
| 2. attempt by the United States to promote free trade |
4. overproduction of farm products and manufactured goods |
|
4 Overproduction was a main factor that led to the Great Depression in the late 1920s. Overproduction
in agriculture had been a economic problem for farmers since the late 19th century. Agriculture did not share in the economic
good times of the early and mid-1920s. American industry expanded rapidly in the 1920s; however, wages remained low. By the
late 1920s, industries were producing more goods than consumers could buy. As inventories increased, industries began cutting
production and laying off workers.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) Stock market investment in the 1920s was
high. One of the problems of the times was that people were buying stocks on speculation with only down payments. As industrial
production declined, stock prices began to fall. As they fell, investors had to sell at lower prices than they bought to cover
their debts. The escalating effect led to the stock market collapse in 1929.
(2) Another factor in the 1920s economy was
the imposition of protective tariffs to protect American industries from competition.
(3) Many new consumer goods industries
developed in the 1920s, among them the automobile and related industries, radio and movie-making, telephones, and the production
of electric household appliances. |
|
1
5. Which initiative was part of President Lyndon Johnson's Great Society program? |
|
| 1. providing medical care to the poor and elderly |
3. increasing foreign aid to the Soviet Union |
| 2. reducing federal aid to education |
4. opposing civil rights legislation |
|
1 Medicare, providing government-paid medical care for those over sixty-five and Medicaid, government-paid
medical care for the poor and disabled, were major parts of President Lyndon Johnson's Great Society program. Medicare fully
pays for hospital bills, limited nursing home care, and home visits for the elderly ill. Eighty percent of doctor bills are
covered for those who elect to pay a monthly premium. Passed in 1965, Medicare and Medicaid were part of President Johnson's
Great Society program to expand services and programs provided by the federal government to relieve poverty and improve the
quality of life of those in need.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(2) Another part of the Great Society program
was to increase federal aid to education. In 1965, Congress agreed to allocate $1.3 billion as direct aid to elementary and
secondary schools.
(3) The Great Society program was designed to improve life within the United States. It did not include
foreign aid.
(4) President Johnson convinced Congress to pass the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act
to advance the cause of civil rights in the United States. |
|
1
6. The aging of the baby boom generation will most likely result in |
|
| 1. an increase in Social Security spending |
3. a decrease in infant mortality in the United States |
| 2. a decrease in health care costs |
4. a balanced federal budget |
|
1 The post-World War II baby boom generation will be reaching retirement age beginning around 2010. The
expenditures for Social Security will increase significantly as large numbers of aging baby boomers reach age sixty-two when
they can apply for Social Security benefits. The Social Security reserve fund built up over the years will begin to decrease.
Experts differ on how long it will take before the Social Security fund is depleted without increases in financing or decreases
in benefits provided.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(2) Health care costs will increase because older people have
more health problems than younger generations. Medicare costs will also increase as more boomers become eligible for Medicare
at age sixty-five.
(3) There is no relationship between the aging of baby boomers and infant mortality.
(4) The federal
budget is likely to become more unbalanced. The 1991 tax cut, war on terrorism costs, and an economic slowdown have already
caused a budget deficit after surpluses under the Clinton administration. Increased Social Security and Medicare costs will
likely create a greater deficit. |
|
3
7. Population data from the census of 2000 was used to determine the number of |
|
| 1. states in the Union |
3. electoral college votes from each state |
| 2. senators from each state |
4. Supreme Court justices |
|
3 Population data from the 2000 census determine the number of electoral college votes. Article I, Section
2 of the Constitution requires a census every ten years to determine the number of members of the House of Representatives
for each state. However, Article II, Section 1 provides that each state shall have a number of electors in the electoral college
equal to the sum of its senators and representatives. Thus in the 2004 election for president New York State will have thirty-one
electors (twenty-nine representatives plus two senators). This is a decrease of two electoral votes from the 2000 election
because New York lost two representatives following the redistribution of representatives based on the 2000 census.
WRONG
CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) The number of states in the Union changes only by adding states. The United States became fifty
states when Hawaii was admitted to the Union in 1959.
(2) Article I, Section 3 of the Constitution establishes that each
state shall have two senators.
(4) The Constitution does not specify the number of justices of the Supreme Court. There
have been nine for most of United States history; however, the number could be changed by Congress. |
|
3
8. Base your answer on the cartoon shown and on your knowledge of social studies.
The
cartoon illustrates President Theodore Roosevelt's attempt to |
 |
|
| 1. ignore antitrust laws |
3. limit the power of monopolies |
| 2. conserve natural resources |
4. eliminate foreign ownership of United States corporations |
|
3 The cartoon illustrates President Theodore Roosevelt's attempt to limit the power of monopolies by
breaking up trusts. Roosevelt was more aggressive than his predecessors in seeking to break up monopolies under the Sherman
Antitrust Act. However, he did not believe that bigness was bad or that all monopolies should be dissolved. Roosevelt believed
more in regulation of business than in breaking up monopolies, though he responded to public pressures to initiate a number
of successful lawsuits under the Sherman Act. The cartoon shows him restraining "good trusts" while going after "bad trusts."
WRONG
CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) The cartoon shows Theodore Roosevelt slaying a "bad trust." He did not ignore antitrust laws,
but used them sparingly.
(2) Though Roosevelt was interested in preserving natural resources, the cartoon illustrates his
policy toward monopolies in business enterprises.
(4) Many foreigners invested in American corporations; however, the major
monopolists and organizers of trusts were American financiers and entrepreneurs. |
|
1
9. Why did the Senate reject the Versailles Treaty (1919)? |
|
| 1. to keep the United States free from foreign entanglements |
3. to avoid the dues for membership in the League of Nations |
| 2. to express opposition to the harsh sanctions imposed on Germany |
4. to reduce United States military forces in Europe |
|
1 The Senate rejected the Versailles Treaty primarily to keep the United States free of foreign entanglements.
Many senators continued to heed the warnings by George Washington in his Farewell Address. The Senate objected to the provision
in the Versailles Treaty that created the League of Nations because the United States would become a member of the international
organization by ratifying the treaty. Many Americans were dismayed by the land-grabbing actions of its allies in the treaty
negotiations in violation of the high-minded principles enunciated by President Wilson in his Fourteen Points. Their response
was to seek a return to isolationist policies.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(2) Many Americans thought that the
Treaty of Versailles treated Germany too harshly; however, their main concern was United States membership in the League of
Nations.
(3) The principle of membership in an international organization, not the costs involved, was the main objection
to League membership.
(4) Almost all United States military forces had already been withdrawn from Europe by the time the
Treaty of Versailles was voted down. |
|
1
10. Base your answer on the cartoon shown and on your knowledge of social studies.
The
cartoonist would most likely support federal government attempts to |
 |
|
| 1. pass antitrust legislation |
3. establish high tariffs |
| 2. limit regulation of business |
4. stop industrial pollution |
|
1 The cartoonist would most likely support federal government attempts to pass antitrust legislation
by making J. P. Morgan appear to be an evil, rapacious influence. The federal government passed the Sherman Antitrust Act
in 1890 and strengthened its provisions by the Clayton Antitrust Act in 1914. These laws were used to prevent formation of
some monopolies and break up others, including the large Standard Oil Corporation in 1911.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(2)
Those who opposed formation of monopolies usually opposed other unfair practices of businesses. The cartoonist would probably
support regulation of some businesses to protect the public interest.
(3) The cartoon does not take a position on high
tariffs; however, he would probably oppose them because monopolists supported them to cut out foreign competition and increase
their profits.
(4) Federal government attempts to regulate industrial pollution did not develop until the second half of
the 20th century. The cartoon is concerned with business practices more than fifty years earlier. |
|
4
11. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the intervention of the United States
in Latin America was motivated mainly by a desire to |
|
| 1. reduce the influence of communism |
3. promote European colonization of the area |
| 2. control Latin American independence movements |
4. protect growing United States investments in Latin America |
|
4 The United States intervened in Latin America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to protect
growing American investments in the region. Americans had sizable investments in sugar, coffee, and banana plantations. They
also owned refineries to process sugar and distilleries to make rum. Unstable governments in the politically volatile region
sometimes threatened economic enterprises controlled by American investors. Also, European nations threatened to intervene
when bankrupt Latin American nations failed to repay debts. The Spanish American War was fought, in part, to protect American
investments in Cuba. President Theodore Roosevelt developed what became known as the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine.
He asserted the right of the United States to act as an international police power to protect American and European investments
in Latin America by sending in armed forces and American representatives to manage the economic affairs of troubled nations.
WRONG
CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) At the time, the communist movement was limited to the industrialized nations of Europe and
Russia.
(2) Almost all of South and Central America were independent by the end of the 19th century. Cuba became independent
after the Spanish American War.
(3) European colonization in the Western Hemisphere had been blocked since 1823 by the
Monroe Doctrine. However, some European nations threatened to intervene militarily to protect investments. |
|
3
12. Which statement best summarizes President Theodore Roosevelt's views about conservation? |
|
| 1. Environmental issues are best decided by the private sector. |
3. Wilderness areas and their resources should be protected for the public good. |
| 2. Unlimited access to natural resources is the key to business growth. |
4. Decisions about the use of natural resources should be left to the states. |
|
3 President Theodore Roosevelt was America's first conservationist president. An outdoorsman, he believed
that wilderness areas and their natural resources should be protected to be enjoyed by future generations. With the closing
of the frontier, Roosevelt and others realized that the nation's natural resources were not inexhaustible. Also, the business-favoring
administrations at the end of the 19th century stood by while forests were leveled and the landscape was despoiled by mining
operations. To conserve natural areas, Roosevelt added almost 150 million acres to national forests. He also used his position
to alert the public to the need for conservation.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) It was the private sector
that cut down forests and created heaps of waste in mining operations. Roosevelt realized that only government, which is not
motivated by profit, could save wilderness area.
(2) Roosevelt was not anti-business. He realized that access to natural
resources was necessary for business growth. However, access should be regulated to prevent waste and preserve some natural
areas.
(4) Only the federal government had the income and authority to acquire large tracts in the West. However, Roosevelt
also encouraged state governments to enact conservation measures. Before Roosevelt became president, New York State had already
shown its concern for the environment by creating protected forest preserves in the Catskills and Adirondacks. |
|
3
13. Base your answer on the cartoon shown and on your knowledge of social studies.
Which
19th-century business practice does this cartoon illustrate? |
 |
|
| 1. forming cooperatives |
3. creating monopolies |
| 2. establishing trade zones |
4. expanding global markets |
|
3 The cartoon illustrates the creation of monopolies in the late 19th century. The man in the cartoon
is J. P. Morgan, the banker who provided advice and financing to drive out competitors and bring an industry under the control
of one company. Morgan placed his subordinates on the boards of directors of monopolies to form an interlocking directorate
by which he could influence the policies of major industries. Morgan forced out other would-be monopolists to create a large
railroad monopoly. He also bought up steel companies to create U. S. Steel, the dominant corporation in iron and steel making.
The cartoon shows him having seized control of railroads and steel companies while having his eye on shipping companies.
WRONG
CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) Cooperatives are associations of small producers or consumers who create an economic enterprise
to serve their needs. They are too small-scale to interest the likes of J. P. Morgan.
(2) Trade zones are 20th and 21st
century concepts to facilitate and encourage trade. Trade zones assume that enterprises using the trade zone openly compete
with each other.
(4) Businesses seek to expand global markets; however, the cartoon illustrates actions to control the
United States market. |
|
4
14. Which situation was the immediate cause of the United States entry into World War I
in 1917? |
|
| 1. The League of Nations requested help. |
3. Nazi tyranny threatened Western democracy. |
| 2. The Maine was blown up in Havana Harbor. |
4. German submarines sank United States merchant ships. |
|
4 The United States declared war on Germany in 1917 after Germany announced the resumption of unrestricted
submarine warfare, including attacks on American merchant ships bringing supplies to France and Great Britain. Earlier, Germany
limited its submarine warfare because of strong American protests following the sinking of the Lusitania in 1916. However,
Germany resumed torpedoing ships of neutral nations in 1917 in an attempt to break the stalemate that had bogged down the
war in Europe.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) The League of Nations did not come into existence until after
World War I as a provision of the Versailles Treaty.
(2) The sinking of the United States battleship Maine in Havana harbor
in 1898 was a factor in triggering the Spanish American War.
(3) The Nazis did not come to power in Germany until 1933.
Their threat to Western democracy led to World War II. |
|
1
15. Statistics such as the gross domestic product, consumer price index, and unemployment
rate are used to measure the |
|
| 1. condition of the economy |
3. balance of international trade |
| 2. amount of the federal budget deficit |
4. productivity of industry |
|
1 A number of national statistics compiled by the Commerce Department are used to determine the condition
of the American economy. The gross domestic product (GDP) is one of the most important measures. It is the sum of the value
of all the goods and services produced in a year. The rate of increase in the GDP is a measure of economic growth. A decrease
signals a downturn in the economy. The consumer price index (CPI) shows the change in the prices of a large number of selected
products commonly bought by the American public. The CPI is an important statistic because it measures inflation. A sharp
increase in the CPI usually triggers actions by the government to rein in inflation. The unemployment rate is another measure
of the health of the economy. Full employment indicates a healthy economy, but may lead to inflation. A decline in the employment
rate indicates a decline in the economy, which may trigger government action to stimulate it.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(2)
The annual federal budget deficit or surplus is a statistic arrived at by comparing the government's income and its expenditures.
(3)
The balance of international trade is a statistic arrived at by comparing exports and imports.
(4) Productivity of industry
is an economic statistic arrived at by comparing the quantity of goods turned out by industries with the number of worker
hours needed to produce them. |
|
4
16. Base your answer on the accompanying cartoon and on your knowledge of social studies.
According
to the cartoon, how was the United States in the 1990s similar to the United States in the 1890s? |
 |
|
| 1. Little need existed for government regulation. |
3. The price of petroleum products decreased. |
| 2. Investment in the stock market decreased. |
4. Business consolidation was accepted practice. |
|
4 The cartoon shows that business consolidations were accepted practices in the 1890s and the 1990s.
The last panel in the cartoon shows that the speaker, probably John D. Rockefeller, leads the Standard Oil Company that created
a huge monopoly in the late 1800s. In 1890 the government tried to break up the Standard Oil Company under the Sherman Antitrust
Act. The Standard Oil Company fought the breakup until it was confirmed by the United States Supreme Court in 1911. The speaker
protests the breakup by claiming that there's nothing wrong with creating monopolies by mergers and acquisitions. In the first
three panels one could assume that the speaker is referring to the 1990s when the government permitted a number of companies
to merge or buy out other companies to reduce competition.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) The history of the
era reveals that the business practices of the 1890s were not in the public interest and should have been controlled by government
regulation. In the 1990s the government had the power under the Sherman and Clayton Antitrust Acts to block mergers and acquisitions
that created large companies that threatened the principle of fair competition. However, recent administrations have been
more permissive by not interfering in corporate mergers and takeovers.
(2) Investment in the stock market increased during
the 1890s and 1990s. The 1990s saw the largest increase in stock prices in United States history.
(3) The cartoon only
indirectly involves the price of petroleum products, especially in the 1890s when the Standard Oil Company determined petroleum
prices. In the 1990s petroleum prices were largely determined by foreign nations from which the United States imports most
of the oil it consumes. |
|
1
17. The Dust Bowl experiences of the Oklahoma farmers during the Great Depression demonstrated
the |
|
| 1. effect of geography on people's lives |
3. limitation of civil liberties during times of crisis |
| 2. success of government farm subsidies |
4. result of the Indian Removal Act |
|
1 The Dust Bowl during the Great Depression shows how geography can influence people's lives. A severe
drought in 1933 plagued a number of states in the south central part of the United States. Lacking irrigation, farmland dried
up, crops withered, and high winds swirled dark clouds of powdery topsoil. Already impoverished by a depressed agricultural
segment of the economy during the 1920s, the farmers of Oklahoma and neighboring states lost their farms and became refugees
from a desolate land. Many of them fled to California where they worked for little money as migrant farm laborers. Their plight
is vividly portrayed in The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(2) Agricultural
relief programs came too late for the farmers of the Dust Bowl. Farm subsidies help only those farmers who are able to grow
crops to bring to market. The victims of the Dust Bowl drought could not grow anything.
(3) Civil liberties were not a
major concern during the 1930s. The Oklahoma farmers who traveled west became exploited labor; however, migrant workers had
commonly been poorly paid, mistreated, and had their civil liberties violated by local authorities who looked out for the
interests of farm owners rather than farmworkers.
(4) The Indian Removal Act was a shameless federal government policy
one hundred years before the Dust Bowl. |
|
3
18. Base your answer on the accompanying cartoon and on your knowledge of social studies.
How
was the situation illustrated in the cartoon resolved? |
 |
|
| 1. The United States entered World War II after the attack on Pearl Harbor. |
3. Congress rejected the president's plan to pack the Supreme Court. |
| 2. The Supreme Court used its power of judicial review. |
4. The president vetoed Congress's attempt to reform the judiciary system. |
|
3 The situation in the cartoon was resolved when Congress rejected President Roosevelt's plan to pack
the Supreme Court. Angered by Supreme Court decisions that declared a number of New Deal laws unconstitutional, President
Roosevelt wanted to add more justices to the Supreme Court. His thinking was that if the Court was so conservative that it
thwarted his efforts to revive the economy, then he would change the Court. Roosevelt proposed legislation in 1937 that would
allow him to add one new justice for each sitting justice over the age of 70 (there were six at the time). His "court-packing"
scheme was attacked as a threat to the principle of checks and balances and rejected by the Congress.
WRONG CHOICES
EXPLAINED:
(1) The "court-packing" episode was resolved four years before the United States entered World War II.
(2)
The situation developed because the Supreme Court used its power of judicial review in a manner that displeased President
Roosevelt.
(4) The President proposed and Congress rejected the reform of the judiciary system. |
|
2
19. What was a key challenge faced by the United States during World War II? |
|
| 1. lack of public support for the war effort |
3. difficulty gaining congressional support |
| 2. fighting the war on several fronts |
4. total reliance on naval power |
|
2 The resources of the United States were challenged by fighting the war on several fronts. In December
1941 the United States was at war with Germany and Japan. German submarines were attacking American shipping in the Atlantic,
while Japanese naval vessels were engaging American warships in the Pacific. Japanese troops were advancing through China
and Southeast Asia, while German troops occupied almost all of Europe and part of North Africa. The United States and its
allies invaded North Africa in 1942, Sicily and Italy in 1943, and France in 1944, while American troops began to drive the
Japanese out of islands in the South Pacific as early as 1942 and continued in the following years to advance toward Japan.
WRONG
CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) The American public strongly supported the war effort because United States territories had
been attacked and invaded and thousands had been killed during the attack on Pearl Harbor.
(3) Congress strongly supported
President Roosevelt's call for a declaration of war after the attack on Pearl Harbor and provided the funds to rapidly build
up the army and navy.
(4) Naval power was important to sink enemy ships and protect American merchant and troop ships;
however, armies were needed to invade and liberate territory seized by the Germans and Japanese. |
|
1
20. The creation of the Tennessee Valley Authority is an example of |
|
| 1. federal intervention to meet regional needs |
3. free-market capitalism |
| 2. state-funded regional transportation |
4. laissez-faire economics |
|
1 The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) was created by Congress in 1933 to meet the needs of the Tennessee
River Basin, an area of 41,000 square miles. The region had been plagued by floods, soil erosion, and high unemployment. The
TVA built dams and levees to control floods. The dams also provided cheap hydroelectric power, which attracted industry to
the region and spurred rural electrification. The massive construction projects created jobs at a time of high unemployment
and the lakes created by the dams provided a source of recreation. The TVA was a successful example of federal intervention
using an integrated plan to revive a region's economy and solve a major flooding problem.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(2)
The federal government provided the initial financing for the TVA. It has since become self-sustaining. Development of regional
transportation was not part of the overall plan of the TVA.
(3) and (4) The creation of the TVA was contrary to the principle
of free-market capitalism because it involved planning and funding by government instead of by private enterprise. It was
also contrary to laissez-faire economics because it involved government intervention in the economy of the region. Laissez-faire
means that the government should let the natural laws of economics determine economic affairs. |
|
3
21. The New Deal changed political thinking in the United States because it supported the
idea that the |
|
| 1. rights of workers are less important than the interests of business |
3. government should become more involved in the social and economic life of the people |
| 2. Supreme Court should have an important role to play in the economy |
4. president's foreign policy is more important than his domestic policy |
|
3 The New Deal altered political thinking by supporting the concept that government should be more closely
involved with the economic and social life of the people. President Franklin D. Roosevelt proposed a number of laws to help
Americans recover from the effects of the Great Depression. Soon after Roosevelt took office in 1933, Congress passed legislation
providing emergency funds for those who lost their jobs. The Home Owners' Refinance Act helped the unemployed pay their mortgages
so that they wouldn't lose their homes, and a Civilian Conservation Corps was created to provide work for unemployed youths.
The New Deal also established the Social Security System to provide pensions for the elderly and supported efforts by workers
to form labor unions through the National Labor Relations Act. The principles underlying the New Deal--that the federal government
has a responsibility to help those in need and to manage the economy to provide for economic growth and full employment--continue
as accepted responsibilities of government into the twenty-first century.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) Before
the New Deal, the federal government paid little attention to the rights of workers. The New Deal affirmed that workers have
the right to form labor unions, receive at least a minimum wage, and be required to work only a reasonable number of hours
a week, even if enforcing those rights increased the cost of operation for businesses.
(2) No one before, during, or after
the New Deal proposed that the Supreme Court should play a role in the economy. However, President Roosevelt attacked the
Supreme Court for declaring some laws unconstitutional that the President believed were necessary for the economic well-being
of the United States.
(4) The emphasis of the New Deal was on domestic policy because its main goal was to lead the nation
out of the Great Depression. Foreign policy took up much of the President's attention only after war in Europe loomed on the
horizon in the late 1930s. |
|
4
22. An important factor contributing to the start of the Great Depression in the United
States was the |
|
| 1. increase in military spending |
3. reduction of tariff rates |
| 2. failure to maintain the gold standard |
4. uneven distribution of wealth |
|
4 One factor contributing to the Great Depression was the uneven distribution of wealth. Agriculture
remained a depressed industry in the 1920s. Factory wages remained low, in part because the labor union movement made little
progress in recruiting new members. Though some Americans became wealthy from stock market and real estate speculation, there
were not enough people with discretionary income to purchase the goods being churned out by American industries. Thus, by
the end of the 1920s industries began cutting back on production because unsold goods had accumulated in warehouses.
WRONG
CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) Under an isolationist policy, the United States had little need to maintain a large military
establishment. Consequently, the size of the army and navy and military expenditures decreased after World War I.
(2) The
United States maintained the gold standard from the late 1800s until 1933 when Franklin Roosevelt made paper money legal tender
without being convertible to gold as part of his New Deal program.
(3) Increased tariff rates, especially the Hawley-Smoot
Tariff of 1930, worsened the Great Depression by reducing international trade. Earlier protective tariffs contributed to the
start of the Great Depression. |
|
2
23. Industrialists of the late 1800s contributed most to economic growth by |
|
| 1. supporting the efforts of labor unions |
3. encouraging government ownership of banks |
| 2. establishing large corporations |
4. opposing protective tariffs |
|
2 The rapid industrial expansion of the United States in the late 1800s was made possible by the growth
of large corporations. Corporations replaced proprietorships and partnerships as the primary form of business organization.
By selling shares of ownership in the corporation to the public, corporations could amass the large amount of capital needed
to build the railroads and factories of industrial America. Large businesses were formed by entrepreneurs who sold shares
in the ownership of a company to investors, who then shared in the profits of the corporation but were not liable for its
debts or involved in its management.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) Industrialists opposed labor unions because
meeting the demands of workers for higher pay, shorter working hours, and better working conditions would increase expenses
and thereby decrease profits.
(3) Industrialists supported laissez-faire economics, meaning that they did not want the
government interfering in the economy. They wanted banks to be privately owned to continue the collaboration of bankers and
industrialists to promote their economic interests.
(4) Industrialists supported protective tariffs to reduce competition
from European manufacturers and allow them to charge higher prices. |
|
1
24. Jacob Riis, in How the Other Half Lives, and Lincoln Steffens, in The Shame
of the Cities, contributed to reform movements in the United States by |
|
| 1. exposing poverty and corruption |
3. criticizing racial injustice |
| 2. opposing westward expansion |
4. supporting organized labor |
|
1 Publications of Jacob Riis and Lincoln Steffens led to reform by exposing urban poverty and corruption.
Jacob Riis was a journalist whose articles about urban poverty led to his book How the Other Half Lives in 1890. He
described the miserable, crowded living conditions in the slums of New York City and proposed housing reforms and low-cost
housing for the urban poor. Lincoln Steffens was another journalist who exposed the extensive and deep-seated corruption in
city governments in The Shame of the Cities in 1904. His writings led to demands for political reform.
WRONG
CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(2) Westward expansion was already an accomplished fact by the time Riis and Steffens wrote.
(3)
Most reformers paid little attention to the injustices of racial discrimination. "Muckrakers" concentrated their attention
on the problems in the cities and big businesses.
(4) Riis and Steffens were probably sympathetic to organized labor because
unions worked to improve the pay and working conditions of workers; however, they concentrated their efforts on urban problems
of poor living conditions and corruption. |
|
2
25. In the late 1800s, many business practices of the railroads led to |
|
| 1. an increase in the unemployment rate |
3. a decrease in the demand for raw materials |
| 2. an increase in the demand for government regulation |
4. a decrease in the variety of products available for consumers |
|
2 In the late 1800s the unfair business practices of railroads led to a demand for government regulation.
Farmers who were served by only one railroad were charged excessive rates to get their produce to market. Railroads gave rebates
to large shippers, charged different rates depending on whether they had a monopoly, entered into agreements with competitors
to set rates, and bribed politicians. In response to protests from farmers, Congress passed the Interstate Commerce Act in
1887. The Interstate Commerce Commission was established to monitor the railroad industry. Rates had to be made public and
be reasonable. Pooling, rebates, and rate discrimination were banned.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) Business
practices of railroads influenced shipping rates, especially those charged to farmers, not the unemployment rate. The railroads
needed many workers to maintain tracks and operate the railroads.
(3) The demand for raw materials was a reflection of
the needs of industries, not the business practices of railroads.
(4) The variety of goods available was a reflection of
consumer demands and manufacturers' ingenuity. The role of railroads was to ship what was produced by manufacturers and ordered
by retailers. |
|
3
26. Late in the 19th century, many Americans believed that the United States should establish
a colonial empire because |
|
| 1. additional farmlands were needed to feed the growing American population |
3. American industries needed raw materials and markets |
| 2. many sections of the world wanted to become part of the United States |
4. colonies would provide cheap labor for southern plantations |
|
3Many Americans supported an imperialist policy in the 1890s because it was believed that the nation's
growing industries needed access to markets and raw materials. Many feared that European nations that were rapidly establishing
colonies in Africa and Asia would block American merchants from trading with those regions. With the frontier coming to an
end, American imperialists also believed that it was the nation's manifest destiny to extend its influence beyond its shores.
Wrong Choices Explained:
(1) By the late 1800s American farms were producing a surplus that led to falling farm
prices and a search for overseas markets.
(2) The only part of the world in the nineteenth century that wanted to become
part of the United States was Hawaii, which asked to be annexed in 1898.
(4) Southern agriculture had sufficient cheap
labor in the freed slaves, who remained suppressed and exploited by state laws and prevailing social attitudes. |
|
1
27. United States Senators who opposed the Treaty of Versailles mainly objected to |
|
| 1. United States membership in the League of Nations |
3. the transfer of Germany's colonial possessions to the League of Nations |
| 2. payment of reparations by Germany to the Allied Nations |
4. the creation of new and independent nations in Eastern Europe |
|
1Many senators who objected to the Treaty of Versailles did so mainly because it included United States
membership in the League of Nations, which they feared would infringe upon United States sovereignty. With a resumption of
isolationist sentiment, many Americans feared that membership in the League of Nations could again drag the nation into a
European war.
Wrong Choices Explained:
(2) Though some regarded the reparations as excessive, most people supported
the idea that Germany should pay for war damages.
(3) Though it was contrary to Wilson's Fourteen Points, few objected
to Germany's loss of its overseas colonies.
(4) The creation of new independent nations in Eastern Europe was consistent
with American support for the principle of self-determination. |
|
2
28. The main reason President Theodore Roosevelt supported a Panamanian rebellion against
Colombia in 1903 was to |
|
| 1. increase the number of democratic nations in Latin America |
3. reduce European colonialism in the Western Hemisphere |
| 2. gain the right to complete a canal linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans |
4. prevent a foreign power from seizing land in Central America |
|
2President Theodore Roosevelt supported and encouraged a Panamanian rebellion against Colombia in 1903
to gain the right to build a canal across the Isthmus of Panama. Roosevelt was angry because Colombia had rejected a treaty
that authorized the construction of a canal in its province of Panama. After the revolution succeeded, with U.S. help, Roosevelt
quickly negotiated a treaty, with very favorable terms for the United States, with Panama to build a canal linking the Atlantic
and Pacific Oceans.
Wrong Choices Explained:
(1) No nations of Latin America were democratic in the early 1900s.
(3)
and (4) The Monroe Doctrine (1823) was a United States policy of long standing that barred further European colonialism in
the Western Hemisphere. By 1900, Europe generally accepted that South and Central America were within a United States sphere
of influence. |
|
3
29. During the first 100 years of its history, the United States followed a foreign policy
of |
|
| 1. forming military defense alliances with European nations |
3. remaining neutral from political connections with other nations |
| 2. establishing overseas spheres of influence |
4. providing leadership in international organizations |
|
3For the first 100 years of United States history, the nation followed George Washington's caution in
his Farewell Address to avoid entangling relationships with other nations. Neutrality and isolationism were the cornerstones
of the nation's foreign policy until American imperialist expansion in the 1890s.
Wrong Choices Explained:
(1)
The United States had no military defense alliances with other nations until more than 150 years after the Constitution went
into effect.
(2) The United States did not form an overseas sphere of influence until after the Spanish American War of
1898.
(4) The first time the United States participated in an international organization was when the Hague Court of Arbitration
was established in 1899, more than 100 years after the nation's beginning. |
|
4
30. During the New Deal, the Federal Government attempted to improve conditions for farmers
by |
|
| 1. ending the practice of sharecropping |
3. raising tariffs on farm imports |
| 2. supporting the formation of farmworker unions |
4. paying farmers to take land out of production |
|
4The federal government under the New Deal tried to improve farm conditions by paying farmers to take
land out of production. Farm income had been low since the late 1800s because of chronic overproduction. Farmers who tried
to increase their incomes by planting more only contributed to the overproduction and received less money per bushel for their
crops. In 1933 Congress passed an Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA) that guaranteed farmers a minimum "parity" price if they
agreed to reduce the acreage being farmed. The AAA was declared unconstitutional; however, a 1936 Agricultural Adjustment
Act that continued to compensate farmers for taking land out of production met constitutional tests.
Wrong Choices Explained:
(1)
Sharecropping continued as a common farm tenancy practice during the New Deal.
(2) Farm worker unions had little success
in organizing farm workers until well after World War II, long after the New Deal ended.
(3) The New Deal trade policy
was to end protectionism in all forms and to increase international trade. |
|
4
31. The corporate form of business became dominant in the late 19th century mainly because
of the need of business for |
|
| 1. protective tariffs |
3. a supply of cheap labor |
| 2. assembly-line production |
4. large amounts of investment capital |
|
4The corporation became a popular form of business organization because large amounts of investment capital
could be accumulated by selling shares of stock. Instead of a business organization that depended on a few partners pooling
their money, the corporation could draw upon thousands of investors who bought shares of an enterprise in return for partial
ownership and the payment of dividends as a return on their investment.
Wrong Choices Explained:
(1) Corporations
and other forms of business organization encouraged the federal government to adopt protective tariffs to increase their profits
by limiting foreign competition.
(2) Assembly-line production did not develop until the early twentieth century, long after
corporations had become the dominant form of business organization in the United States.
(3) Corporations and other business
organizations wanted a supply of cheap labor to work in their factories and mines. To that end, they encouraged unlimited
immigration to the United States. |
|
2
32. The works of Jacob Riis and Upton Sinclair exposed the problems associated with |
|
| 1. poverty among Native American peoples |
3. segregation of public facilities in the South |
| 2. rapid industrialization and urbanization |
4. colonial expansion in Asia |
|
2Jacob Riis and Upton Sinclair exposed problems in cities and industries. In How the Other Half Lives,
Jacob Riis described the plight of the urban poor living in squalid slums. Upton Sinclair exposed the dangerous and unsanitary
working conditions in meatpacking slaughterhouses in Chicago in his novel The Jungle.
Wrong Choices Explained:
(1)
Neither writer revealed the terrible living conditions on Native American Indian reservations. However, Helen Hunt Jackson
in A Century of Dishonor described their plight.
(3) Jacob Riis and Upton Sinclair did not write about rural areas or
racial segregation in the South.
(4) Though other writers protested American colonial expansion in Asia, Riis and Sinclair
concentrated their efforts on the problems in cities and industries. |
|
1
33. Reform legislation of the Progressive Era proovided for |
|
| 1. increased direct participation in government |
3. tax incentives for business investment |
| 2. employment for the poor |
4. the elimination of racial segregation in public places |
|
1Among the reforms of the Progressive Era was increased direct participation in government. Many states
and municipalities (but not the federal government) established the initiative, referendum, and recall. The initiative provides
for direct participation because citizens can require legislatures to consider proposed legislation by submitting petitions
signed by a requisite number of voters. In a referendum, legislative proposals are submitted directly to citizens for a vote.
A recall means that elected officials may be required to submit to a revote by the people before their term of office has
expired.
Wrong Choices Explained:
(2) and (3) Federal legislation to provide jobs for the unemployed and tax
incentives for business investment did not begin until the New Deal of the 1930s.
(4) No action was taken to eliminate
racial segregation in public schools until after World War II. |
|
1
34. Most conservatives who opposed President Franklin D. Roosevelt's policies believed that
the New Deal was |
|
| 1. endangering the free enterprise system |
3. ignoring problems faced by rural Americans |
| 2. threatening national security |
4. failing to enact needed social welfare reforms |
|
1Conservatives opposed to the New Deal believed that President Franklin Roosevelt was endangering the
free enterprise system. They preferred the laissez-faire approach of the Republican administrations of the 1920s. However,
many economists and political scientists believed that government regulation and assistance were not inconsistent with capitalism
and free enterprise.
Wrong Choices Explained:
(2) National security was not an issue in the 1930s when the world
was at peace and the nation followed an isolationist foreign policy.
(3) Conservatives opposed New Deal policies to help
rural America. They believed that farm subsidies and crop controls undermined the traditional independence and self-reliance
of farmers.
(4) Conservatives claimed that social welfare programs enacted by the New Deal were government handouts that
inhibited initiative and encouraged idleness. |
|
1
35. Which aspect of the New Deal programs was most clearly a continuation of Progressive
Era policies? |
|
| 1. government regulation of business activities |
3. free health care for all Americans |
| 2. restoration of the cultural and tribal traditions of Native American Indians |
4. government purchase of surplus farm products |
|
1The New Deal was similar to the Progressive Era in its regulation of business activity. In the 1930s
the government regulated banks and brokerage houses by the establishment of the Securities and Exchange Commission (1934).
Labor-management relations were regulated by the National Labor Relations Act (1935). Wages and hours of workers were placed
under government supervision by the Fair Labor Standards Act (1938). In the Progressive Era, Congress passed the Meat Inspection
Act (1906) and created the Food and Drug Commission (1906).
Wrong Choices Explained:
(2) Federal policy toward
American Indians did not change in the Progressive Era. However, the New Deal passed the Indian Reorganization Act (1934)
that reversed federal policy by encouraging greater tribal control over political, economic, and cultural life on Indian reservations.
(3)
Though the federal government does not provide free health care for all, government-paid health care for those over 65 became
government policy with the adoption of Medicare in 1965.
(4) Problems in agriculture were not addressed during the Progressive
Era. The New Deal began the practice of buying up surplus farm products. |
|
3
36. The election of Franklin D. Roosevelt to a third term as President in 1940 was controversial
primarily because this action |
|
| 1. upset the system of checks and balances |
3. challenged a long-held political tradition |
| 2. violated an amendment to the Constitution |
4. interfered with the functioning of the electoral college |
|
3The election of Franklin Roosevelt to a third term upset a long-held political tradition that a President
should serve only two terms. The tradition was begun by George Washington and became firmly established by the two-term presidencies
of Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe. The tradition became law when the Twenty-second Amendment limiting a President to two terms
was ratified in 1951.
Wrong Choices Explained:
(1) Roosevelt's election to a third term had no influence on the
system of checks and balances. The other two branches of government that had blocked some of his policies in his earlier terms
continued to have the power to do so.
(2) Tradition means that a practice is established by custom, not law. Only after
the tradition was broken did Congress undertake to reestablish it by constitutional amendment.
(4) Roosevelt's third term
had no impact on the electoral college, which continued to perform in its nonfunctional way. |
|
2
37. The passage of the Medicare Act of 1965 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
shows that |
|
| 1. health care is no longer a political issue |
3. government programs have been successful in correcting discrimination |
| 2. New Deal principles continue to have a significant influence on later legislation |
4. Federal policies continue to emphasize individual responsibility for health and welfare |
|
2Medicare and the Americans with Disabilities Act show that New Deal principles continue to influence
legislation. A principle of the New Deal was that government had a responsibility to help citizens in need. The 1965 Medicare
law provided government-paid hospital care for those over 65 at a time when health costs were rising and many elderly could
not afford private medical insurance. The Americans with Disabilities Act (1990) banned discrimination against the physically
and mentally handicapped in employment, transportation, and public accommodations. The law opened opportunities for the disabled
to take their place as contributing members of society.
Wrong Choices Explained:
(1) Health care remains a political
issue because many Americans under 65 continue to receive inadequate health care because they cannot afford private insurance.
(3)
The Americans with Disabilities Act has had some success in ending discrimination against the handicapped; however, discrimination
continues because of race, nationality, gender, and sexual orientation.
(4) The passage of the two acts showed that the
federal government was ready to step in and enact legislation to help those in need when it had been demonstrated that they
could not overcome the problems they faced because of their age, income, or disabilities. |
|
Practice Husp Oct 09 09
Mr Eisenberg |
TEACHER ANSWER KEY
October 09, 2009 |
|
4
1. Many farmers failed to share in the general prosperity of the 1920s mainly because they |
|
| 1. lacked new farm machinery to increase production |
3. had to pay high wages to their workers |
| 2. did not have sufficient numbers of farm laborers |
4. received low prices for crops due to overproduction |
|
4 Many farmers failed to share in the general prosperity of the 1920s mainly because they received low
prices for crops due to overproduction. Farmers had put more acres under cultivation during World War I to meet increased
demand for agricultural goods. By the twenties, Europe was back on its feet, yet American farmers did not cut back on production.
Mechanization and expansion left the farmers of the 1920s in a cycle of debt, overproduction, and falling commodity prices.
In addition, increased tariff rates and an isolationist foreign policy further reduced the international market for American
agricultural goods.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) A lack of new farm machinery was not a major problem for
farmers in the 1920s. Many farmers had purchased modern machinery before the 1920s. Mechanical harvesters and combines increased
farm production but this did not solve the farmers' problems. In the 1920s, overproduction of farm goods led to a drop in
commodity prices. Further, farmers had to pay off the debt incurred from purchasing new machinery.
(2) Farmers did not
suffer from a lack of farm laborers. Farmers were adopting new machinery that allowed the same amount of work to be done with
fewer people.
(3) Farmers did not suffer from having to pay high wages to their workers. Farm laborers traditionally earned
low wages and in the 1920s, wages in all sectors of the economy stagnated. |
|
1
2. Congress opposed President Franklin D. Roosevelt's plan to increase the number of justices
on the Supreme Court because the plan would have |
|
| 1. threatened the principle of checks and balances |
3. violated the elastic clause of the Constitution |
| 2. abolished judicial review |
4. given the federal government too much power over the states |
|
1 Congress opposed President Franklin D. Roosevelt's plan to increase the number of justices on the Supreme
Court because the plan would have threatened the principle of checks and balances. Roosevelt grew increasingly frustrated
with the Supreme Court after it shot down the National Recovery Act in Schecter v. United States (1935) and
the Agricultural Adjustment Act in Butler v. United States (1936). In 1936, he announced a plan to increase
the number of justices on the Supreme Court to as many as 15. He said that some of the older justices had difficulty keeping
up with the heavy workload. But it was clear that he was trying to create a Supreme Court friendlier to his New Deal programs.
In the American political tradition, each of the three branches of government is able to check the power of the other two.
In this way, there would be a rough balance between the three. Roosevelt's "court packing" scheme would have upset that balance
by making the Supreme Court a rubber stamp for New Deal legislation. After much criticism of the plan, Roosevelt eventually
backed away from it.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(2) Roosevelt's "court packing" scheme would not have abolished
judicial review. The Supreme Court established the power of judicial review in the case of Marbury v. Madison
(1803). Judicial review is the court's power to determine if legislation is consistent with the constitution. Unconstitutional
legislation is immediately shot down.
(3) Roosevelt's "court packing" scheme would not have violated the elastic clause
of the Constitution. The elastic clause is included in Article I of the Constitution. That section lists the specific powers
of Congress, not of the president. Some of the framers of the Constitution feared that by listing specific powers, Congress
could not exercise additional powers nor could it address unforeseen circumstances. They therefore pushed for the elastic
clause, which stretched the powers of Congress by allowing it to "make all laws necessary and proper...."
(4) Roosevelt's
"court packing" scheme would not have given the federal government too much power over the states. The controversy involved
two branches of the federal government, not state governments. |
|
3
3. The United States found it difficult to remain neutral during the first three years of
World War I because of its desire to |
|
| 1. expand its interests in the Caribbean |
3. maintain freedom of the seas for trade with European nations |
| 2. control the Suez Canal |
4. obtain migrant workers for American farms |
|
3 The United States found it difficult to remain neutral during the first three years of World War I
because of its desire to maintain freedom of the seas for trade with European nations. The United States initially assumed
that it could stay neutral in World War I and maintain commercial ties to nations on both sides of the conflict. However,
England successfully blockaded U.S. ships from reaching Germany. Out of necessity, U.S. trade shifted to England exclusively.
Germany responded by announcing that U.S. ships in the waters off of England would be subject to attack by U-boats, or submarines.
The sinking of the British ocean liner Lusitania infuriated many Americans (128 Americans were among the dead). Germany,
however, wanted to keep the United States out of the war and agreed in the Sussex Pledge (1916) to make no surprise submarine
attacks on U.S. ships. The United States took advantage of this pledge and traded extensively with Great Britain. In 1917,
Germany rescinded the Sussex Pledge and declared that it would resume unrestricted submarine warfare; soon after, the United
States declared war on Germany.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) The U.S. desire to expand its interests in the
Caribbean did not make neutrality in World War I difficult. Many politicians thought that the United States should focus on
its interests in the Americas and not join World War I.
(2) The question of who would control the Suez Canal occurred in
the 1950s, decades after World War I. In 1956, a crisis occurred over the Suez Canal, after Egyptian President Gamal Abdel
Nasser broke off negotiations with Great Britain and France and nationalized the Suez Canal. When Great Britain, France, and
Israel sent troops into Egypt to seize the canal, the United States refused to help and sponsored a United Nations resolution
calling for a cease-fire.
(4) The U.S. desire to obtain migrant workers for American farms was unrelated to its decision
to remain neutral in World War I. |
|
2
4. In his book, How the Other Half Lives, muckraker Jacob Riis exposed the |
|
| 1. ruthlessness of the Standard Oil Company |
3. unsanitary conditions in the meatpacking industry |
| 2. social ills of life in New York City's tenements |
4. abuses of the railroad industry |
|
2 In his book, How the Other Half Lives, muckraker Jacob Riis exposed the social ills of life
in New York City's tenements. Riis's book, published in 1890, startled many Americans. He used new technological developments
in photography to vividly depict the conditions of the urban poor. The era, known as the gilded age, was characterized by
rapid industrial growth. The owners of big businesses enjoyed unparalleled wealth, while many of the workers lived in squalid
conditions in working-class slums. The mansions of Andrew Carnegie and Henry Clay Frick on Fifth Avenue were located only
a few miles from the slums of the Lower East Side in New York City. Riis was one of many muckraker journalists who exposed
corruption and societal ills.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) Jacob Riis did not expose the ruthlessness of
the Standard Oil Company. Another muckraker, Ida Tarbell, exposed the ruthlessness of that company in The History of the
Standard Oil Company, which appeared first in McClure's Magazine over three years (1902–1905) and then in
book form.
(3) Jacon Riis did not expose unsanitary conditions in the meatpacking industry. Another muckraker, Upton Sinclair,
exposed the underside of that industry in the novel, The Jungle (1906). The novel follows a Lithuanian immigrant family
through the stockyards of Chicago. The public uproar that followed publication of the book led Congress to pass the Meat Inspection
Act (1906) and the Pure Food and Drug Act (also 1906), which established the Food and Drug Administration.
(4) Jacob Riis
did not expose abuses of the railroad industry. Another muckraker, Frank Norris, exposed abuses by the railroad industry in
the novel, The Octopus (1901). The novel describes the struggle of California ranchers against the corrupt railroad
companies. |
|
3
5. As a result of the Spanish-American War, the United States saw the need to build the
Panama Canal because |
|
| 1. new colonies had been acquired in Africa |
3. the United States navy could then move more quickly between oceans |
| 2. Spanish opposition to the canal had ended |
4. United States railroads could not transport enough manufactured goods |
|
3 As a result of the Spanish-American War, the United States saw the need to build the Panama Canal because
the U.S. Navy could then move more quickly between oceans. The canal opened in 1903. Only five years earlier, the United States
obtained Puerto Rico and the Philippines after the Spanish-American War (1898). Traveling from the east coast of the United
States or the Caribbean Sea to the Philippines or other Pacific Ocean possessions took a great deal of time and effort. Merchant
ships and naval ships had to travel around the southern tip of South America to reach the Pacific Ocean. The building of the
Panama Canal was a major goal of President Theodore Roosevelt. Before 1903 Panama was a region of Colombia. American investors
picked the narrow piece of land as an ideal location for a canal to facilitate shipping between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
When Colombia refused the U.S. offer of $10 million to build a canal, American investors, with the backing of President Roosevelt
and the U.S. military, instigated a "rebellion" in Panama against Colombia. Panama became an independent country and immediately
reached a deal with the United States to build a canal. President Roosevelt boasted that he "took Panama."
WRONG
CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) The United States did not acquire new colonies in Africa as a result of the Spanish-American
War. The United States acquired possessions in the Americas and the Pacific Ocean. Africa was colonized by European powers.
(2)
The role of Spain in the affairs of the Americas was minimal after its defeat in the Spanish-American War (1898). Spanish
opposition to the canal would not have concerned the United States.
(4) U.S. railroads were able to transport enough manufactured
goods. A canal through Panama, however, would facilitate the transportation of goods by ship to and from the Pacific. |
|
2
6. In the late 1800s, the principles of Social Darwinism were most consistent with the ideas
of |
|
| 1. Populism |
3. trustbusting |
| 2. laissez-faire economics |
4. utopian socialism |
|
2 In the late 1800s, the principles of Social Darwinism were most consistent with the ideas of laissez-faire
economics. The French phrase laissez-faire means to let alone. It describes a government policy that would take a hands-off
approach to economic activities. Social Darwinism was an attempt to apply Charles Darwin's ideas about the natural world to
social relations. Social Darwinism was popularized in the United States by William Graham Sumner. Sumner was attracted to
Darwin's ideas about competition and "survival of the fittest." He argued against any attempt at government intervention into
the economic and social spheres. Interference, he argued, would hinder the evolution of the human species. The inequalities
of wealth that characterized the late 1800s were part of the process of "survival of the fittest." Social Darwinism appealed
to owners of large corporations, because it justified their wealth and power and warned against any type of regulation or
reform.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) The principles of Social Darwinism were not consistent with the ideas
of populism. Social Darwinists called for a laissez-faire, or hands-off approach to governmental economic policies. Populists
called for heavy government regulation of key economic sectors, and even government ownership of railroads and banks.
(3)
The principles of Social Darwinism were not consistent with the ideas of trustbusting. Social Darwinists called for a laissez-faire,
or hands-off approach to governmental economic policies. Supporters of trustbusting endorsed aggressive government actions
to break up the large trusts that had gained near monopolies in their industries.
(4) The principles of Social Darwinism
were not consistent with the ideas of utopian socialists. Social Darwinists called for a laissez-faire, or hands-off approach
to governmental economic policies. Utopian socialists called for an organized society in which resources and income were equitably
distributed. Such a plan would require government intervention in economic activities. |
|
1
7. A major purpose of the Monroe Doctrine (1823) was to |
|
| 1. limit European influence in the Western Hemisphere |
3. form military alliances with Latin American nations |
| 2. establish United States colonies in South America |
4. avoid involvement in Canadian conflicts |
|
1 The major purpose of the Monroe Doctrine (1823) was to limit European influence in the Western Hemisphere.
President Monroe was alarmed by the threats made by the Holy Alliance of Russia, Prussia, and Austria to restore Spain's lost
American colonies. He also opposed a decree by the Russian Czar that claimed all the Pacific Northwest above the 51st parallel.
Though both problems worked themselves out, Monroe issued a statement warning European nations not to attempt to set up colonies
in the Americas. The United States did not have the military might to enforce this pronouncement at the time but it was an
important statement of intent. The Monroe Doctrine and Washington's farewell address became cornerstones of America's isolationist
foreign policy.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(2) The Monroe Doctrine was not intended to establish U.S. colonies
in South America. The implication of the doctrine was that Central and South America were within the sphere of influence of
the United States. But it was not until the end of the 19th century that the United States established colonies in the Caribbean
and Central America. The United States never established a formal colony in South America.
(3) The Monroe Doctrine was
not intended to create a military alliance with Latin American states. The only peacetime alliance that the United States
has joined is the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (1949).
(4) The Monroe Doctrine was not intended to avoid involvement
in Canadian conflicts. The United States has had peaceful relations with its neighbor to the north since the War of 1812. |
|
4
8. Base your answer on the accompanying cartoon and on your knowledge of social studies.
This
cartoonist is expressing |
 |
|
| 1. support for new tariffs |
3. concern for environmental pollution |
| 2. encouragement for increased immigration |
4. dissatisfaction with the power of big business |
|
4 The cartoonist is expressing dissatisfaction with the power of big business. In the cartoon, the owners
of big business seem to have taken over the Statue of Liberty. Meanwhile, the "liberties of the people" are sinking in a nearby
ship. In the late 1800s, an era known as the gilded age, many Americans thought that the owners of big business were taking
over the government. A few corporations, run by men who critics called "robber barons," came to dominate entire industries.
The biggest of these industries were the railroad industry, the steel industry, and the oil industry. A common way that corporations
gained control of an industry was by establishing trusts. A trust consisted of trustees from several companies involved in
the same industry acting together rather than in competition with one another. The cartoon refers to several trusts, such
as the Standard Oil Trust, run by John D. Rockefeller, the sugar trust, and the bread trust.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1)
The cartoonist is not expressing support for new tariffs. The owners of large corporations generally supported tariffs so
that foreign-made goods would be more expensive and less desirable to American consumers. The cartoon is critical of large
corporations.
(2) The cartoonist is not expressing encouragement for increased immigration. The owners of large corporations
generally encouraged increased immigration into the United States so that there would be a large pool of low-wage workers.
The cartoon is critical of large corporations.
(3) The cartoon is not expressing concern for environmental pollution. The
pollutants in the New York harbor—the sinking ships, the signs—are symbolic of the power of big business,
not of actual pollutants. |
|
1
9. Which two geographic features most influenced United States foreign policy throughout
the 19th century? |
|
| 1. Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Ocean |
3. Great Lakes and Hudson River |
| 2. Gulf of Mexico and Missouri River |
4. Appalachian Mountains and Rocky Mountains |
|
1 The two geographic factors that most influenced United States foreign policy in the 19th century were
the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Throughout the 19th century, the United States pursued a policy of neutrality in regard to
the conflicts of Europe. With the exception of the War of 1812 with England and the Spanish-American War in 1898, the United
States was successful in isolating itself from European conflicts. The Monroe Doctrine, which warned European powers to avoid
further colonization of the Americas, was an expression of this policy. The presence of large oceans separating the United
States from other continents allowed the United States to pursue a policy of isolationism.
Wrong Choices Explained:
(2),
(3), and (4) All the other answers contain at least one geographic feature that is entirely within the United States. Interior
geographic features would not, generally speaking, influence foreign policy. The Great Lakes, one of the features in choice
(3), comprise part of the U.S. border with Canada, but the United States had peaceful relations with Canada for most of the
19th century (some of the fighting of the War of 1812 occurred in Canada). Some of the military activities of the Mexican
War (1846–1848) and of the Spanish-American War (1898) occurred in the Gulf of Mexico, one of the features in choice
(2), but the Gulf of Mexico did not significantly influence U.S. foreign policy. |
|
3
10. The slogan "Fifty-four forty or fight!," the annexation of Texas, and the Mexican War
all relate to the |
|
| 1. theory of nullification |
3. belief in Manifest Destiny |
| 2. practice of secession |
4. idea of due process |
|
3 All three items relate to the belief in Manifest Destiny, a term coined in an 1845 newspaper article.
It captured the fervor of the westward expansion movement, implying that it was God's plan that the United States take over
and settle the entire continent. The history of the settlement of the West includes many noteworthy episodes. The slogan "Fifty-four
forty or fight" was used in the effort to acquire the Oregon Country. Both England and the United States made historic claims
to the land of the Pacific Northwest. In 1818 the two nations agreed on a "joint occupation" of the Oregon Country. In the
1830s and 1840s, adventurous Americans began traveling west along the Oregon Trail and settling in the lush valley of the
Willamette River. In 1844 politicians pushed for sole U.S. ownership of the entire Oregon Country, the northern boundary of
which was the north latitude line at 54o40'. "Fifty-four forty or fight" was the rallying call of those who wanted
the United States to own the entire territory. England balked at giving up all the territory. In 1846, a compromise was reached
establishing the border at the 49th parallel. The United States annexed Texas in 1845. Americans had been settling in Texas
as far back as the 1820s. In 1836 Texans fought for and won independence from Mexico, becoming the Lone Star Republic. Many
Texans were eager for their Lone Star Republic to join the United States. But concern about the expansion of slavery put off
the issue of Texan annexation until the election of the expansionist President Polk in 1844. Even before he took office, the
outgoing President Tyler saw Polk's victory as a mandate for Texas annexation and pushed Texas annexation through Congress.
Texas joined the United States as the fifteenth slave state in 1844. The Mexican War grew out of the annexation of Texas.
The two countries disagreed over the southern border of Texas. Mexico said it was at the Nueces River. The United States insisted
it was at the Rio Grande, 150 miles to the south. Skirmishes in the disputed area led to war between Mexico and the United
States. The United States won the war, which lasted from 1846 to 1848, and acquired the huge territory that comprised the
northern provinces of Mexico that is known as the Mexican Cession.
Wrong Choices Explained:
(1) The three
items are not related to the theory of nullification. This theory held that states could declare objectionable laws invalid
within their borders. The theory was put forth by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in 1796 in the Virginia and Kentucky
resolutions, which were written in response to the Alien and Sedition Acts. The theory was again put forward by John C. Calhoun
and other opponents of the Tariff Act of 1828, labeled the Tariff of Abominations.
(2) The three items are not related
to the practice of secession. In 1860 and 1861, 11 of the southern slave states seceded from the United States and formed
the Confederate States of America. These states feared that the newly elected president, Abraham Lincoln, would take measures
to outlaw slavery. Lincoln did not recognize this secession as legitimate. The Civil War, which lasted from 1861 to 1865,
settled the question. The United States defeated the Confederacy and brought the 11 states back into the union.
(4) The
three items are not related to the idea of due process. Due process is the set of formal legal procedures that are intended
to protect people's interests and liberties. The 14th Amendment to the Constitution states that no states can deprive people
of life, liberty, or property without due process of law. |
|
1
11. Washington's Proclamation of Neutrality (1793), Jefferson's Embargo Act (1807), and
the Monroe Doctrine (1823) were all efforts to |
|
| 1. avoid political conflicts with European nations |
3. aid Great Britain in its war against France |
| 2. directly support European revolutions |
4. promote military alliances |
|
1 The three actions mentioned in the question were all efforts to avoid political conflicts with European
nations and to remain neutral. President Washington is closely identified with the idea of neutrality. In addition to issuing
the 1793 Neutrality Act, he urged the United States to avoid "permanent alliances" with foreign powers in his Farewell Address.
He did not want the newly independent nation, on precarious footing, to be drawn into the seemingly endless conflicts of Europe.
The particular circumstances of the 1793 Neutrality Act grew out of the French Revolution, which began in 1789. Americans
were divided over France's revolution. The debates took on greater significance after France and England went to war in 1793.
Washington kept the United States out of that conflict despite a treaty of mutual assistance with France (that treaty had
been made in 1778 with the old pre-revolutionary regime of France). President Jefferson also attempted to keep the United
States out of the ongoing conflict between England and France. He passed the Embargo Act (1807) as a response to the harassment
of U.S. shipping by England and France. Jefferson's act cut off all U.S. trade with any nation. Jefferson thought that this
would pressure the belligerent nations to agree to leave U.S. ships alone. But the main effect of the embargo was to cripple
American trade. The embargo was meant to avoid warfare, but the United States eventually did go to war with England in 1812.
Finally, the Monroe Doctrine issued by President Monroe in 1823 warned European nations to avoid further colonization of the
Americas. The logic was that if the European nations pursued their interests in Asia and Africa rather than in the Americas,
conflict between the United States and European countries would be less likely.
Wrong Choices Explained:
(2)
The actions were not efforts to support European revolutions. The United States has never supported European revolutions.
It stayed neutral in the aftermath of the French Revolution in the 1780s and 1790s, and sent troops to aid the opponents of
the Russian Revolution in 1918.
(3) The actions were not efforts to aid Great Britain in its war against France. All three
actions were designed to pursue a policy of neutrality—not to aid a particular side.
(4) The actions were not efforts
to promote military alliances. The United States did not join any military alliances before the formation of the North Atlantic
Treaty Organization (NATO) in 1949. |
|
2
12. Base your answer on the accompanying map and on your knowledge of social studies.
The
conclusion that can best be supported by the information on this map is that construction of the Panama Canal was motivated
by the desire of the United States to |
 |
|
| 1. raise the living standards of Latin American people |
3. improve relations with Latin American and Asian nations |
| 2. increase naval mobility and expand overseas markets |
4. maintain a policy of collective security |
|
2 The map supports the conclusion that the construction of the Panama Canal was motivated by the desire
of the United States to increase markets and expand overseas trade. The canal opened in 1903. By that time the United States
already had many possessions in the Pacific. To reach those islands from the east coast of the United States took a great
deal of time and effort. Merchant ships and naval ships had to travel around the southern tip of South America to reach the
Pacific Ocean. The building of the Panama Canal was a major goal of President Theodore Roosevelt. Before 1903 Panama was a
region of Colombia. American investors picked the narrow piece of land as an ideal location for a canal to facilitate shipping
between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. When Colombia refused the U.S. offer of $10 million to build a canal, American investors,
with the backing of President Roosevelt and the U.S. military, instigated a "rebellion" in Panama against Colombia. Panama
became an independent country and immediately reached a deal with the United States to build a canal. President Roosevelt
boasted that he "took Panama."
Wrong Choices Explained:
(1) There is no information on the map that would
support the conclusion that the United States was motivated by a desire to raise the living standards of Latin American people.
In fact, many Latin Americans came to believe that the United States was more interested in acquiring inexpensive raw materials
and enhancing its power than in raising living standards.
(3) There is no information on the map that would support the
conclusion that the United States was motivated by a desire to improve relations with Latin American and Asian nations. The
United States managed to antagonize many Latin American and Asian nations. For example, the United States intervened numerous
times in Cuba in the first two decades of the 20th century, and waged a bloody war against Filipinos who wanted independence
from American rule. It took the United States seven years (1898–1905) and thousands of casualties to gain control of
the Philippines.
(4) There is no information on the map that would support the conclusion that the United States was motivated
by a desire to maintain collective security. For most of its history, the United States avoided alliances and treaty organizations.
This changed in 1949 when the United States participated in the formation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). |
|
3
13. Which event led to the other three? |
|
| 1. United States overthrow of the Taliban in Afghanistan |
3. September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks against the United States |
| 2. passage of the Patriot Act |
4. creation of the Department of Homeland Security |
|
3 The terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001 had a profound impact on domestic
politics and foreign policy. On the morning of September 11, 2001, 19 terrorists working with the al-Qaeda organization hijacked
four domestic airplanes. The idea was to turn the airplanes into missiles that would destroy symbols of American power. One
plane was flown into the Pentagon, inflicting heavy damage, and one plane crashed in a field after the hijackers were overtaken
by passengers. The other two airplanes did the most damage, crashing into the two towers of the World Trade Center in New
York City. The damage inflicted on each building weakened the structures of each so that both buildings collapsed within two
hours. Approximately 3,000 people died from the four incidents, the vast majority of the deaths occurring at the World Trade
Center. These attacks led to the events listed in the other choices.
Wrong Choices Explained:
(1) The United
States overthrow of the Taliban in Afghanistan was a result of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The goal of the overthrow
of the Taliban, which began only a month after the attacks, was to oust the government that had given refuge to al-Qaeda.
The United States hoped to find the leader of al-Qaeda, Osama bin Laden, who is still at large.
(2) The passage of the
Patriot Act was a result of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The act was passed by Congress less than two months
after the attacks. It greatly expanded the government's authority in the fight against terrorism. Some critics have said that
it impinges on people's civil liberties.
(4) The creation of the Department of Homeland Security was a result of the September
11, 2001 terrorist attacks. It was created in 2003, absorbing the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). It is a cabinet
level department, with the responsibility of protecting the United States from terrorist attacks and natural disasters. |
|
2
14. Base your answer on the accompanying map and on your knowledge of social studies.
The
main purpose of this map is to illustrate the |
 |
|
| 1. sources of important natural resources |
3. growth of the Atlantic slave trade |
| 2. development of United States imperialism |
4. results of the Spanish-American War |
|
2 The main purpose of the map is to illustrate the development of United States imperialism. The map
shows territories that the United States acquired between 1857 and 1903. During this period the United States began to look
beyond its borders and sought overseas possessions. With the annexation of Hawaii (1898) and victory in the Spanish-American
War (also in 1898), the United States had acquired an empire and had become an imperialist power. In the Treaty of Paris,
which ended the Spanish-American War, Spain ceded Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines to the United States.
Wrong
Choices Explained:
(1) The map does not illustrate sources of important natural resources. The United States was interested
in acquiring natural resources from overseas possessions, but that is not what the map depicts.
(3) The map does not illustrate
the Atlantic slave trade. The map is primarily of the Pacific Ocean, not the Atlantic.
(4) The map does show some of the
territories the United States acquired as a result of the Spanish-American War (Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines), but
that is not the main purpose of the map. It shows many U.S. territorial acquisitions, including those before and after the
Spanish-American War (1898). |
|
4
15. Prior to entering World War I, the United States protested Germany's use of submarine
warfare primarily because it |
|
| 1. violated the Monroe Doctrine |
3. posed a direct threat to American cities |
| 2. discouraged immigration to the United States |
4. violated the principle of freedom of the seas |
|
4 Prior to entering World War I, the United States protested Germany's use of submarine warfare because
it violated the principle of freedom of the seas. World War I started in July 1914, but the United States remained neutral
and did not enter the war until April 1917. In this period the United States traded heavily with the belligerents. As the
war progressed, the United States, for political as well as geographic reasons, traded more and more with England and less
and less with Germany. By the spring of 1917, trade with Germany had virtually ceased, while the United States became a lifeline
of needed supplies for England. President Wilson insisted that this behavior was consistent with the U.S. status as a neutral
nation. But Germany did not see it that way. Starting in 1914, Germany began sinking American ships with attacks from U-boats.
After backing off for a period, Germany resumed unrestricted submarine warfare against American shipping in 1917. As more
American ships were sunk by Germany, many Americans pushed for intervention. This was one of the factors that compelled President
Wilson to declare war against Germany in April 1917.
Wrong Choices Explained:
(1) Germany's use of submarines
against American ships would not have been considered a violation of the Monroe Doctrine. The Monroe Doctrine (1823) warned
European nations to not pursue further colonization in the Americas. The attacks on American ships happened off the coast
of Europe.
(2) Naval warfare during World War I did cut down on the number of European immigrants to America, but this
was not the reason for U.S. protests. The American ships that were attacked were bringing supplies to Europe. Immigrants would
probably come to America in European ships.
(3) The submarine attacks did not pose a direct threat to American cities.
The attacks were made against American ships off the coast of Europe. |
|
1
16. What was a primary reason for the great migration of African Americans to northern cities
during World War I? |
|
| 1. Job opportunities were available in northern factories. |
3. Voting rights laws had been passed in northern states. |
| 2. Jim Crow laws in the South had been repealed. |
4. The federal government had guaranteed an end to discrimination. |
|
1 A primary reason that African Americans moved in large numbers to northern cities during World War
I was that job opportunities were available in factories. This movement of African Americans is known as the Great Migration.
There were several important reasons for the migration of African Americans from the rural South to the urban North. One factor
was the mistreatment that African Americans received in the South. Jim Crow laws, which segregated public facilities, made
African Americans second-class citizens. In addition, African Americans were excluded from the political system in the South.
A series of obstacles, such as literacy tests and poll taxes, limited their ability to vote. But the main factor that drew
African Americans north was the availability of jobs. By the turn of the 20th century the industrial revolution was in full
swing in northern cities such as New York and Chicago. At first, factories using new mass production techniques were able
to fill the jobs with local people and European immigrants. But World War I created a labor crisis for these factories, which
were producing goods around the clock. Even before the United States entered the war in 1917, U.S. factories were producing
war goods for England. After entering the war, demand for these goods increased. In addition, European immigration to the
United States dropped significantly due to the war and millions of potential factory hands were pressed into the U.S. military.
Factory agents from the North frequently made recruiting trips to the South, offering immediate employment and free passage
to the North.
Wrong Choices Explained:
(2) Jim Crow laws segregated public facilities, relegating African
Americans to a second-class status in the South. Such laws were not repealed in the South at the time of World War I. The
federal government banned such legislation later with the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
(3) Voting rights laws were not passed
in northern states during World War I. Later, the federal government banned discrimination in voting with the Voting Rights
Act of 1965.
(4) The federal government did not attempt to end discrimination at the time of World War I. In fact, reform
minded activists in the progressive movement often held the same racist views as the general population. |
|
2
17. The theory of Social Darwinism was often used to justify the |
|
| 1. creation of the Ku Klux Klan |
3. use of strikes by labor unions |
| 2. formation of business monopolies |
4. passage of antitrust laws |
|
2 The theory of Social Darwinism was often used to justify the formation of business monopolies. Social
Darwinism was an attempt to apply Charles Darwin's ideas about the natural world to the social world. Social Darwinism was
popularized in the United States by William Graham Sumner, who was attracted to Darwin's ideas about competition and "survival
of the fittest." Social Darwinists held that any attempt at government intervention into the economic and social worlds would
hinder the evolution of the human species. The formation of monopolies and inequalities of wealth that characterized the late
1800s were part of the process of "survival of the fittest." This hands-off approach to economic activities is known by the
French phrase laissez faire. Social Darwinism appealed to owners of large corporations because it both justified their
great wealth and power and warned against any type of regulation or reform.
Wrong Choices Explained:
(1)
Some Social Darwinists held ideas that might be considered racist, but they did not support the creation of the Ku Klux Klan.
(3)
Social Darwinists did not support the formation of labor unions. They favored letting a free market determine prices and wages,
without the involvement of unions or government rules.
(4) Social Darwinists would not support antitrust legislation. They
opposed government involvement in the economy. They believed in a hands off, or laissez faire, approach. |
|
2
18. Base your answer on the accompanying song lyrics and on your knowledge of social studies.
Brother,
Can You Spare a Dime?
. . . Once I built a tower, up to the sun,
brick and rivet and lime.
Once I built a tower,
now it's done—
Brother, can you spare a dime? . . .
— E.Y. Harburg and J. Gorney
These song lyrics are most closely related to |
|
| 1. the writers of the Harlem Renaissance |
3. the '''Lost Generation''' following World War I |
| 2. unemployment during the Great Depression |
4. business expansion during the 1950s |
|
2 The song lyrics are most closely related to unemployment during the Great Depression (1929–1939).
The song highlights the fact that the American working class, which had built the awe-inspiring skyscrapers of American cities,
was now reduced to asking for handouts to survive. The song makes clear that the unemployed during the Great Depression were
not lazy; there simply were no jobs available.
Wrong Choices Explained:
(1) The song lyrics are not closely
related to the Harlem Renaissance. Harlem Renaissance literature and poetry tended to focus on the experiences of African
Americans. Important Harlem Renaissance writers include Langston Hughes and Countee Cullen.
(3) The song lyrics are not
closely related to the "Lost Generation" following World War I. Lost Generation writers tended to focus of the materialism
of American society in the 1920s, not on poverty. Another theme of Lost Generation writers was the glorification of war that
characterized the World War I era. Important Lost Generation writers include F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway.
(4)
The song lyrics are not closely related to the business expansion of the 1950s. The United States experienced unprecedented
economic growth in the 1950s. There were certainly pockets of poverty, especially in older cities, but the song lyrics reflect
a time of more widespread hardship. |
|
1
19. The National Labor Relations Act (Wagner Act) of 1935 strengthened labor unions because
it legalized |
|
| 1. collective bargaining |
3. the open shop |
| 2. blacklisting |
4. the sit-down strike |
|
1 The National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) of 1935 was the first federal legislation designed to strengthen
labor unions by legalizing collective bargaining. Formerly, unions had to pressure company managers to bargain collectively
by threatening strikes or use other tactics to disrupt production. Under the NLRA, companies were required to recognize unions
and negotiate contracts with them if a majority of workers in a factory or industry voted to join a union. The law created
the National Labor Relations Board to supervise union elections and arbitrate labor disputes.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(2)
The NLRA banned the use of the blacklist as an unfair tool of management in opposing labor unions. Formerly management had
circulated the names of discharged union organizers to other industries so that they would be unable to find work.
(3)
The NLRA permitted contracts to include a "closed shop," which meant that anyone employed by the company had to be a member
of the union. This provision was later weakened by the 1947 Taft-Hartley Act, which replaced the closed shop with the open
shop, meaning that the company could hire a nonunion member, but the worker had to join the union within a reasonable time
period.
(4) The sit-down strike, a tactic used by some unions, was declared illegal by the Supreme Court in a 1939 decision
because it was a form of trespass on private property. |
|
4
20. Base your answer on the cartoon (see image) and on your knowledge of social studies.
This
cartoon illustrates that President Franklin D. Roosevelt caused a controversy based on |
 |
|
| 1. increased military spending in the early 1930s |
3. efforts to counter the Dust Bowl with federal conservation measures |
| 2. a plan to assume some of the powers reserved to the states |
4. proposals that violated the principle of separation of powers |
|
4 The cartoon refers to what was called the court-packing scheme proposed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt
that many critics condemned as a threat to the principle of separation of powers. Frustrated by decisions of the Supreme Court
that declared a number of New Deal laws unconstitutional, Roosevelt proposed that he should be allowed to appoint up to six
new justices, one for each justice over the age of 70. Roosevelt argued that the aging Supreme Court was too far behind the
times and needed to be invigorated by younger justices. Critics claimed that the principles of separation of powers and checks
and balances would be violated if the president could change the composition of the Court every time he disagreed with its
rulings. Opposition to Roosevelt's proposal was so strong, as represented by the storm in the cartoon, that Congress rejected
it.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) Roosevelt did not increase military spending until late in the 1930s when
war in Europe threatened.
(2) Roosevelt's New Deal proposals, in effect, assumed some powers formerly exercised by the
states. However, these proposals were widely supported, except by conservatives and staunch states' rights advocates.
(3)
The Dust Bowl resulted from a convergence of a drought with the abandonment of marginal farms in the south central states.
Roosevelt's use of the Civilian Conservation Corps to plant millions of trees on the prairie as windbreaks was met with little
opposition. |
|
4
21. Passage of the Pure Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection Act illustrated the federal
government's commitment to |
|
| 1. environmental conservation |
3. business competition |
| 2. workers' rights |
4. consumer protection |
|
4 The Pure Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection Act were passed in 1906 to protect consumers. They
were passed only after muckrakers exposed the dirty, unsanitary, and unsafe conditions under which meat, other foods, and
pharmaceuticals were processed. These two laws were the first in a series of other consumer protection laws adopted by federal
and state government in the 20th century.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) President Theodore Roosevelt promoted
environmental conservation during his presidency by expanding national parks and forests. He also supported the consumer protection
laws passed in 1906.
(2) Workers' rights to form unions, to earn a decent wage, and to work in a safe workplace did not
become national policy until the New Deal, more than a quarter of a century after the first consumer protection laws were
passed.
(3) Business competition was promoted by the Sherman Antitrust Act and later by the Clayton Antitrust Act. The
consumer protection laws were passed because businesses ignored the interests of the consumer. They also used unfair business
practices against their competitors. |
|
2
22. Which United States foreign policy was most directly related to the rise of big business
in the late 1800s? |
|
| 1. containment |
3. détente |
| 2. imperialism |
4. neutrality |
|
2 The United States adopted a foreign policy of imperialism in response to demands of industrial and
commercial leaders who wanted greater access to foreign markets for their expanding output of manufactured goods and for protected
access to sources of raw materials. European nations had been acquiring control of much of Asia and Africa during the 19th
century. The United States was concerned that its merchant ships would be cut off from trade with China and other markets
by the imperialist powers. The United States became imperialist also because its wealthy business leaders had increased their
investments in Latin America and the Caribbean. They wanted United States government protection to guarantee the safety of
their investments in unstable regimes.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) and (3) Containment and détente were
foreign policies adopted after World War II to respond to the threat to national security posed by the military power of the
Soviet Union.
(4) Neutrality was a foreign policy adopted by the United States between World War I and World War II to
avoid becoming involved again in a war in Europe. |
|
3
23. During the Great Depression, expressions such as Hoovervilles and Hoover blankets
showed that President Hoover |
|
| 1. was seen as a role model |
3. was blamed for the suffering of the poor |
| 2. used the military to aid the unemployed |
4. supported relief and public housing for the needy |
|
3 Herbert Hoover was president for only 6 months when the Great Depression began in 1929. Though he could
not be charged with causing the economic collapse, he was accused of doing little or nothing to end it or relieve the suffering
of those affected by it. Millions of people lost their jobs and were evicted from their homes or farms because they couldn't
pay their mortgages. Many of the poor people endured despair, hunger, and homelessness. Some lived in shantytowns called Hoovervilles
that were made of boxes and scraps of metal and wood. Other slept in parks on benches under layers of newspapers called Hoover
blankets to keep warm. They stuffed newspapers called Hoover leather in their shoes when holes wore through the soles and
referred to their empty pockets turned inside out as Hoover flags.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) President
Hoover was widely disparaged as a symbol of the inability and unwillingness of the federal government to take action to revive
the economy or help those made destitute by the Great Depression.
(2) Hoover did not use the military to aid the unemployed.
Instead, he used the army to disperse the 20,000 veterans of World War I who marched on Washington to demand a bonus that
had been voted by Congress in 1924.
(4) President Hoover did not support direct relief or public housing for the poor.
Late in his term, he took some action to develop public works programs and provide loans for business and banks; however,
it was too little and too late to have a significant impact on the economy. |
|
4
24. Dorothea Dix, Jane Addams, and Jacob Riis were all known as |
|
| 1. muckrakers |
3. political leaders |
| 2. suffragettes |
4. social reformers |
|
4 Social reformers try to improve society by promoting better living conditions and education and by
helping those in need by organizing charities and pressuring governments for greater funding for social programs. Dorothea
Dix brought about improvement in living conditions in jails, poorhouses, and mental institutions by compiling reams of data
about terrible conditions in Massachusetts. She eventually convinced the state to adopt legislation to improve conditions.
Her influence spread beyond Massachusetts to bring about reform in jails, asylums, and orphanages in other states. Jane Addams
brought about social reform by example. Horrified by conditions in the slums of Chicago, she opened Hull House to provide
day care for working mothers, courses in child care, and recreational facilities for children and adults. Social workers from
other communities came to Hull House to learn about her programs and to adapt them to their home towns. Jacob Riis made the
public aware of the terrible living conditions in the slums of New York by writing How the Other Half Lives. His efforts
led to more stringent building codes for constructing tenements.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) Muckrakers
are usually journalists who seek political, economic, or social change by writing books or magazine and newspaper articles
that disclose corruption or wrong-doing by political or business leaders. Under this definition, Jacob Riis could be categorized
as a muckraker.
(2) Suffragettes were women who campaigned for the right to vote for women. Though Dorothea Dix and Jane
Addams believed that women should have the right to vote, they did not concentrate their efforts on that goal. Elizabeth Cady
Stanton and Susan B. Anthony were the most influential suffragettes.
(3) None of the three reformers was a political leader.
They worked to convince political leaders to support social reforms. |
|
3
25. One reason John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, and J. Pierpont Morgan were sometimes
called robber barons was because they |
|
| 1. robbed from the rich to give to the poor |
3. used ruthless business tactics against their competitors |
| 2. made unnecessarily risky investments |
4. stole money from the federal government |
|
3 Some wealthy businessmen were called robber barons because they used ruthless tactics against their
competitors to increase their wealth and power. John D. Rockefeller forced his competitors out of business to create a giant
monopoly in the fast-growing oil industry. Andrew Carnegie also drove competitors out of business to establish the nation's
largest steel company. J.P. Morgan bought out Carnegie's steel company to form United States Steel as a monopoly in the industry.
He also controlled a vast railroad network. The robber barons created their monopolies by intimidation, price fixing, and
financial manipulations.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) Though many of the robber barons became philanthropists
who gave millions for charity, education, and scientific research, they gained their wealth by creating monopolies that allowed
them to unfairly increase rates and prices that ended up raising the cost of living for the poor.
(2) Entrepreneurs in
the age of industrial expansion often made risky investments that brought them great wealth. However, the term robber baron
applies to those who sought to eliminate competition and entrepreneurial risk.
(4) The robber barons did not steal
from the federal government, though they did use their considerable influence with presidents and Congressmen to create conditions
under which they became richer. |
|
4
26. The Interstate Commerce Act and the Sherman Antitrust Act were passed by Congress to |
|
| 1. increase safety in the workplace |
3. improve working conditions |
| 2. promote fair hiring practices |
4. protect the interests of small businesses |
|
4 The Interstate Commerce Act and the Sherman Antitrust Act were passed by Congress to protect small
businesses against the monopolistic practices of large businesses. An 1887 law established the Interstate Commerce Commission
to regulate rates charged by railroads and to prevent unfair practices such as rebates and rate discrimination. The Interstate
Commerce Act was passed in response to farmers and small businesses who complained that railroads charged excessive and discriminatory
rates for carrying their goods to markets. The Sherman Antitrust Act was passed in 1890 because a number of industries were
becoming concentrated in the hands of a few large corporations. The goal of the law was to maintain competition and block
the growth of monopoly by banning contracts, combinations, and conspiracies in restraint of trade.
WRONG CHOICES
EXPLAINED:
(1), (2), (3) The 19th century regulatory laws were concerned with protecting the interests of businesses,
not workers. Laws to increase workplace safety, promote fair hiring practices, and improve working conditions were not passed
until the New Deal legislation of the 1930s. |
|
3
27. Base your answer on the cartoon shown and on your knowledge of social studies.
Which
19th-century business practice does this cartoon illustrate? |
 |
|
| 1. forming cooperatives |
3. creating monopolies |
| 2. establishing trade zones |
4. expanding global markets |
|
3 The cartoon illustrates the creation of monopolies in the late 19th century. The man in the cartoon
is J. P. Morgan, the banker who provided advice and financing to drive out competitors and bring an industry under the control
of one company. Morgan placed his subordinates on the boards of directors of monopolies to form an interlocking directorate
by which he could influence the policies of major industries. Morgan forced out other would-be monopolists to create a large
railroad monopoly. He also bought up steel companies to create U. S. Steel, the dominant corporation in iron and steel making.
The cartoon shows him having seized control of railroads and steel companies while having his eye on shipping companies.
WRONG
CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) Cooperatives are associations of small producers or consumers who create an economic enterprise
to serve their needs. They are too small-scale to interest the likes of J. P. Morgan.
(2) Trade zones are 20th and 21st
century concepts to facilitate and encourage trade. Trade zones assume that enterprises using the trade zone openly compete
with each other.
(4) Businesses seek to expand global markets; however, the cartoon illustrates actions to control the
United States market. |
|
1
28. Base your answer on the cartoon shown and on your knowledge of social studies.
The
cartoonist would most likely support federal government attempts to |
 |
|
| 1. pass antitrust legislation |
3. establish high tariffs |
| 2. limit regulation of business |
4. stop industrial pollution |
|
1 The cartoonist would most likely support federal government attempts to pass antitrust legislation
by making J. P. Morgan appear to be an evil, rapacious influence. The federal government passed the Sherman Antitrust Act
in 1890 and strengthened its provisions by the Clayton Antitrust Act in 1914. These laws were used to prevent formation of
some monopolies and break up others, including the large Standard Oil Corporation in 1911.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(2)
Those who opposed formation of monopolies usually opposed other unfair practices of businesses. The cartoonist would probably
support regulation of some businesses to protect the public interest.
(3) The cartoon does not take a position on high
tariffs; however, he would probably oppose them because monopolists supported them to cut out foreign competition and increase
their profits.
(4) Federal government attempts to regulate industrial pollution did not develop until the second half of
the 20th century. The cartoon is concerned with business practices more than fifty years earlier. |
|
3
29. Base your answer on the cartoon shown and on your knowledge of social studies.
The
cartoon illustrates President Theodore Roosevelt's attempt to |
 |
|
| 1. ignore antitrust laws |
3. limit the power of monopolies |
| 2. conserve natural resources |
4. eliminate foreign ownership of United States corporations |
|
3 The cartoon illustrates President Theodore Roosevelt's attempt to limit the power of monopolies by
breaking up trusts. Roosevelt was more aggressive than his predecessors in seeking to break up monopolies under the Sherman
Antitrust Act. However, he did not believe that bigness was bad or that all monopolies should be dissolved. Roosevelt believed
more in regulation of business than in breaking up monopolies, though he responded to public pressures to initiate a number
of successful lawsuits under the Sherman Act. The cartoon shows him restraining "good trusts" while going after "bad trusts."
WRONG
CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) The cartoon shows Theodore Roosevelt slaying a "bad trust." He did not ignore antitrust laws,
but used them sparingly.
(2) Though Roosevelt was interested in preserving natural resources, the cartoon illustrates his
policy toward monopolies in business enterprises.
(4) Many foreigners invested in American corporations; however, the major
monopolists and organizers of trusts were American financiers and entrepreneurs. |
|
3
30. The Populist and the Progressive movements were similar in their approaches to reform
in that both |
|
| 1. supported the return of powers to the state governments |
3. opposed the strict laissez-faire attitudes of the federal government |
| 2. promoted the use of violent strikes and protests against big business organizations |
4. lobbied for immediate social and economic equality for African Americans |
|
3 The Populist and Progressive movements were similar in that both opposed the strict laissez-faire attitudes
of the federal government. They called for either government ownership or regulation of economic enterprises that used unfair,
monopolistic tactics to increase their profits at the expense of the general public. The farmer-oriented Populists emphasized
government ownership of railroads and telegraph lines to correct abuses such as rate gouging. The Progressives had a wider
constituency among middle-class Americans and small business owners. They promoted strengthening government regulation of
railroads by the Interstate Commerce Commission and strengthening the Sherman Antitrust Act to break up monopolies. The Progressives
also wanted regulation of industries such as food, meat, and drug production where unsanitary practices threatened the health
and safety of the public.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) Both the Populists and the Progressives realized that
federal intervention was needed because many of the industries they wanted to reform were engaged in interstate commerce.
(2)
Populists and Progressives were not supportive of the labor union movement and the tactics such as strikes and boycotts used
by unions to force their demands. Workers in skilled and unskilled trades were not significant factors in the economic reform
movements.
(4) The denial of equal rights for African Americans was not a concern of the two reform movements. Most African
Americans lived in the rural South, whereas most Populists were in the West and most Progressives were in the Northeast and
other urban areas of the nation. |
|
4
31. Which situation was the immediate cause of the United States entry into World War I
in 1917? |
|
| 1. The League of Nations requested help. |
3. Nazi tyranny threatened Western democracy. |
| 2. The Maine was blown up in Havana Harbor. |
4. German submarines sank United States merchant ships. |
|
4 The United States declared war on Germany in 1917 after Germany announced the resumption of unrestricted
submarine warfare, including attacks on American merchant ships bringing supplies to France and Great Britain. Earlier, Germany
limited its submarine warfare because of strong American protests following the sinking of the Lusitania in 1916. However,
Germany resumed torpedoing ships of neutral nations in 1917 in an attempt to break the stalemate that had bogged down the
war in Europe.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) The League of Nations did not come into existence until after
World War I as a provision of the Versailles Treaty.
(2) The sinking of the United States battleship Maine in Havana harbor
in 1898 was a factor in triggering the Spanish American War.
(3) The Nazis did not come to power in Germany until 1933.
Their threat to Western democracy led to World War II. |
|
3
32. Which statement best summarizes President Theodore Roosevelt's views about conservation? |
|
| 1. Environmental issues are best decided by the private sector. |
3. Wilderness areas and their resources should be protected for the public good. |
| 2. Unlimited access to natural resources is the key to business growth. |
4. Decisions about the use of natural resources should be left to the states. |
|
3 President Theodore Roosevelt was America's first conservationist president. An outdoorsman, he believed
that wilderness areas and their natural resources should be protected to be enjoyed by future generations. With the closing
of the frontier, Roosevelt and others realized that the nation's natural resources were not inexhaustible. Also, the business-favoring
administrations at the end of the 19th century stood by while forests were leveled and the landscape was despoiled by mining
operations. To conserve natural areas, Roosevelt added almost 150 million acres to national forests. He also used his position
to alert the public to the need for conservation.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) It was the private sector
that cut down forests and created heaps of waste in mining operations. Roosevelt realized that only government, which is not
motivated by profit, could save wilderness area.
(2) Roosevelt was not anti-business. He realized that access to natural
resources was necessary for business growth. However, access should be regulated to prevent waste and preserve some natural
areas.
(4) Only the federal government had the income and authority to acquire large tracts in the West. However, Roosevelt
also encouraged state governments to enact conservation measures. Before Roosevelt became president, New York State had already
shown its concern for the environment by creating protected forest preserves in the Catskills and Adirondacks. |
|
4
33. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the intervention of the United States
in Latin America was motivated mainly by a desire to |
|
| 1. reduce the influence of communism |
3. promote European colonization of the area |
| 2. control Latin American independence movements |
4. protect growing United States investments in Latin America |
|
4 The United States intervened in Latin America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to protect
growing American investments in the region. Americans had sizable investments in sugar, coffee, and banana plantations. They
also owned refineries to process sugar and distilleries to make rum. Unstable governments in the politically volatile region
sometimes threatened economic enterprises controlled by American investors. Also, European nations threatened to intervene
when bankrupt Latin American nations failed to repay debts. The Spanish American War was fought, in part, to protect American
investments in Cuba. President Theodore Roosevelt developed what became known as the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine.
He asserted the right of the United States to act as an international police power to protect American and European investments
in Latin America by sending in armed forces and American representatives to manage the economic affairs of troubled nations.
WRONG
CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) At the time, the communist movement was limited to the industrialized nations of Europe and
Russia.
(2) Almost all of South and Central America were independent by the end of the 19th century. Cuba became independent
after the Spanish American War.
(3) European colonization in the Western Hemisphere had been blocked since 1823 by the
Monroe Doctrine. However, some European nations threatened to intervene militarily to protect investments. |
|
4
34. In the 1920s which economic factor led to the Great Depression? |
|
| 1. lack of investment in the stock market |
3. failure to develop new consumer goods industries |
| 2. attempt by the United States to promote free trade |
4. overproduction of farm products and manufactured goods |
|
4 Overproduction was a main factor that led to the Great Depression in the late 1920s. Overproduction
in agriculture had been a economic problem for farmers since the late 19th century. Agriculture did not share in the economic
good times of the early and mid-1920s. American industry expanded rapidly in the 1920s; however, wages remained low. By the
late 1920s, industries were producing more goods than consumers could buy. As inventories increased, industries began cutting
production and laying off workers.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) Stock market investment in the 1920s was
high. One of the problems of the times was that people were buying stocks on speculation with only down payments. As industrial
production declined, stock prices began to fall. As they fell, investors had to sell at lower prices than they bought to cover
their debts. The escalating effect led to the stock market collapse in 1929.
(2) Another factor in the 1920s economy was
the imposition of protective tariffs to protect American industries from competition.
(3) Many new consumer goods industries
developed in the 1920s, among them the automobile and related industries, radio and movie-making, telephones, and the production
of electric household appliances. |
|
4
35. One difference between the administrations of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and President
Herbert Hoover is that Roosevelt was |
|
| 1. unwilling to allow government agencies to establish jobs programs |
3. able to ignore economic issues for most of his first term in office |
| 2. unable to win congressional support for his economic program |
4. more willing to use government intervention to solve economic problems |
|
4 President Franklin D. Roosevelt was more willing than President Herbert Hoover to use government intervention
to solve economic problems. The Great Depression began in 1929, the first year of Hoover's presidency. After the stock market
crash, Hoover assumed that the economy would correct itself and soon revive. Toward the end of his term, he initiated some
measures to provide loans to banks, corporations, and state and local governments, but he did little to relieve the plight
of the unemployed who were losing their homes and had little to eat. When Franklin Roosevelt became President in 1933, he
initiated a number of "New Deal" measures to provide aid to individuals, increase jobs and production, and restore faith in
the economy. He closed the banks to prevent bank failures until they could demonstrate their solvency. He initiated programs
of public works to create jobs, reformed the banking and securities industries, and provided direct relief to those in need.
WRONG
CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) The PWA (Public Works Administration), WPA (Works Progress Administration), and CCC (Civilian
Conservation Corps) were all programs begun by President Roosevelt to create jobs for the unemployed.
(2) Both houses of
Congress elected in 1932 had large Democratic majorities. They quickly passed Roosevelt's New Deal proposals with little debate.
(3)
Both presidents had to deal with economic issues because the Great Depression extended from Hoover's first year in office
until Roosevelt's third term when World War II dominated his attention. |
|
1
36. The National Labor Relations Act (Wagner Act) of 1935 gave labor unions the right to |
|
| 1. represent workers in collective bargaining |
3. establish quotas on immigration |
| 2. insist on an open shop in the workplace |
4. use blacklists and yellow dog contracts |
|
1 The National Labor Relations Act of 1935 was a New Deal measure that gave labor unions the right to
represent workers in collective bargaining if a majority of workers voted to join their union. This was the first time the
federal government took a position in support of the rights of unions to represent workers. The law created a National Labor
Relations Board (NLRB) to supervise union elections and to monitor labor practices of unions and management.
WRONG
CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(2) Unions do not want an open shop in the workplace where workers could choose to join a union
or not. Unions want a closed shop, meaning that a factory or business could only hire union workers, or a union shop where
new employees must join the union within a set time period.
(3) The National Labor Relations Act did not legislate immigration
issues.
(4) Blacklists and yellow dog contracts were unfair practices used by management that were banned by the National
Labor Relations Act. A yellow dog contract was a commitment made by a new employee not to join a union as a condition of being
hired. |
|
1
37. Why did the Senate reject the Versailles Treaty (1919)? |
|
| 1. to keep the United States free from foreign entanglements |
3. to avoid the dues for membership in the League of Nations |
| 2. to express opposition to the harsh sanctions imposed on Germany |
4. to reduce United States military forces in Europe |
|
1 The Senate rejected the Versailles Treaty primarily to keep the United States free of foreign entanglements.
Many senators continued to heed the warnings by George Washington in his Farewell Address. The Senate objected to the provision
in the Versailles Treaty that created the League of Nations because the United States would become a member of the international
organization by ratifying the treaty. Many Americans were dismayed by the land-grabbing actions of its allies in the treaty
negotiations in violation of the high-minded principles enunciated by President Wilson in his Fourteen Points. Their response
was to seek a return to isolationist policies.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(2) Many Americans thought that the
Treaty of Versailles treated Germany too harshly; however, their main concern was United States membership in the League of
Nations.
(3) The principle of membership in an international organization, not the costs involved, was the main objection
to League membership.
(4) Almost all United States military forces had already been withdrawn from Europe by the time the
Treaty of Versailles was voted down. |
|
2
38. President Franklin D. Roosevelt's response to Supreme Court decisions that declared
several New Deal laws unconstitutional was to |
|
| 1. ask Congress to limit the Court's jurisdiction |
3. demand the resignation of several justices |
| 2. propose legislation to increase the size of the Court |
4. ignore the Court's rulings |
|
2 President Roosevelt wanted to increase the size of the Supreme Court after it ruled a number of his
New Deal laws unconstitutional. Roosevelt wanted the power to appoint a new Justice for every Justice over the age of 70 to
a maximum of fifteen justices instead of nine. He claimed that his proposal would add new vigor to a Court made up mostly
of old men. Roosevelt's proposal was denounced as an attack on the principle of checks and balances. Congress refused to pass
enabling legislation.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) Congress could not limit the jurisdiction of the Supreme
Court. To do so would require an amendment to the Constitution.
(3) Justices are appointed for life or until removed by
impeachment and trial. Roosevelt's "court-packing" proposal was designed to get around this limitation.
(4) The president
cannot ignore a ruling by the Supreme Court because the Court is the final judge on the constitutionality of a law. |
|
Husp 9 23 09
Mr Eisenberg |
TEACHER ANSWER KEY
September 23, 2009 |
|
2
1. During the Progressive Era, muckrakers published articles and novels primarily to |
|
| 1. advance their own political careers |
3. help the federal government become more efficient |
| 2. make Americans aware of problems in society |
4. provide entertainment for readers |
|
2 Muckrakers during the Progressive Era published articles and novels to make Americans aware of the
problems and inequities in American society. Ida Tarbell exposed the abuses of John D. Rockefeller's monopoly in a book. It
stirred a growing public concern about monopolies that led to a Supreme Court decision in 1911 to break up the Standard Oil
Company as a violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act. Upton Sinclair's novel, The Jungle, exposed the unsanitary conditions
in meat processing plants in Chicago and led to the passage of the 1906 Meat Inspection Act. Jacob Riis, in How the Other
Half Lives, described the dismal living conditions of the poor in New York City tenements. His efforts led to improved
standards for building construction.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) The muckrakers of the Progressive Era were
journalists, writers, and reformers who were not interested in political careers. Their positions outside of the mainstream
of contemporary political thought made them unlikely candidates for political office.
(3) The goal of the muckrakers was
not to make the federal government more efficient but to stir the government to regulate big business to correct the problems
they exposed.
(4) The writings of the muckrakers were informative, not entertaining. Their works were serious attempts
to expose corruption, unfair business practices, and inequities in American society. |
|
2
2. During the early 1900s, the term muckrakers was used to describe |
|
| 1. pacifists who demonstrated against war |
3. newspaper columnists who reported on celebrities |
| 2. writers who exposed the evils in American society |
4. politicians who criticized Progressive Era presidents |
|
2 During the early 1900s, the term muckraker was used to describe writers who exposed evils in American
society. Muckrakers exposed wrongdoing by government officials, showed the negative side of industrialization, and
let the world see a variety of social ills. Upton Sinclair exposed the dangerous and unhygienic conditions of the meat packing
industry in his novel The Jungle (1906). Ida Tarbell wrote a scathing history of the Standard Oil Trust in 1904, detailing
the underhanded tactics of John D. Rockefeller. Frank Norris wrote a novel called The Octopus (1901), which showed
the unfair practices of the big railroad companies. Lincoln Steffens wrote The Shame of Our Cities (1902), which showed
the corruption of urban political machines. These muckraking books inspired a generation of progressive reformers who pushed
the government to intervene in these problems.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) Some muckrakers were critical
of U.S. participation in World War I, but pacifism was not the defining feature of the muckraker journalists.
(3) Muckraking
journalists did not, for the most part, report on celebrities. Starting in the 1920s, gossip columnists, such as Walter Winchell,
became popular in newspapers.
(4) Muckraking journalists were not especially critical of Progressive Era presidents, such
as Theodore Roosevelt (1901–1908) and Woodrow Wilson (1913–1921). The muckrakers welcomed many of the reforms
championed by the progressive movement. |
|
4
3. A basic goal of early-1900s muckrakers such as Lincoln Steffens, Upton Sinclair, and
Ida Tarbell was to |
|
| 1. encourage workers in most industries to join unions |
3. keep the United States from participating in wars |
| 2. bring about equal opportunities for African Americans |
4. expose corruption in government and business |
|
4 In their books and magazine articles, the muckrakers of the early 1900s exposed corruption in government
and business. Lincoln Steffens wrote many articles detailing corruption in major American cities. Ida Tarbell described the
unfair business practices used by the Standard Oil Company. Upton Sinclair's novel, The Jungle, exposed the filthy conditions
under which meat was processed in slaughter houses. The muckrakers' writings led to reform movements and some specific reforms.
The Standard Oil Company was broken up in a successful trust-busting lawsuit and a Meat Inspection Act was passed in 1906.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) Few of the muckrakers were concerned with labor conditions or unions. They concentrated
on threats to the general public interest from corrupt government officials and unfair business practices. (2) The status
of African Americans in the United States was not considered by the muckrakers. At the time, most African Americans lived
in rural communities in the South. Muckrakers were concerned with events in large cities and industrialized regions. (3) The
muckrakers were concerned with domestic policy and affairs, not foreign policy. |
|
3
4. In the early 1900s, the muckrakers provided a service to the American public by |
|
| 1. calling for a strong military buildup |
3. exposing abuses in government and industry |
| 2. lobbying for less government regulation of business |
4. encouraging states to resist federal government authority |
|
3 In the early 1900s, the muckrakers provided a service to the American public by exposing abuses in
government and industry. The term "muckraker" was applied to journalists who wrote magazine articles and books that exposed
wrongdoing by government officials, showed the negative side of industrialization, and let the world see a variety of social
ills. In 1906 Upton Sinclair wrote The Jungle, a stirring book about conditions in the meat packing industry. Ida Tarbell
wrote a scathing history of the Standard Oil Trust, detailing the underhanded tactics of John D. Rockefeller. Frank Norris
wrote a novel called The Octopus, which showed the unfair practices of the big railroad companies. Lincoln Steffens
wrote The Shame of the Cities, which showed the corruption of urban political machines. These muckraking books inspired
a generation of progressive reformers to push the government to intervene in these problems. A whole host of reforms were
implemented by progressive reformers and their allies in the 1900s and 1910s.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1)
The muckrakers of the early 1900s did not call for a strong military buildup. The muckrakers pushed for government resources
to be used to address pressing domestic social needs, not to expand the military potential of the United States.
(2) The
muckrakers of the early 1900s did not lobby for less government regulation of business. They did the opposite, arguing for
greater government regulation of unfair and corrupt business practices.
(4) The muckrakers of the early 1900s did not encourage
states to resist federal government authority. Muckrakers often welcomed federal intervention to help correct problems that
states would not take action on. |
|
3
5. The activities of the muckrakers led Congress to pass laws that |
|
| 1. curbed the power of labor unions |
3. protected the consumer |
| 2. placed strict limits on immigration |
4. increased taxes on imports |
|
3 The muckrakers led Congress to pass laws protecting consumers. The muckrakers were journalists who
wrote books and articles exposing corruption and unfair tactics and unsafe practices of big business. They argued that big
business ignored the public interest by producing consumer goods in dangerous and unsanitary conditions. Among the muckrakers
was Upton Sinclair who, in his novel, The Jungle, described the filthy conditions under which meat was processed in meat packing
plants. His book led Congress to pass the Meat Inspection Act of 1906.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) Muckrakers
generally supported the labor union movement because it gave workers some power to improve working conditions in factories.
(2) Muckrakers wrote in the late 19th and early 20th centuries before World War I. Congress did not pass immigration restrictions
until after the war. Muckrakers concentrated their efforts on the misdeeds of government and big business. (4) Congress raised
taxes on imports over the protests of muckrakers, who accused the federal government of raising taxes as a favor to big business,
even though high tariffs were not in the public interest. |
|
1
6. "The age of Franklin D. Roosevelt set the agenda for the postwar era. Long after Roosevelt
was gone, New Deal ideas shaped policies."
Which statement best supports the idea expressed in this quotation? |
|
| 1. The government continues to have a major role in economic affairs. |
3. The Presidency has been controlled by the Democratic party since the New Deal. |
| 2. The military has as many troops today as it did in World War II. |
4. The President continues to have limited powers in foreign affairs. |
|
1 Long after Franklin Roosevelt died in 1945, his New Deal ideas continued to shape domestic policies.
President Truman's "Fair Deal" and Lyndon Johnson's "Great Society" were continuations of the principles that the federal
government had a responsibility to provide for the general welfare by policies that helped those in need and to regulate the
economy by using monetary and fiscal policies to maintain full employment and economic growth. In the post-World War II years,
both major political parties accepted Social Security as a necessary social welfare program. In 1968 Medicare became an expansion
of the social welfare concept by providing medical care for the elderly. The farm subsidy programs enacted under the New Deal
have changed; however, the principle persists that government has an obligation to help farmers threatened by overproduction
and natural disasters.
Wrong Choices Explained:
(2) The 1.4 million men and women in the United States
military at the end of the 20th century is far below the 16.4 million who served during World War II.
(3) Since the death
of Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1945, Dwight Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George Bush, and George W.
Bush have been elected as Republican Presidents.
(4) The role of the President in foreign affairs has expanded because
Congress has supported policies and programs that have made the United States a world leader. |
|
4
7. The New Deal programs of President Franklin D. Roosevelt changed the United States economy
by |
|
| 1. restoring the principle of a balanced budget |
3. encouraging greater production of agricultural goods |
| 2. expanding the trustbusting practices of Progressive Era presidents |
4. increasing government involvement with both business and labor |
|
4 President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal programs changed the United States economy by increasing
government involvement with both business and labor. Throughout much of the history of the United States, Americans have been
suspicious of government intervention into the economy. The founders of the United States had vivid memories of the overbearing,
mercantilist policies of Great Britain. Many Americans embraced the doctrine of laissez-faire (French for "leave it alone").
With the American economy growing by leaps and bounds in the 19th century, few challenged this doctrine. But by the 20th century,
the country began to face serious economic problems that called into question the laissez-faire doctrine. In the first decades
of the 20th century, Progressive reformers called on the government to break up monopolies, regulate the food production industry,
help the poor, and create peace between owners and workers. When the Great Depression struck the United States, Roosevelt
argued more forcefully that the government must play an activist role. After Roosevelt won the presidential election in 1932,
he initiated a sweeping array of programs known as the New Deal. The National Recovery Administration (1933) called for greater
cooperation between government, labor, and business. The idea was to end cutthroat competition and inefficiencies by fostering
greater cooperation. Roosevelt believed that industrial competition was pushing down wages and preventing workers from purchasing
goods.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) President Roosevelt did not insist on restoring the principle of a balanced
budget. He recognized that, in the crisis of the Great Depression, it was necessary to engage in deficit spending.
(2)
Roosevelt did not make trust busting a priority. In fact, critics noted that the National Recovery Agency encouraged exactly
the type of cooperation among businesses that the Sherman Antitrust Act was supposed to prevent.
(3) Roosevelt did not
encourage greater production of agricultural goods. Farmers were producing too much food. With so much food being produced,
prices for farm goods dropped, and farmers had trouble turning a profit. Roosevelt, through the Agriculture Adjustment Act,
encouraged farmers to grow less by paying them to leave some of their fields fallow. |
|
2
8. A major long-term result of the New Deal was that |
|
| 1. state governments increased their powers of taxation |
3. the executive branch gave up much of its decisionmaking power to Congress |
| 2. the government established a 'safety net' to protect the poor |
4. Congress was required to balance the federal budget before instituting new programs |
|
2 A long-term result of the New Deal was that government established a "safety net" to help the poor.
One of the first acts of the New Deal was the Federal Emergency Relief Act (1933) to provide money to those in poverty. The
emergency legislation was later replaced by long-standing welfare entitlement programs that guaranteed that those in need
would receive assistance. The Welfare Reform Act of 1996 continued to fund welfare programs, but ended the entitlement guarantee.
Another "safety net" was the Social Security system that provided old-age pensions to those who had contributed to the system
in their working years. The elderly had been a major group among the poor in America.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1)
The New Deal was a program of federal legislation funded without tax increases. The power of state governments to tax was
not affected. (3) Congress surrendered some decision making to the executive branch. Many New Deal laws provided only broad
guidelines and empowered the executive branch to implement them, including filling in the details of the programs. This required
a large increase in the bureaucracy within the executive branch. (4) Congress funded the New Deal laws by borrowing, thereby
increasing the national debt and the annual budget deficit. |
|
3
9. Critics charged that New Deal policies favored socialism because the federal government |
|
| 1. took ownership of most major industries |
3. increased its responsibility for the welfare of the economy |
| 2. favored farmers over workers and business owners |
4. declined to prosecute business monopolies |
|
3 Critics called the New Deal policies socialistic because the federal government became more involved
in managing the economy. However, under socialism, the government would take over and manage the major means of production
and distribution in the United States economy. The New Deal continued to support the free enterprise system of private ownership
of the means of production, with an increased regulatory role for the federal government to protect the public interest. Many
industrialists who condemned the New Deal as socialistic hypocritically accepted government loans to expand their businesses
or sought protective tariffs.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) The United States government did not assume ownership
of major industries during the 1930s. New Deal policies supported private ownership.
(2) New Deal policies were intended
to support all elements of the United States economy: farmers, business owners, and workers.
(4) During the New Deal the
federal government enforced antitrust laws more vigorously than during the pro-business administrations of the 1920s. |
|
4
10. New Deal programs such as the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and the Works Progress
Administration (WPA) were primarily intended to help |
|
| 1. farmers |
3. businesses |
| 2. homeowners |
4. unemployed workers |
|
4 Some New Deal programs were primarily intended to help unemployed workers. The Civilian Conservation
Corps (CCC) was established to provide jobs for unemployed youths in improving parks and forests. The young men often lived
in camps in wilderness areas where they cleared land, thinned forests, and built trails and shelters. The Works Progress Administration
(WPA) provided government-paid jobs in a wide variety of fields. Some of the previously unemployed worked cleaning urban parks
while others in the arts painted murals for public areas and wrote plays. Other job-creating programs such as the Public Works
Administration (PWA) concentrated on large-scale projects such as building roads, dams, and public buildings.
WRONG
CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) Farmers were helped by other New Deal programs such as the Agricultural Adjustment Acts (AAA)
and the Farm Bankruptcy Act.
(2) Homeowners were helped by other New Deal programs such as the Homeowners Refinancing Act
and the National Housing Act to help homeowners threatened by foreclosure.
(3) Businesses were helped by other New Deal
programs such as National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA), banking and securities reforms, and reciprocal trade agreements. |
|
3
11. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and the Securities and Exchange Commission
(SEC), established during the New Deal, were important because they |
|
| 1. increased the supply of money in the economy |
3. attempted to restore public confidence in financialinstitutions |
| 2. guaranteed loans to failing businesses and banks |
4. provided grants to unemployed workers |
|
3 The FDIC and the Securities Exchange Commission were created by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to
restore confidence in two beleaguered institutions: banks and the stock market. The FDIC guarantees people's bank deposits.
Roosevelt wanted to avoid a replay of the runs on banks that had been occurring since the beginning of the Depression. People
now were assured that even if a bank failed, they would not lose their money. The SEC was designed to regulate the stock market
and prevent the reckless investment behavior that led to the crash of October 1929. The SEC monitors the stock market and
looks to stop practices such as insider trading.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) Neither of these New Deal
era agencies regulates the money supply. The Federal Reserve Bank (1913) regulates the supply of money in the economy.
(2)
Neither agency guarantees loans to failing businesses and banks. President Franklin D. Roosevelt's predecessor, President
Herbert Hoover, had created the Reconstruction Finance Corporation to extend loans to struggling businesses.
(4) Neither
agency provided grants to unemployed workers. The New Deal did include public employment programs. The most important was
the vast Works Progress Administration (1935). |
|
4
12. The power of labor unions increased during the New Deal mainly because |
|
| 1. a new sprit of cooperation existed between employers and government |
3. management changed its attitude toward organized labor |
| 2. a shortage of skilled and unskilled laborers developed |
4. Federal legislator guarded labor's right to organize and bargain collectively |
|
| No Explanation Available. |
|
1
13. One result of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal was that it |
|
| 1. raised the national debt |
3. deregulated the stock market |
| 2. weakened labor unions |
4. repealed federal antitrust laws |
|
1 One result of President Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal was that it raised the national debt. The New
Deal was a series of programs and agencies that sought to address the Great Depression. Roosevelt took the federal government
in a new direction by asserting that it should take some responsibility for the welfare of the people. Previously, churches,
settlement houses, and other private charities helped people in times of need. But the levels of poverty and unemployment
during the Great Depression were unprecedented and Roosevelt believed that the government needed to take action. The Roosevelt
administration provided direct relief (what would be known as welfare today) to millions of families. In addition, the New
Deal included jobs programs. The Civilian Conservation Corps (1933) provided outdoor jobs to young men. The vast Works Progress
Administration (1935) consisted of a myriad of public projects. The WPA built schools, installed sewer lines, wrote guidebooks,
and produced theatrical productions. Also, the New Deal addressed the welfare of retired people and people with disabilities
by creating the Social Security system (1935). The New Deal did not solve the economic crisis of the 1930s but it offered
hope to many people and established a new role for the federal government.
Wrong Choices Explained:
(2)
The New Deal did not weaken labor unions. It strengthened them with the passage of the National Labor Relations Act, also
known as the Wagner Act. The Wagner Act mandated that employers bargain with their unions. It also established the National
Labor Relations Board to conduct elections among workers to see if they wanted to be represented by a union. The act also
banned certain unfair labor practices.
(3) The New Deal did not deregulate the stock market. One of the New Deal agencies,
the Securities and Exchange Commission, established oversight of the stock market. It prohibited a series of practices that
undermined confidence in the stock market. For example, it made "insider trading" illegal.
(4) The New Deal did not repeal
federal antitrust laws. One New Deal agency, the National Recovery Agency, called for greater cooperation among business,
labor, and the government, but did not repeal antitrust legislation. |
|
2
14. The decline of Progressivism during World War I and of the New Deal at the start of
World War II shows that |
|
| 1. the problems these movements faced were effectively solved |
3. balanced budgets are more important to the public than social reforms |
| 2. domestic programs may be overshadowed by wartime priorities |
4. Presidents Woodrow Wilson and Franklin D. Roosevelt lacked the leadership to continue these movements |
|
2 Progressivism declined during World War I and the New Deal ended before World War II because wartime
priorities overshadowed domestic concerns. The reform movements put their programs on hold while the energies and the resources
of the nation were concentrated on national defense. Presidents in both wars were given special wartime powers that enabled
them to marshal the resources of the nation to focus on producing war material and building up the military forces.
WRONG
CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) The problems the reform movements dealt with were not solved. The Progressive movement revived
after World War I, and President Harry Truman initiated his Fair Deal program to complete the agenda of the New Deal. However,
further reforms proposed by both movements were blocked by a Republican-controlled Congress. (3) Federal budget deficits increased
sharply during World War I and World War II. The idea that balanced budgets are more important than social reform became popular
only within the past two decades. (4) Presidents Wilson and Roosevelt showed they had the leadership to lead reform movements
by their presidencies before the United States became involved in war. Later, their leadership skills concentrated on war
strategy and national defense. |
|
4
15. Many opponents of New Deal programs claimed that these programs violated the American
tradition of |
|
| 1. welfare capitalism |
3. collective bargaining |
| 2. governmental regulation of business |
4. individual responsibility |
|
4 Opponents of New Deal programs argued that they were contrary to the American tradition of personal
responsibility. Opponents claimed that the New Deal government was sapping individual initiative and making people dependent
on the government. Supporters of the New Deal argued that they were giving people a helping hand in a time of national economic
crisis. They also noted that America had changed in that the individuals often could not help themselves when their livelihood
was threatened by decisions made by huge, impersonal corporations and by economic forces beyond their control.
WRONG
CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) Welfare capitalism had not been an American tradition. It describes the United States under
the New Deal in that the economy remained one of private enterprise and profit making, but that government intervened when
necessary to protect the public interest and help those in need. (2) The American tradition before the New Deal had been laissez-faire,
meaning that the government did not interfere in the operation of private businesses. (3) Collective bargaining was sought
by labor long before the New Deal, but had been opposed by business and government. Only during the New Deal did government
support the principle of collective bargaining with pro-labor legislation such as the National Labor Relations Act (1935). |
|
1
16. Base your answer on the accompanying cartoon and on your knowledge of social studies.
The
main idea of the cartoon is that the New Deal |
 |
|
| 1. threatens the Constitution and the American people |
3. provides American citizens with greater political freedom |
| 2. threatens the two-party political system |
4. provides protection from foreign tyranny |
|
1 The main idea of the cartoon is that the New Deal threatened the Constitution and the American people.
The New Deal was the set of government programs and agencies created by the administration of President Franklin Roosevelt
in the 1930s to deal with the Great Depression. The cartoon is critical of the New Deal. It harkens back to the ancient myth
of the sack of Troy by Greek soldiers. In the story, the Greeks offered the Trojans a large wooden horse, supposedly as a
gift. Once inside the gates of the city, Greek soldiers, who had been hiding in the horse, came out and defeated the Trojans.
The cartoon is implying that the New Deal, on the surface, promised economic relief and growth, but that New Dealers had a
hidden agenda to impose "tyranny" on the American people. Conservative critics of the New Deal argued that the agencies created
by the New Deal would create a regimented society in which the government had the power to tell Americans how to live their
lives. Some equated the New Deal to the total power that the government had in Stalin's Soviet Union, Mussolini's Italy, or
Hitler's Germany. In actuality, the New Deal was, of course, far less reaching than these totalitarian regimes. Many critics,
such as Senator Huey Long of Louisiana, argued that the New Deal did not go far enough. His "Share the Wealth" program called
for a broad redistribution of wealth.
Wrong Choices Explained:
(2) The cartoon is not specifically implying
that the New Deal threatened the two-party political system. The cartoon accuses the New Deal of being tyrannical, but does
not mention the erosion of the two-party system.
(3) The cartoon is not implying that the New Deal would provide American
citizens with greater political freedom. The cartoon is critical of the New Deal for ushering in tyranny.
(4) The cartoon
is not implying that the New Deal would protect the United States from foreign tyranny. In the cartoon, the New Deal is the
tyranny. |
|
2
17. Much of the domestic legislation of the New Deal period was based on the idea that the
federal government should |
|
| 1. favor big business over labor and farming |
3. own and operate the major industries of the country |
| 2. assume some responsibility for the welfare of people |
4. require local communities to be responsible for social welfare programs |
|
2 Franklin Roosevelt took government in a new direction by asserting that the federal government should
take some responsibility for the people. Previously, churches, settlement houses, and other private charities helped people
in times of need. But the levels of poverty and unemployment during the Great Depression were unprecedented. Roosevelt believed
that the government needed to take action. His series of government programs is called the New Deal. The Roosevelt administration
provided direct relief, or what would be known as welfare today, to millions of families. In addition, the New Deal included
jobs programs such as the Civilian Conservation Corps (1933), which focused on young men, and the vast Works Progress Administration
(WPA) (1935), which consisted of a myriad of public projects. The WPA built schools, installed sewer lines, wrote guidebooks,
and produced theatrical productions. Also, the New Deal addressed the welfare of retired people and people with disabilities
by creating the Social Security system in 1935.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) The New Deal did not favor big
business over labor and farming. Conservatives criticized Roosevelt for being too socialistic. Roosevelt did encourage workers
to join unions so that their wages, and purchasing power, would rise. The National Industrial Recovery Act (1933) and the
Wagner Act (1935) both asserted labor's right to organize unions. The Agricultural Adjustment Act (1933) was beneficial to
the farm sector. The National Industrial Recovery Act did contain provisions that were helpful to business, but overall the
New Deal did not favor big business.
(3) The New Deal did not believe that the government should own major industries.
Such a step would amount to the adoption of socialism, something outside the mainstream of the major political parties in
American history. Even the Communist Party, which saw its greatest influence in the 1930s, was not advocating immediate revolution.
The party, taking its cue from the Soviet Union, toned down its revolutionary rhetoric and formed a united front with the
liberal Democratic Party. The Communists saw the real enemy in the 1930s as fascism.
(4) Roosevelt did not want to pass
the responsibility for social welfare to local communities. He thought that the federal government should bear that responsibility.
It was a later Democratic president, Bill Clinton, who ended welfare as a federal program and shifted the administration to
the local level (1996). |
|
2
18. President Franklin D. Roosevelt's response to Supreme Court decisions that declared
several New Deal laws unconstitutional was to |
|
| 1. ask Congress to limit the Court's jurisdiction |
3. demand the resignation of several justices |
| 2. propose legislation to increase the size of the Court |
4. ignore the Court's rulings |
|
2 President Roosevelt wanted to increase the size of the Supreme Court after it ruled a number of his
New Deal laws unconstitutional. Roosevelt wanted the power to appoint a new Justice for every Justice over the age of 70 to
a maximum of fifteen justices instead of nine. He claimed that his proposal would add new vigor to a Court made up mostly
of old men. Roosevelt's proposal was denounced as an attack on the principle of checks and balances. Congress refused to pass
enabling legislation.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) Congress could not limit the jurisdiction of the Supreme
Court. To do so would require an amendment to the Constitution.
(3) Justices are appointed for life or until removed by
impeachment and trial. Roosevelt's "court-packing" proposal was designed to get around this limitation.
(4) The president
cannot ignore a ruling by the Supreme Court because the Court is the final judge on the constitutionality of a law. |
|
4
19. Which statement best illustrates a basic idea of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New
Deal? |
|
| 1. Communism provides the only real solution to economic problems. |
3. The United States reached its economic peak in the 1920s and is now a declining industrial power. |
| 2. Unemployed workers should rely on the states rather than on the federal government for help. |
4. The economy sometimes needs public money to encourage business activity. |
|
4 A basic idea of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal program was that the economy sometimes needs
public money to encourage business activity. When Roosevelt became president in 1933 the economy was in a deep depression.
One-fourth of the nation's workers were unemployed, factories were idle, and business activity had stalled. Some economists
believed that government spending was needed to "prime the pump" in order to get the economy moving again. The New Deal included
job-creating programs such as the Works Progress Administration to build roads, schools, libraries, and courthouses. The Civilian
Conservation Corps employed youths to build trails and shelters in public parks. Relief agencies provided emergency funding
to the poor. The goal of government spending was to put money into the hands of people to create a demand for consumer items
that American businesses would meet by increasing production and employing more workers.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1)
Some conservatives called Roosevelt's programs socialistic, which they wrongly equated with communism. However, the New Deal
was firmly rooted in the capitalistic system, but with recognition that government had an important role to play in regulating
the economy.
(2) The Great Depression was a national problem that needed national solutions. Franklin Roosevelt believed
that only the federal government had the power to raise the money needed to stimulate the economy.
(3) Franklin Roosevelt
believed that the United States had the potential to increase as an industrial power if it could get through the economic
setback of the Great Depression. After the depression and World War II ended, the United States became the world's greatest
producer of industrial goods and the world's strongest economy. |
|
3
20. The New Deal changed political thinking in the United States because it supported the
idea that the |
|
| 1. rights of workers are less important than the interests of business |
3. government should become more involved in the social and economic life of the people |
| 2. Supreme Court should have an important role to play in the economy |
4. president's foreign policy is more important than his domestic policy |
|
3 The New Deal altered political thinking by supporting the concept that government should be more closely
involved with the economic and social life of the people. President Franklin D. Roosevelt proposed a number of laws to help
Americans recover from the effects of the Great Depression. Soon after Roosevelt took office in 1933, Congress passed legislation
providing emergency funds for those who lost their jobs. The Home Owners' Refinance Act helped the unemployed pay their mortgages
so that they wouldn't lose their homes, and a Civilian Conservation Corps was created to provide work for unemployed youths.
The New Deal also established the Social Security System to provide pensions for the elderly and supported efforts by workers
to form labor unions through the National Labor Relations Act. The principles underlying the New Deal--that the federal government
has a responsibility to help those in need and to manage the economy to provide for economic growth and full employment--continue
as accepted responsibilities of government into the twenty-first century.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) Before
the New Deal, the federal government paid little attention to the rights of workers. The New Deal affirmed that workers have
the right to form labor unions, receive at least a minimum wage, and be required to work only a reasonable number of hours
a week, even if enforcing those rights increased the cost of operation for businesses.
(2) No one before, during, or after
the New Deal proposed that the Supreme Court should play a role in the economy. However, President Roosevelt attacked the
Supreme Court for declaring some laws unconstitutional that the President believed were necessary for the economic well-being
of the United States.
(4) The emphasis of the New Deal was on domestic policy because its main goal was to lead the nation
out of the Great Depression. Foreign policy took up much of the President's attention only after war in Europe loomed on the
horizon in the late 1930s. |
|
4
21. During the New Deal, the main purpose of the Agricultural Adjustment Acts was to |
|
| 1. stimulate farm production to provide food for unemployed city workers |
3. produce a farm surplus for export to foreign countries |
| 2. assist farmers in relocating to towns and cities |
4. increase farm income by controlling production |
|
4 The main purpose of the Agricultural Adjustment Act was to increase farm income by controlling production.
Agriculture had been a distressed industry since the end of World War I because of overproduction. The AAA subsidized scarcity
to balance demand and supply. Farmers were guaranteed a minimum income because the government paid them the difference if
farm prices fell below a parity price. In return, the farmers took a portion of their land out of production.
WRONG
CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) Since overproduction was the root of the problem of low farm income, the government wanted to
decrease the output of farms. Unemployed city workers received support to buy food through other programs. (2) The farm subsidy
program was designed to preserve the family farm. Farmers moving to cities would only increase urban unemployment. (3) American
farms already produced a surplus. Roosevelt tried to increase farm exports by reciprocal trade agreements with other nations. |
|
4
22. During the New Deal, the Federal Government attempted to improve conditions for farmers
by |
|
| 1. ending the practice of sharecropping |
3. raising tariffs on farm imports |
| 2. supporting the formation of farmworker unions |
4. paying farmers to take land out of production |
|
4The federal government under the New Deal tried to improve farm conditions by paying farmers to take
land out of production. Farm income had been low since the late 1800s because of chronic overproduction. Farmers who tried
to increase their incomes by planting more only contributed to the overproduction and received less money per bushel for their
crops. In 1933 Congress passed an Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA) that guaranteed farmers a minimum "parity" price if they
agreed to reduce the acreage being farmed. The AAA was declared unconstitutional; however, a 1936 Agricultural Adjustment
Act that continued to compensate farmers for taking land out of production met constitutional tests.
Wrong Choices Explained:
(1)
Sharecropping continued as a common farm tenancy practice during the New Deal.
(2) Farm worker unions had little success
in organizing farm workers until well after World War II, long after the New Deal ended.
(3) The New Deal trade policy
was to end protectionism in all forms and to increase international trade. |
|
1
23. Most conservatives who opposed President Franklin D. Roosevelt's policies believed that
the New Deal was |
|
| 1. endangering the free enterprise system |
3. ignoring problems faced by rural Americans |
| 2. threatening national security |
4. failing to enact needed social welfare reforms |
|
1Conservatives opposed to the New Deal believed that President Franklin Roosevelt was endangering the
free enterprise system. They preferred the laissez-faire approach of the Republican administrations of the 1920s. However,
many economists and political scientists believed that government regulation and assistance were not inconsistent with capitalism
and free enterprise.
Wrong Choices Explained:
(2) National security was not an issue in the 1930s when the world
was at peace and the nation followed an isolationist foreign policy.
(3) Conservatives opposed New Deal policies to help
rural America. They believed that farm subsidies and crop controls undermined the traditional independence and self-reliance
of farmers.
(4) Conservatives claimed that social welfare programs enacted by the New Deal were government handouts that
inhibited initiative and encouraged idleness. |
|
1
24. Which groups were most helped by the Wagner Act and the Fair Labor Standards Act, passed
during the New Deal? |
|
| 1. workers and labor unions |
3. large businesses and corporations |
| 2. stockbrokers and investors |
4. farmers and landowners |
|
1 The Wagner Act (National Labor Relations Act of 1935) and the Fair Labor Standards Act (1938) helped
workers and unions. The Wagner Act required industries to recognize and negotiate contracts with unions when a majority of
workers joined the union. Union membership increased rapidly and contracts were signed that raised wages and improved benefits
and working conditions. The Fair Labor Standards Act was also called the Wages and Hours Act. It established minimum wages
and maximum hours for workers in industries involved in interstate commerce.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(2) and
(3) Stockholders, investors, large businesses, and corporations opposed the two laws because they would increase the costs
of labor and thereby reduce the profits of industries they owned or managed. (4) Farmers and landowners were not helped by
the two laws; however, other legislation was passed to help farmers increase their income and landowners to pay their mortgages. |
|
1
25. Which aspect of the New Deal programs was most clearly a continuation of Progressive
Era policies? |
|
| 1. government regulation of business activities |
3. free health care for all Americans |
| 2. restoration of the cultural and tribal traditions of Native American Indians |
4. government purchase of surplus farm products |
|
1The New Deal was similar to the Progressive Era in its regulation of business activity. In the 1930s
the government regulated banks and brokerage houses by the establishment of the Securities and Exchange Commission (1934).
Labor-management relations were regulated by the National Labor Relations Act (1935). Wages and hours of workers were placed
under government supervision by the Fair Labor Standards Act (1938). In the Progressive Era, Congress passed the Meat Inspection
Act (1906) and created the Food and Drug Commission (1906).
Wrong Choices Explained:
(2) Federal policy toward
American Indians did not change in the Progressive Era. However, the New Deal passed the Indian Reorganization Act (1934)
that reversed federal policy by encouraging greater tribal control over political, economic, and cultural life on Indian reservations.
(3)
Though the federal government does not provide free health care for all, government-paid health care for those over 65 became
government policy with the adoption of Medicare in 1965.
(4) Problems in agriculture were not addressed during the Progressive
Era. The New Deal began the practice of buying up surplus farm products. |
|
1
26. During the New Deal, the federal government attempted to improve the farm economy by |
|
| 1. reducing the production of agricultural goods |
3. raising tariffs to reduce foreign competition |
| 2. opening up more land for homesteaders |
4. lowering property taxes on farmland |
|
1 The federal government tried to improve the farm economy by limiting production. The overproduction
of the agricultural sector of the economy had been a contributing factor to low farm incomes before as well as during the
depression. The Agricultural Adjustment Acts provided incentives for farmers to leave some of their acreage unplanted in return
for guaranteed prices for their crops.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(2) The New Deal did not open up more land for
homesteaders because that would only increase agricultural output at a time when the goal of government was to reduce it.
(3) The New Deal opposed raising tariffs because that would only lead to other nations raising tariffs in retaliation. Farmers
would be hurt because the United States exported agricultural products. (4) The federal government did not have the authority
to lower property taxes on farmland because those taxes are imposed by state and local governments. |
|
2
27. What is one lasting effect of the New Deal? |
|
| 1. Organized labor continues to grow in size and influence |
3. Women have finally attained equal economic status |
| 2. Many government programs started in the 1930s continue in the 1990s |
4. The Republican Party has continued to control the national government since the 1930s |
|
2 A lasting effect of the New Deal is the many government programs that continue into the 1990s. The
Social Security System, begun in 1935, remains widely popular and has been expanded. The National Labor Relations Act (1935)
supporting the formation of union-management contracts continues to be a basic source of strength for labor unions. The government
still subsidizes farmers through a variety of programs. Also still in effect since the 1930s are a minimum wage law and a
Fair Labor Standards Act to regulate working conditions.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) Organized labor grew in
size and influence during the New Deal and for a time after World War II; however, the labor union movement has lost influence
and membership in recent decades because of complacency of workers during times of relative prosperity and accusations of
corruption within some unions. Also, there has been a shift in the work force from union-oriented blue collar work to white
collar and service industries. (3) The New Deal made little effort to help women gain equal economic opportunity. (4) The
Democratic Party has controlled Congress in almost all of the years since the New Deal began with the election of 1932. The
election of 1996 was the first time the Republicans controlled Congress for more than two years in a row. |
|
2
28. The effectiveness of the New Deal in ending the Great Depression is difficult to measure
because |
|
| 1. President Franklin D. Roosevelt died during his fourth term |
3. the Supreme Court declared most New Deal laws unconstitutional |
| 2. United States involvement in World War II rapidly accelerated economic growth |
4. later Presidents failed to support most New Deal reforms |
|
2 The effectiveness of the New Deal is difficult to assess because the economy grew rapidly after the
United States became involved in World War II. By 1939, farmers were still producing huge food surpluses, millions of people
were still unemployed, and industrial output remained limited. After World War II broke out, the United States became a major
supplier of food and military equipment to nations fighting Germany. When the United States became the "arsenal for democracy,"
labor was in short supply and factories produced to their capacity.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) President Roosevelt
died in 1945 shortly before World War II ended. He led the nation during the New Deal and the war. (3) Most New Deal laws
were not declared unconstitutional; though some major ones were. Some, such as the Agricultural Adjustment Act, were rewritten
to satisfy the Court's objections after being declared unconstitutional. (4) Later Presidents supported New Deal reforms.
Harry Truman, who succeeded Roosevelt, was a major supporter. His successor, Dwight Eisenhower, a Republican, did not propose
the repeal of New Deal programs. |
|
1
29. During President Franklin D. Roosevelt's first term, what was the greatest obstacle
to his New Deal programs? |
|
| 1. decisions of the United States Supreme Court, declaring some legislation unconstitutional |
3. opposition of labor unions |
| 2. lack of support from the American voters |
4. refusal of Congress to pass most of the bills favored by the President |
|
1 The greatest obstacle to Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal programs was the action of the Supreme Court
declaring some programs unconstitutional. Two pillars of the New Deal were the National Industrial Recovery Act and the Agricultural
Adjustment Act. Both were written to exercise greater federal control over industrial and agricultural production. Both were
declared unconstitutional because the Supreme Court did not agree that they were authorized by the interstate commerce clause
of the Constitution.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(2) Roosevelt was supported by the American voters who elected
him with a large majority in 1932. They also gave his Democratic Party large majorities in both houses of Congress. (3) Labor
unions supported Roosevelt because he proposed legislation that would require industries to negotiate with unions elected
by the workers. (4) Congress passed Roosevelt's New Deal proposals with little opposition because the Democrats had large
majorities. |
|
3
30. President Lyndon B. Johnson's Great Society is similar to President Franklin D. Roosevelt's
New Deal in that both programs |
|
| 1. sought ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment to guarantee equality for women |
3. supported federal funding of programs for the poor |
| 2. advocated passage of civil rights laws to help African Americans |
4. approved efforts by states to reduce taxes for the middle class |
|
3 The Great Society and the New Deal were similar in that both programs provided federal funds to help
the poor. President Roosevelt's New Deal program included the Federal Emergency Relief Act to provide direct financial assistance
for those in need, the Homeowners' Refinancing Act to help those in danger of losing their homes, and the Public Works Administration
and Works Progress Administration to provide jobs for the unemployed. Part of President Johnson's Great Society program was
a War on Poverty. To relieve poverty, Johnson pushed through Congress the Economic Opportunity Act to provide work training
programs, Head Start to give preschool education for poor children, the Job Corps to employ school dropouts, and the Medicaid
program to offer government-financed medical care to poor families.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) The Equal
Rights Amendment to guarantee equality for women had been proposed in the Congress as early as 1923; however, it was not supported
during the Roosevelt administration. The amendment was not passed by Congress until after the Johnson administration; however,
it failed to obtain the support of three-fourths of the state legislatures to become part of the Constitution.
(2) The
Roosevelt administration did not propose legislation to guarantee African Americans their civil rights. President Johnson
vigorously supported the landmark civil rights laws of 1964, 1965, and 1968 to end racial discrimination in use of public
accommodations, employment, voting, and housing.
(4) Neither administration took positions on efforts by states to reduce
taxes. They opposed federal tax increases on the poor and middle class. |
|
2
31. A major result of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal was |
|
| 1. a decline in the Federal deficit |
3. a change in the voting rights of women |
| 2. an expansion of the power of the Federal Government |
4. a reinstitution of the gold standard for United States currency |
|
| No Explanation Available. |
|
3
32. Which event led to the start of the Great Depression? |
|
| 1. Red Scare (1919–1920) |
3. stock market crash (1929) |
| 2. election of President Herbert Hoover (1928) |
4. passage of the Emergency Banking Act (1933) |
|
3 The stock market crash (1929) led to the start of the Great Depression. In late October 1929, stock
prices plummeted as investors went on a selling frenzy. When the market finally bottomed out, the Dow Jones Industrial Average,
the major indicator of stock market trends, had dropped 89 percent from its peak. The crash of the stock market is attributed
to excessive speculation on the part of the public. The stock market is built on the idea of speculation. At all times, people
buy shares in a corporation with the hope that the price of the shares will rise. If there is strong demand for a particular
company's stock, the price of a share rises. Normally, demand for a stock goes up if the company reports that it is doing
well. But in the 1920s people bought stock without even considering the soundness of the company they were investing in. People
figured the market would just go up and up indefinitely. Stock brokers provided easy access to credit so people could buy
stock on margin, putting only a fraction of the cost of the stock down and promising to pay the rest on some future date.
This whole system of wild speculation completely unraveled in October 1929 when investors lost confidence in the market. The
stock market crash is cited as one of several causes of the Great Depression.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1)
The Red Scare (1919–1920) occurred a decade before the beginning of the Great Depression, so it would not be considered
a cause of the depression. Also, the Red Scare was a political event, not an economic one. The Red Scare was the crusade against
suspected communists, anarchists, and other radicals.
(2) The election of President Herbert Hoover (1928) is not considered
a cause of the Great Depression. Some historians fault him for not responding to the economic crisis more vigorously, but
the causes of the Great Depression are to be found in underlying economic problems of the 1920s.
(4) The Emergency Banking
Act (1933) was a response to the Great Depression, not a cause of it. The act was part of President Franklin Roosevelt's New
Deal and was designed to restore confidence in the banking system. |
|
4
33. A major criticism of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's programs to combat the Great
Depression was that these programs |
|
| 1. reduced the power of the federal government |
3. provided too much protection for big business |
| 2. ignored the plight of homeowners with mortgages |
4. made people dependent on the federal government |
|
4 A major criticism of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's program to combat the Great Depression was that
these programs made people dependent on the federal government. Roosevelt proposed emergency relief programs to help the destitute,
public works projects to create jobs, farm price subsidies to help farmers, and minimum wage laws to help workers. Many critics
believed that the federal government was stepping into areas of welfare and social policy that the Constitution reserved to
the states.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) Another criticism of the New Deal was that it would create huge federal
bureaucracies to administer the many programs and that it would threaten democracy by increasing the power of the federal
government. (2) The New Deal helped homeowners with the Home Owners Loan Corporation (HOLC) (1933) to help people threatened
with losing their homes because they couldn't make mortgage payments. The HOLC loaned homeowners money at low interest rates
to pay off their mortgages. (3) The New Deal did not provide protection for big business. Instead, big business complained
that the New Deal gave too much help to workers by the Wages and Hours Law (1938) to improve wages and working conditions
and by the National Labor Relations Act (1935) that helped labor unions in their dealings with management. |
|
3
34. A condition of the 1920s that helped cause the Great Depression of the 1930s was |
|
| 1. overspeculation in land in the West |
3. overproduction of goods by factories and farms |
| 2. overdependence on foreign trade |
4. overspending on social programs by the government |
|
3 One of the causes of the Great Depression was the overproduction of goods by factories and farms. Agricultural
overproduction had been a chronic problem in the United States economy since the late 1800s. Overproduction in manufacturing
came about because wage rates remained so low in the 1920s that workers could not afford to buy what they were producing.
The stock market crash of 1929 was the dramatic event brought about by deep-seated problems with the economy.
WRONG
CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) A factor in bringing about the Great Depression was overspeculation in the stock market. There
was considerable speculation in real estate in Florida, but not in the West where farmers struggled to pay the mortgages on
their land. (2) Foreign trade was a problem in the 1920s because American producers increasingly had to compete with producers
in European nations. The United States began imposing high tariffs to keep out foreign goods. (4) The pro-business Republican
governments of the 1920s did not adopt social programs, which came later under the New Deal. |
|
2
35. Motion pictures were popular during the Great Depression partly because |
|
| 1. they were regarded as the best source of education and culture |
3. few other forms of leisure-time activities were available |
| 2. they were an inexpensive means of escaping the reality of economic hardship |
4. Americans wanted to imitate European lifestyles |
|
2 Motion pictures were popular during the Great Depression because they provided an escape from reality
at a time when many were unemployed and wages were very low for those with jobs. Many of the films of the 1930s were escapist
musicals and comedies that provided light entertainment rather than heavy drama. Characters in motion pictures often lived
glamorous, carefree lives that viewers could share vicariously. Also, "talkies" replaced silent films in the 1930s. Spoken
words made films more varied and interesting. Going to the movies was an inexpensive night out, often costing only ten cents
for an admission.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) Motion pictures were a medium for entertainment, much of it escapist
musicals and comedies. The only educational films were newsreels, usually shown before the main feature. (3) The other leisure-time
activities available were the same ones people enjoyed before motion pictures became popular-dancing, socializing, listening
to the radio, reading, and going to live performances in theaters and music halls. (4) Going to motion pictures was also popular
in Europe; however, Hollywood was the world's leader in the motion picture industry. |
|
2
36. What was a major cause of the Great Depression? |
|
| 1. decrease in the production of goods during most of the 1920s |
3. overregulation of the banking industry |
| 2. unequal distribution of wealth in the United States |
4. low tariffs on foreign goods |
|
2 A major cause of the Great Depression was the unequal distribution of wealth in the United States.
In the 1920s, the wealthiest people saw their fortunes grow even larger, while workers' wages stagnated. One reason for low
wages among workers was that the union movement was weak. The Red Scare of the late 1910s and early 1920s intimidated people
from organizing unions. Also, average factory wages had been falling. In the 1910s and 1920s, unskilled assembly line workers
were replacing skilled craft workers. These unskilled workers received lower pay than skilled workers did. If workers had
received higher wages in the 1920s, they might have been able to absorb more of the consumer goods that were piling up in
warehouses from 1927 onward. In addition, overproduction of agricultural goods hurt farmers, depressing their income. Other
causes of the Great Depression include unsound banking practices and excessive speculation in the stock market.
WRONG
CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) A decrease in the production of goods in the 1920s was not a cause of the Great Depression.
There was an increase in the production of goods throughout most of the decade. Mass production techniques allowed factories
to turn out large quantities of consumer goods. The problem was that ordinary people were not making enough money to purchase
all the goods being produced. By the late 1920s, factories had to cut back production and reduce the size of the work force.
(3)
Overregulation of the banking industry was not a cause of the Great Depression. There was very little regulation of the banking
industry before the depression. Consequently, banks engaged in unsound practices, which led to depositors losing confidence
in banks. This lack of confidence resulted in bank runs, which led to the closing of thousands of banks. Later, during President
Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal, the Glass-Steagall Act (1933) created greater government oversight of the banking industry.
(4)
Low tariffs on foreign goods were not a cause of the Great Depression. In fact, the isolationist Republican presidents of
the 1920s enacted higher tariffs to keep out foreign goods. In 1922, the Fordney-McCumber Act dramatically raised tariff rates.
These higher tariff rates had the effect of reducing international trade and hurting American producers. |
|
2
37. The popularity of escapist novels and movies during the Great Depression is evidence
that |
|
| 1. the Great Depression was not really a time of economic distress |
3. American society did not try to solve the problems of the Great Depression |
| 2. popular culture is shaped by economic and social conditions |
4. the greatest employment opportunities for the average person in the 1930's were in the field of entertainment |
|
| No Explanation Available. |
|
1
38. Which economic factor was a major cause of the Great Depression? |
|
| 1. purchase of stocks on credit |
3. reduction of tariffs on imports |
| 2. increases in taxes on business |
4. failure to produce enough consumer goods |
|
1 There were several causes of the Great Depression. These include overproduction and underconsumption
of consumer goods, overproduction and declining prices in the agricultural sector, and stock market speculation. Throughout
the 1920s stock prices rose to unprecedented heights as people bought stocks on margin. Buying stock on margin is the practice
of paying only a small portion of the purchase price upfront with the promise of paying the remainder in the future. This
practice worked as long as stock prices rose, which they did throughout most of the 1920s. By the late 1920s, however, serious
investors began to see that stock prices were reaching new heights as the actual earnings of major corporations were declining.
This discrepancy between the price per share and the actual earnings of a corporation led investors to begin selling stocks,
which stimulated a panic. In October 1929, the stock market crashed, destroying individuals' investments and setting off a
series of reactions that resulted in the Great Depression.
Wrong Choices Explained:
(2) The pro-business
presidents of the 1920s, Harding, Coolidge, and Hoover, did not call for or pursue increased taxation of businesses.
(3)
Isolationist politicians in the 1920s and early 1930s did not reduce tariffs. They raised them. These politicians pushed for
legislation not only to keep foreigners out of the country but also to keep foreign goods out of the country. After the depression
hit, President Hoover pushed for the Hawley-Smoot Tariff (1930), which created the highest tariff in United States history
on imported agricultural goods. President Franklin Roosevelt later saw these high tariffs as counterproductive and lowered
tariffs to stimulate international trade.
(4) The Great Depression was partly caused by the production of too many, not
too few, consumer goods in the 1920s. With mass production, companies were able to dramatically increase the number of radios,
automobiles, and washing machines produced. But incomes did not significantly rise in the 1920s, and consumer demand was not
able to keep up with supply. |
|
1
39. How did the power of government change during the Civil War and the Great Depression? |
|
| 1. Presidential powers were expanded. |
3. The Supreme Court expanded civil liberties. |
| 2. Congress exerted greater leadership. |
4. Power shifted from the federal government to the states. |
|
1 Presidential power expanded during the Civil War and the Great Depression. During the Civil War, President
Lincoln used his powers as commander in chief to lead the nation in the struggle to preserve the Union. He suspended habeus
corpus to suppress opposition to the war and abolished slavery in occupied regions of the Confederacy. During the Great Depression,
Congress passed a number of laws setting broad outlines of federal policy to provide relief and public works programs; guarantee
loans to businesses, farmers, and homeowners; establish a social security system; and support organized labor in developing
bargaining agreements with management. The New Deal laws left it up to the executive department to work out the details of
the New Deal programs, resulting in a large increase in the federal bureaucracy controlled by the president.
WRONG
CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(2) Congress became almost a rubber stamp for President Roosevelt. His executive department drafted
New Deal proposals that Congress considered and passed as laws. One of the few times Congress balked at one of Roosevelt's
proposals was when he wanted to alter the composition of the Supreme Court.
(3) The Supreme Court paid little attention
to civil liberties during the Great Depression. Civil liberties were not expanded by the Supreme Court until the Warren Court
of the 1950s and 1960s.
(4) Power shifted from the states to the federal government. Congress passed a number of laws that
assumed responsibilities, such as welfare and farm policy, that previously had been the exclusive province of the states. |
|
3
40. During the Great Depression, expressions such as Hoovervilles and Hoover blankets
showed that President Hoover |
|
| 1. was seen as a role model |
3. was blamed for the suffering of the poor |
| 2. used the military to aid the unemployed |
4. supported relief and public housing for the needy |
|
3 Herbert Hoover was president for only 6 months when the Great Depression began in 1929. Though he could
not be charged with causing the economic collapse, he was accused of doing little or nothing to end it or relieve the suffering
of those affected by it. Millions of people lost their jobs and were evicted from their homes or farms because they couldn't
pay their mortgages. Many of the poor people endured despair, hunger, and homelessness. Some lived in shantytowns called Hoovervilles
that were made of boxes and scraps of metal and wood. Other slept in parks on benches under layers of newspapers called Hoover
blankets to keep warm. They stuffed newspapers called Hoover leather in their shoes when holes wore through the soles and
referred to their empty pockets turned inside out as Hoover flags.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) President
Hoover was widely disparaged as a symbol of the inability and unwillingness of the federal government to take action to revive
the economy or help those made destitute by the Great Depression.
(2) Hoover did not use the military to aid the unemployed.
Instead, he used the army to disperse the 20,000 veterans of World War I who marched on Washington to demand a bonus that
had been voted by Congress in 1924.
(4) President Hoover did not support direct relief or public housing for the poor.
Late in his term, he took some action to develop public works programs and provide loans for business and banks; however,
it was too little and too late to have a significant impact on the economy. |
|
4
41. What was one factor that led to the Great Depression? |
|
| 1. government limitations on the amount of money in circulation |
3. increases in the tax rate for corporations |
| 2. high wages paid by employers |
4. excessive speculation in the stock market |
|
4 An important factor that led to the Great Depression was excessive stock market speculation, which
led to the crash of October 1929. The stock market is built on the idea of speculation. At all times, people buy shares in
a corporation with the hope that the price of the shares will rise. If there is strong demand for a particular company's stock,
the going price of a share rises. Often, demand for a stock goes up if the company reports that it is doing well. People reason
that the company is sound. But in the 1920s, people bought stock without even considering the soundness of the company they
were investing in. People figured the market would just go up and up indefinitely. Stock brokers provided easy access to credit
so people could buy stock on margin, putting only a fraction of the cost of the stock down and promising to pay the rest on
some future date. This whole system of wild speculation completely unraveled in October 1929 when investors lost confidence
in the market and a selling frenzy overtook Wall Street, sending stock prices down to a mere fraction of their high prices.
WRONG
CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) The government did not take steps to limit the amount of money in circulation. There was probably
enough money in circulation for a healthy economy in the late 1920s, but there was an extreme imbalance in wealth. While farmers
and workers struggled to make ends meet, the wealthiest people saw their fortunes grow even larger. The lives of the wealthy
were depicted in F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby. The amount of money in circulation is regulated by the
Federal Reserve Bank, which was created in 1913.
(2) Workers were not receiving high wages in the 1920s. The union movement
was weak. The Red Scare of the late 1910s and early 1920s intimidated people from organizing unions. Further, average factory
wages had been falling, as unskilled assembly line workers replaced skilled craft workers. If workers had higher wages, they
might have been able to absorb more of the consumer goods that were piling up in warehouses from 1927 onward.
(3) The
Republican presidents of the 1920s were pro-business and did not increase taxes for corporations. President Coolidge said
in 1925, "the chief business of the American people is business." |
|
4
42. An important factor contributing to the start of the Great Depression in the United
States was the |
|
| 1. increase in military spending |
3. reduction of tariff rates |
| 2. failure to maintain the gold standard |
4. uneven distribution of wealth |
|
4 One factor contributing to the Great Depression was the uneven distribution of wealth. Agriculture
remained a depressed industry in the 1920s. Factory wages remained low, in part because the labor union movement made little
progress in recruiting new members. Though some Americans became wealthy from stock market and real estate speculation, there
were not enough people with discretionary income to purchase the goods being churned out by American industries. Thus, by
the end of the 1920s industries began cutting back on production because unsold goods had accumulated in warehouses.
WRONG
CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) Under an isolationist policy, the United States had little need to maintain a large military
establishment. Consequently, the size of the army and navy and military expenditures decreased after World War I.
(2) The
United States maintained the gold standard from the late 1800s until 1933 when Franklin Roosevelt made paper money legal tender
without being convertible to gold as part of his New Deal program.
(3) Increased tariff rates, especially the Hawley-Smoot
Tariff of 1930, worsened the Great Depression by reducing international trade. Earlier protective tariffs contributed to the
start of the Great Depression. |
|
1
43. The Dust Bowl experiences of the Oklahoma farmers during the Great Depression demonstrated
the |
|
| 1. effect of geography on people's lives |
3. limitation of civil liberties during times of crisis |
| 2. success of government farm subsidies |
4. result of the Indian Removal Act |
|
1 The Dust Bowl during the Great Depression shows how geography can influence people's lives. A severe
drought in 1933 plagued a number of states in the south central part of the United States. Lacking irrigation, farmland dried
up, crops withered, and high winds swirled dark clouds of powdery topsoil. Already impoverished by a depressed agricultural
segment of the economy during the 1920s, the farmers of Oklahoma and neighboring states lost their farms and became refugees
from a desolate land. Many of them fled to California where they worked for little money as migrant farm laborers. Their plight
is vividly portrayed in The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(2) Agricultural
relief programs came too late for the farmers of the Dust Bowl. Farm subsidies help only those farmers who are able to grow
crops to bring to market. The victims of the Dust Bowl drought could not grow anything.
(3) Civil liberties were not a
major concern during the 1930s. The Oklahoma farmers who traveled west became exploited labor; however, migrant workers had
commonly been poorly paid, mistreated, and had their civil liberties violated by local authorities who looked out for the
interests of farm owners rather than farmworkers.
(4) The Indian Removal Act was a shameless federal government policy
one hundred years before the Dust Bowl. |
|
2
44. "Europeans can't buy goods from Americans because Europeans can't sell goods in the
American market. Obviously, they don't have the chance to earn the money they need to buy our goods." This statement focuses
on which cause of the Great Depression? |
|
| 1. restriction of credit by banks |
3. low wages of American workers |
| 2. high protective tariffs |
4. overspeculation on the stock market |
|
2 One of the causes of the Great Depression was the imposition of high protective tariffs. President
Harding called for high tariffs on foreign-made goods soon after his inauguration in 1921. Congress quickly passed the Fordney-McCumber
Tariff to keep foreign-made goods out of the United States. Other nations retaliated by imposing tariffs on American-made
products. International trade bogged down because of restrictions imposed to protect domestic industries. When domestic consumer
demand slackened and inventories built up in the late 1920s, United States manufacturers were unable to sell goods in foreign
markets. After the stock market crash in 1929, economic conditions were made worse by the even more protective Smoot-Hawley
Tariff passed in 1930.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) Banks freely extended credit to American consumers during
the 1920s; however, the statement refers to the inability of European consumers to buy American-made goods. (3) Low wages
were a factor contributing to the onset of the Great Depression because many workers lacked the income to purchase goods;
however, the statement refers to the inability of European consumers to buy American-made goods. (4) Overspeculation in the
stock market contributed to the onset of the Great Depression; however, the statement refers to the impact of protective tariffs. |
|
4
45. In the 1920s which economic factor led to the Great Depression? |
|
| 1. lack of investment in the stock market |
3. failure to develop new consumer goods industries |
| 2. attempt by the United States to promote free trade |
4. overproduction of farm products and manufactured goods |
|
4 Overproduction was a main factor that led to the Great Depression in the late 1920s. Overproduction
in agriculture had been a economic problem for farmers since the late 19th century. Agriculture did not share in the economic
good times of the early and mid-1920s. American industry expanded rapidly in the 1920s; however, wages remained low. By the
late 1920s, industries were producing more goods than consumers could buy. As inventories increased, industries began cutting
production and laying off workers.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) Stock market investment in the 1920s was
high. One of the problems of the times was that people were buying stocks on speculation with only down payments. As industrial
production declined, stock prices began to fall. As they fell, investors had to sell at lower prices than they bought to cover
their debts. The escalating effect led to the stock market collapse in 1929.
(2) Another factor in the 1920s economy was
the imposition of protective tariffs to protect American industries from competition.
(3) Many new consumer goods industries
developed in the 1920s, among them the automobile and related industries, radio and movie-making, telephones, and the production
of electric household appliances. |
|
2
46. The effectiveness of the New Deal in ending the Great Depression is difficult to measure
because |
|
| 1. President Franklin D. Roosevelt died during his fourth term |
3. the Supreme Court declared most New Deal laws unconstitutional |
| 2. United States involvement in World War II rapidly accelerated economic growth |
4. later Presidents failed to support most New Deal reforms |
|
2 The effectiveness of the New Deal is difficult to assess because the economy grew rapidly after the
United States became involved in World War II. By 1939, farmers were still producing huge food surpluses, millions of people
were still unemployed, and industrial output remained limited. After World War II broke out, the United States became a major
supplier of food and military equipment to nations fighting Germany. When the United States became the "arsenal for democracy,"
labor was in short supply and factories produced to their capacity.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) President Roosevelt
died in 1945 shortly before World War II ended. He led the nation during the New Deal and the war. (3) Most New Deal laws
were not declared unconstitutional; though some major ones were. Some, such as the Agricultural Adjustment Act, were rewritten
to satisfy the Court's objections after being declared unconstitutional. (4) Later Presidents supported New Deal reforms.
Harry Truman, who succeeded Roosevelt, was a major supporter. His successor, Dwight Eisenhower, a Republican, did not propose
the repeal of New Deal programs. |
|
2
47. The rapid, worldwide spread of the Great Depression of the 1930s was evidence of |
|
| 1. the failure of government job programs |
3. a shortage of American factories making consumer goods |
| 2. global financial interdependence |
4. the negative effects of unrestricted immigration |
|
2 The worldwide spread of the Great Depression of the 1930s was evidence of global financial interdependence.
The steep decline of stock prices following the stock market crash in New York in 1929 had repercussions throughout the world
as well as in the United States. The crash was partially triggered by the British who raised interest rates that encouraged
investors to sell U.S. securities to invest in Britain. The market collapse in New York led to a drop in foreign stocks as
well. Bank failures in the United States were followed by bank failures in other industrialized nations. The decline in production
and income in the United States led to a decline in imports, which affected production elsewhere in the world.
WRONG
CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) There were few government job programs before the Great Depression. Federal government work
programs during the New Deal were attempts to bring the nation out of the depression. (3) One of the causes of the depression
was overproduction in United States factories that were building up inventories because they were manufacturing more than
could be sold. (4) Immigration to the United States had been restricted by laws passed in the early 1920s. |
|
3
48. "You cannot extend the mastery of government over the daily worldng life of the people
without, at the same time, making it the master of the people's souls and thought."--President Herbert Hoover. The idea expressed
in the quotation is a basis for President Hoover's belief that the problems of the Great Depression could best be solved by |
|
| 1. nationalizing major industries |
3. relying mostly on private enterprise and individual initiative to improve economic conditions |
| 2. requiring business to pay a minimum wage to workers |
4. creating government job programs for the unemployed |
|
| No Explanation Available. |
|
2
49. Which event is most closely associated with the end of the Great Depression? |
|
| 1. passage of the Social Security Act |
3. reelection of President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1940 |
| 2. beginning of World War II |
4. announcement of the Marshall Plan |
|
2 The beginning of World War II brought an end to the Great Depression. Though the New Deal programs
of Franklin Roosevelt reduced unemployment, helped farmers, workers, and businesses, and relieved the suffering of millions
of people, the economy remained significantly depressed in 1939 when war broke out in Europe. The economy received a boost
because competition from Europe declined and demand for American farm and manufactured goods increased. During the 1940s,
the economy also revived because the United States increased its own military preparedness as a defensive measure. When the
United States entered the war in 1941, the economy had full employment with industries geared to turn out weapons and war
material for the U.S. armed forces and its allies.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) The Social Security Act was
passed in 1935 during the depths of the Great Depression. It provided a modest level of income for many of the elderly, but
it did not bring about an end to the depressed economy.
(3) The reelection of Franklin Roosevelt in 1940 coincided with
the end of the Great Depression, but it did not cause it.
(4) The Marshall Plan was announced in 1947, years after the
Great Depression ended. |
|
1
50. Which condition increased the negative effects of the Great Depression? |
|
| 1. Factories had to decrease production because of low demand. |
3. The demand for imported products increased. |
| 2. Low levels of unemployment created labor shortages. |
4. The Federal Government raised taxes repeatedly. |
|
| No Explanation Available. |
|
|
