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FINAL EXAM FOR HUSP. MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2010
Husp 1/19/10
Mr Eisenberg |
TEACHER ANSWER KEY
January 20, 2010 |
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3
1. The disputed elections of 1876 and 2000 were similar because in both contests the |
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| 1. winner was chosen by a special electoral commission |
3. winner of the popular vote did not become president |
| 2. states were required to hold a second election |
4. election had to be decided in the House of Representatives |
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3 The disputed elections of 1876 and 2000 were similar because in both contests the winner of the popular
vote did not become the president. This fact highlights one of the criticisms of our present electoral system. The president
is officially chosen by the electoral college, not by the results of the national popular vote. A president, therefore, can
be selected by the electoral college without a majority of the popular vote. Whichever candidate wins the popular vote in
a particular state gets all the electoral votes for that state. The number of electors for each state is equal to the
number of members of Congress from that state. Bigger states, therefore, get more electors. Presently, there are 538 electoral
votes. A candidate must win the majority, or 270 votes, to be declared the "president-elect." A situation could arise in which
a candidate could win the popular vote while losing in the electoral college. If candidate A won the popular vote overwhelmingly
in states whose electoral votes totaled 268 (just under the required majority), while candidate B just squeaked by in the
remainder of the states, whose electoral votes totaled 270 (the majority), candidate B would be declared president-elect even
though he or she probably had less of the overall popular vote than candidate A. This scenario occurred in 1876 and 2000,
as well as in 1824 and 1888. In 1876, Samuel J. Tilden won the majority of the popular vote but Rutherford B. Hayes became
president. In 2000, Al Gore won the majority of the popular vote but George W. Bush became president.
WRONG CHOICES
EXPLAINED:
(1) In 1876, the winner was chosen by a special electoral commission. The commission reached a compromise
that allowed the Republican candidate, Rutherford B. Hayes, to win the presidency. In return, the Republicans agreed to end
Reconstruction, paving the way for rule by the Democratic Party in the South. But in 2000, the winner was determined by the
results of the electoral college vote. The final result in 2000 took several weeks to determine because the popular vote in
Florida was so close that neither candidate could be declared victor immediately. The results of this state were crucial because
neither candidate had reached the magic number of 270 in the electoral college without the electoral votes of Florida. Recounts
of votes were occurring in several counties in Florida when the U.S. Supreme Court intervened and ordered the recount process
to stop. At that moment, George Bush was slightly ahead in Florida and Florida's electoral votes therefore went to him.
(2)
In neither case were states required to hold second elections.
(4) In neither case did the election have to be decided
by the House of Representatives. In 1800 and 1824, the House of Representatives selected the president when no candidate received
a majority in the electoral college. |
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2. Which pair of Supreme Court cases demonstrates that the Supreme Court can change an earlier
decision? |
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| 1. Schenck v. United States and United States v. Nixon |
3. Gideon v. Wainwright and Heart of Atlanta Motel v. United States |
| 2. Korematsu v. United States and Miranda v. Arizona |
4. Plessy v. Ferguson and Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka |
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4 The Supreme Court decisions in Plessy v. Ferguson and Brown v. Board of Education
of Topeka demonstrate that the Supreme Court can change an earlier decision. To some degree, Supreme Court justices simply
determine whether particular laws are consistent with the Constitution. But to some degree, the justices reflect the social
values and ideals that are prevalent in the society they live in. So just as social values change over time, the Supreme Court
can change its collective mind about a particular issue. In this case, the issue was Jim Crow laws and practices that relegated
African Americans to second-class status in the South. These Jim Crow laws segregated public facilities, such as railroad
cars, bathrooms, and schools. In the case of Plessy v. Ferguson (1896), the Supreme Court accepted segregation
as constitutional as long as the facilities for both whites and African Americans were of equal quality. It was generally
the case that the facilities for African Americans were substandard, but this "separate but equal" rule was the law of the
land until the Supreme Court found segregated schools inherently unfair in the Brown v. Board of Education decision
(1954).
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) In the pair of Supreme Court decisions listed in this choice, one decision
does not change an earlier decision. The two decisions deal with different issues. The decision in Schenck v. United
States (1919) upheld the Espionage and Sedition Acts, passed during World War I to put limits on public expressions of
antiwar sentiment. In United States v. Nixon (1974), the Supreme Court ordered Nixon to turn over tapes of conversations
that were held in the White House Oval Office. Nixon had argued that executive privilege allowed him to keep the tapes.
(2)
In the pair of Supreme Court decisions listed in this choice, one decision does not change an earlier decision. The two decisions
deal with different issues. The decision in Korematsu v. United States (1944) upheld Executive Order 9066, issued
by President Franklin Roosevelt during World War II, authorizing the government to remove more than 120,000 Japanese Americans
from West Coast cities and relocate them to camps in the western United States. The Miranda v. Arizona (1966)
decision revolved around the issue of self-incrimination. The 5th Amendment guarantees that people do not have to testify
against themselves. But that right is meaningless if arrested people are not aware of it. In this decision, the Court ruled
that arrested people must be read basic rights, now known as "Miranda rights," including the right to remain silent and the
right to have a lawyer.
(3) In the pair of Supreme Court decisions listed in this choice, one decision does not change
an earlier decision. The two decisions deal with different issues. In Gideon v. Wainwright, the Court ruled
that the states must provide court-appointed attorneys to impoverished defendants. In the case of Heart of Atlanta Motel
v. United States (1964), the Supreme Court upheld the 1964 Civil Rights Act and asserted that private businesses such
as the Heart of Atlanta Motel cannot ban African American customers. |
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3. Which economic policy argues that government should limit, as much as possible, any interference
in the economy? |
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| 1. socialism |
3. mercantilism |
| 2. laissez-faire |
4. protectionism |
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2 The government policy of laissez-faire argues that government should limit, as much as possible, any
interference in the economy. The French phrase laissez-faire means "to let alone." It describes a government policy
that would take a hands-off approach with regard to economic activities. Throughout much of the history of the United States,
Americans have been suspicious of government intervention in the economy. The founders of the United States had vivid memories
of the overbearing, mercantilist policies of Great Britain. With the American economy growing by leaps and bounds in the 19th
century, few challenged this doctrine. The term fit in well with the doctrine of social Darwinism, which gained many adherents
in the late 19th century. Social Darwinists argued that government interference in the economy 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." 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 in the 1930s, Franklin D. 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.
Since the Great Depression, politicians have argued about the nature and degree of government economic intervention in the
economy, but few today argue for a complete laissez-faire policy.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) Socialism
is an economic policy that argues for government ownership of key sectors of the economy. It is the opposite of a laissez-faire
approach of non-intervention by the government in the economy.
3) Mercantilism is an economic policy that argues that the
government should play an active role in the economy. Laissez-faire, by contrast, argues that the government should play no
role in the economy. Mercantilist theory holds that governments should try to increase the wealth of a nation by maintaining
colonies so as to have a steady and inexpensive source of raw materials. The theory guided Great Britain in maintaining its
American colonies before the American Revolution.
(4) Protectionism is an economic policy that argues that the government
should impose tariffs on goods imported into the United States. These tariffs would raise the prices of foreign-made goods
and would make American goods comparatively more affordable. The tariffs would, in theory, protect American industry from
foreign competition. Protectionism involves government intervention in the economy; laissez-faire implies no government intervention
in the economy. |
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4. Base your answer on the accompanying graph and on your knowledge of social studies.
Which
generalization about the projected population in New York State is most clearly supported by the information on the graph? |
 |
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| 1. The death rate will slowly increase by 2020. |
3. The number of citizens 75 and older will steadily decline by 2020. |
| 2. The number of citizens 75 and older will double by 2020. |
4. The population of both groups shown on the graph will increase by 2020. |
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4 The information on the graph supports the conclusion that the population of both groups will increase
by 2020. The increase among senior citizens is more pronounced than the increase among the general population. Between 2005
and 2020, the census expects the population of New Yorkers 75 and over to increase by about 11 percent. The increase in the
general population in New York, on the other hand, is expected to be less than 2 percent. The "graying" of New York has implications
for social policies.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) The graph does not support the conclusion that the death
rate will slowly increase by 2020. The graph shows a steady increase in the number of people 75 and over by 2020. This increase
in the population of older New Yorkers would not lead one to infer that the death rate is increasing.
(2) The graph does
not support the conclusion that the number of people 75 and over will double by 2020. The increase is projected to be about
11 percent—considerably less than 100 percent.
(3) The graph does not support the conclusion that the number of people
75 and older will steadily decline by 2020. It will increase by about 11 percent by 2020. |
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5. The decision in Gibbons v. Ogden (1824) and the decision in Wabash,
St. Louis & Pacific Railroad v. Illinois (1886) addressed the issue of |
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| 1. congressional privileges |
3. state taxation of federal property |
| 2. regulation of interstate commerce |
4. contract rights |
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2 The decision in Gibbons v. Ogden (1824) and the decision in Wabash, St. Louis and
Pacific Railroad v. Illinois (1886) addressed the issue of regulation of interstate commerce. In both cases, the
Supreme Court affirmed that only the federal government can regulate trade between states. In Gibbons v. Ogden,
the Court invalidated a monopoly given by New York State to a ferryboat company to navigate the Hudson River. The Court declared
that because the river goes through two or more states, it is subject to the interstate commerce clause of the Constitution.
Later, in the Wabash case, the Court ruled that Illinois could not regulate railroad rates on rail lines that crossed
state boundaries, again citing the interstate commerce clause.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) The cases do
not deal with congressional privileges. Members of Congress enjoy a wide array of privileges, such as franking privileges,
which allows them to send mail to their constituents without postage stamps.
(3) The cases do not deal with state taxation
of federal property. The Supreme Court addressed this issue in the case of McCulloch v. Maryland (1819). In
that case, the Court prohibited Maryland from taxing the Bank of the United States.
(4) The cases do not deal with contract
rights. The Supreme Court has issued two important decisions in which it upheld the legitimacy of contracts. In 1819, the
state of New Hampshire attempted to turn Dartmouth College into a state college, despite the fact that Dartmouth had a charter
to operate as a private college. In Dartmouth College v. Woodward, the Supreme Court upheld the original charter
of Dartmouth College, asserting the importance of contracts. In Fletcher v. Peck (1810), the Supreme Court upheld
a corrupt land deal between the state of Georgia and private individuals. The Court ruled that the deal might not have been
in the public interest, but a contract should be upheld. |
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6. "Gasoline Prices Soar in 2008"
"U.S. Oil Consumption and Imports Continue to Rise"
"OPEC
Votes to Reduce Oil Production"
Which conclusion is most clearly supported by these headlines? |
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| 1. The United States exports more oil than it imports. |
3. The demand for alternative energy sources is declining. |
| 2. Energy policies are not affected by domestic events. |
4. United States dependence on foreign oil is a major problem. |
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4 The headlines support the conclusion that U.S. dependence on foreign petroleum is a major problem.
The United States is the biggest consumer of petroleum, accounting for a quarter of all petroleum consumed in the world. Much
of the oil that the United States purchases from abroad is from the Middle East. The oil-producing countries of the Middle
East make up the majority of members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). The United States, as an
importer of petroleum, has had to deal with changing policies of OPEC. In 1973, for example, the Middle Eastern OPEC nations
cut exports to the United States, dramatically increasing the price of petroleum. These moves were in retaliation for U.S.
support for Israel in the 1973 Yom Kippur War between Israel and its Arab neighbors. Supporters of American oil independence
argue that such a move would free the United States from entanglements in Middle Eastern politics.
WRONG CHOICES
EXPLAINED:
(1) The headlines do not indicate that the United States exports more oil than it imports. Two of the headlines
refer to the importation of oil.
(2) The headlines do not indicate that energy policies are not affected by domestic events.
Domestic events do affect energy policy. For example, an increase in oil consumption at home affects the options open to the
United States with regard to energy policy.
(3) The headlines do not indicate that the demand for alternative energy is
declining. If anything, we might infer that as petroleum prices soar, Americans will search for alternative energy sources. |
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7. Base your answer on the accompanying cartoon and on your knowledge of social studies.
Which
issue in the United States is the focus of this cartoon? |
 |
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| 1. poor diets of many older Americans |
3. increased competition among drug manufacturers |
| 2. high cost of many medicines |
4. government-controlled prices of prescription drugs |
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2 The focus of the cartoon is the high cost of many medicines. The woman in the cartoon is noting the
price of a medication and is wryly suggesting that she and her husband would not be able to purchase food after paying for
the medication. The high cost of medications has been an important political issue recently. Many Americans have health insurance,
which covers the costs of medication. But millions of Americans have no medical coverage and have to pay for medications out
of pocket. Many prescription drugs are extremely expensive. Generally speaking, when a pharmaceutical company produces a new
drug, it has a monopoly on selling it to the public as long as its patent is still in effect. Once the patent expires, other
companies can make generic versions of the drug and sell them for considerably less. Many health care advocates argue that
the prices of medications should be regulated so that helping the sick takes priority over corporate profits.
WRONG
CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) The cartoon does not allude to poor diets of many older Americans. The woman in the cartoon
jokes that perhaps the medication would have to replace dinner, but the point of the cartoon is the high costs of medications.
(3)
The cartoon does not allude to increased competition among drug manufacturers. Many health care advocates argue that increased
competition among drug manufacturers might lower drug costs. Currently, the holder of a patent to a particular medication
has a monopoly on selling that medication.
(4) The cartoon does not allude to government-controlled prices of prescription
drugs. Currently, the government does not regulate the prices of prescription drugs. Many health care advocates argue that
the prices of prescription drugs should be regulated. |
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8. Base your answer on the accompanying cartoon and on your knowledge of social studies.
The
graduating student pictured in this cartoon is confronted by a problem caused in part by |
 |
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| 1. cheaper foreign labor |
3. high-cost imports |
| 2. increasing tariff rates |
4. lack of education |
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1 The graduating student pictured in the cartoon is confronted by a problem caused by cheaper foreign
labor. Currently, workers in many developing countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America earn considerably less money than
workers in the United States. Consequently, many American companies have outsourced jobs to foreign countries or have moved
abroad altogether. Increasingly, many of the products Americans purchase, from automobiles to blue jeans, are produced abroad.
This trend has led to a decrease in jobs in many fields in the United States. Politicians debate whether the government should
attempt to protect American jobs or let the market take its course.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(2) The problem
in the cartoon is not caused by increasing tariff rates. Most tariff rates have come down in recent years. Some advocates
for American workers argue that America should increase tariff rates to keep out foreign goods and protect American jobs.
(3)
The problem in the cartoon is not caused by high-cost imports. The goods from foreign countries tend to be lower in price,
because the wages the workers earn in foreign countries tend to be lower.
(4) The problem in the cartoon is not caused
by lack of education. The student pictured in the cartoon has just graduated. He has sufficient education. What he is lacking
is job opportunities. |
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9. Since the 1970s, many people have moved from the Midwest and Northeast to the South,
Southwest, and West Coast. This migration has resulted in |
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| 1. support for increasing the membership of Congress |
3. increased pressure to eliminate the electoral college |
| 2. a decrease in immigration from Asia and Latin America |
4. some states gaining and others losing seats in the House of Representatives |
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4 The migration of many people from the Midwest and the Northeast to the South, Southwest, and West Coast
since the 1970s has resulted in some states gaining and others losing seats in the House of Representatives. Representation
in the House of Representatives is based on population. Every ten years, the government carries out a census to count the
number of people in the United States and to determine which states and districts have grown with regard to population and
which have shrunk. From these census figures, representation in the House of Representatives is adjusted. The total number
of representatives is currently fixed at 435, so an increase in the number of representatives from one state would necessarily
involve a decrease in another state. The demographic shift described in the question is associated with the deindustrialization
of Northeastern and Midwestern cities in the last several decades. Large numbers of factories in Northeastern cities such
as New York and Philadelphia, as well as Midwestern "rust belt" cities such as Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Detroit, and Chicago,
have closed. People have left these cities to look for opportunities in the "sun belt" of the South, Southwest, and West Coast.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) There has not been a call to increase membership in Congress. An increase beyond
the current number of representatives, 435, might make doing business unwieldy.
(2) There has not been a decrease in immigration
from Asia and Latin America since the 1970s. In fact, there has been an increase.
(3) There have been calls by some people
to eliminate the electoral college. Some have argued that the institution is flawed because it allows a situation in which
a presidential candidate could win the national popular vote but could lose the election because he or she did not win the
sufficient number of electoral votes. But these calls are unrelated to the demographic shift described in the question. |
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10. Which term is most commonly used to describe President Richard Nixon's foreign policy
toward the Soviet Union? |
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| 1. collective security |
3. detente |
| 2. brinkmanship |
4. neutrality |
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3 The term most commonly used to describe President Richard Nixon's policy toward the Soviet Union is
détente. Détente is the French word for loosening and refers to an easing of tensions in the Cold War and a
warming of relations between the United States and the Soviet Union. The policy was carried out by President Nixon. It may
seem ironic that a man who made a name for himself as a strong anti-communist—as a congressman, he pursued suspected
Soviet spy Alger Hiss (1950)—was responsible for the détente policy. But Nixon's anti-Communist credentials enabled
him to open relations with Communist nations without being accused of being "soft on communism." In 1972 Nixon became the
first U.S. president to visit Communist China, and later in 1972 he held meetings with Soviet leaders in Moscow. The meetings
produced several agreements, including an agreement to limit anti-ballistic missile systems (ABMs).
WRONG CHOICES
EXPLAINED:
(1) President Nixon did not pursue a policy of collective security. For most of its history, the United
States avoided the alliances and treaty organizations that would constitute collective security. This changed in 1949 when
the United States participated in the formation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
(2) President Nixon did
not pursue a policy of brinksmanship. Brinksmanship refers to pushing a conflict to the verge of disaster. The goal is for
one side to show the other that it means business and will not back down from a conflict. The policy is associated with President
Eisenhower's Secretary of State John Foster Dulles.
(4) President Nixon did not pursue a policy of neutrality. Many U.S.
presidents have attempted to remain neutral in respect to conflicts in various parts of the world. President Washington first
urged the United States to maintain a policy of neutrality. The policy was debated and challenged in the lead-ups to U.S.
participation in both of the World Wars. Since World War II, all U.S. presidents have embraced, to one degree or another,
U.S. participation in world affairs. |
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11. Base your answer on the statement below and on your knowledge of social studies.
.
. . In 1961, James Farmer orchestrated and led the famous Freedom Rides through the South, which are renowned for forcing
Americans to confront segregation in bus terminals and on interstate buses. In the spring of that year, James Farmer trained
a small group of freedom riders, teaching them to deal with the hostility they were likely to encounter using nonviolent resistance.
This training would serve them well. . . .
— Senator Charles Robb, "A Tribute to an American
Freedom Fighter," U.S. Senate
The
activities described in this statement helped lead to |
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| 1. President Harry Truman's order to desegregate the military |
3. ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment |
| 2. passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 |
4. a decision by the Supreme Court to integrate public schools |
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2 The activities described in this statement helped lead to passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Laws such as the ones separating the races on busses are known as Jim Crow laws. These laws relegated African Americans to
second-class status in the South. State and local Jim Crow laws first appeared in the South after Reconstruction ended (1877).
Jim Crow laws became more prevalent after 1896 when the Supreme Court, in the case of Plessy v. Ferguson, accepted
segregation as Constitutional as long as the facilities for both whites and African Americans were of equal quality. It was
generally the case that the facilities for African Americans were substandard, but this "separate but equal" rule was the
law of the land until the Supreme Court found segregated schools inherently unfair in the Brown v. Board of Education
decision (1954). President Johnson extended this edict to all public facilities by signing the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
WRONG
CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) The activities described in the passage did not lead to President Harry Truman's order to desegregate
the military. Truman did issue Executive Order 9981 in 1948, desegregating the armed forces. This event, however, occurred
well before the 1961 events described in the passage.
(3) The activities described in the statement did not lead to ratification
of the Equal Rights Amendment. In fact, the Equal Rights Amendment was not ratified. The proposed amendment, which was intended
to guarantee equal rights under the law regardless of sex, was passed by Congress in 1972 but failed to gain ratification
by three-quarters of the states.
(4) The activities described in the statement did not lead to a decision by the Supreme
Court to integrate public schools. The Supreme Court did issue such a decision, Brown v. Board of Education
(1954), but that occurred before the activities described in the statement. |
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12. Base your answer on the statement below and on your knowledge of social studies.
.
. . In 1961, James Farmer orchestrated and led the famous Freedom Rides through the South, which are renowned for forcing
Americans to confront segregation in bus terminals and on interstate buses. In the spring of that year, James Farmer trained
a small group of freedom riders, teaching them to deal with the hostility they were likely to encounter using nonviolent resistance.
This training would serve them well. . . .
— Senator Charles Robb, "A Tribute to an American
Freedom Fighter," U.S. Senate
The
principal goal of the activity described in this statement was to |
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| 1. achieve racial integration of public facilities |
3. expand voting rights for African Americans |
| 2. encourage change through violent means |
4. force the president to send military troops into the South |
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1 The principal goal of the activity described in the statement was to achieve racial integration of
public facilities. In 1960, the Supreme Court ruled that state laws separating the races on interstate transportation facilities
were unconstitutional. Still, states maintained Jim Crow codes that separated African American from white passengers. In 1961,
the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) organized a series of bus rides, with African American as well as white passengers,
through the South to challenge these local codes. The Freedom Riders met a great deal of resistance in the South. In Alabama,
a mob slashed the tires of one bus and then firebombed it. President Kennedy finally sent federal marshals to Alabama to protect
the Freedom Riders and to enforce federal law.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(2) The principal goal of the activity
described in the statement was not to encourage change through violent means. Though the opponents of the Freedom Riders resorted
to violence, the riders themselves practiced "nonviolent resistance."
(3) The principal goal of the activity described
in the statement was not to expand voting rights for African Americans. Voting rights was a central goal of the civil rights
movement, but the goal of the Freedom Riders was to integrate interstate bus lines.
(4) The principal goal of the activity
described in the statement was not to force the president to send military troops into the South. President Kennedy did send
federal marshals into Alabama after the riders were attacked by local mobs, but the goal of the Freedom Riders was to integrate
interstate bus lines. |
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13. "Martin Luther King Jr. Delivers 'I Have a Dream' Speech to Civil Rights Demonstrators
in D.C."
"Rachel Carson Awakens Conservationists with Her Book, Silent Spring"
"Cesar Chavez Organizes Migrant
Farm Workers"
A valid conclusion based on these headlines is that |
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| 1. individuals have a great impact on movements for change |
3. the press discouraged efforts at reform in the 1960s |
| 2. social reforms progress faster with support from big business |
4. mass movements often continue without strong leaders |
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1 The headlines support the conclusion that individuals have a great impact on movements for change.
The three individuals mentioned all played pivotal roles in movements for change in the 1960s. Martin Luther King Jr., a reverend
from Atlanta, Georgia, was a central figure in the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. King gained prominence in
1956 by being the leader of the Montgomery, Alabama, bus boycott. King supported directly challenging unjust practices through
civil disobedience. In 1963, the civil rights movement held one of the biggest demonstrations in American history in Washington,
D.C. More than 200,000 people gathered to march, sing, and hear speeches, including King's "I Have a Dream Speech." Rachel
Carson was one of the first people to make the public aware of the damage being done to the environment by human practices.
Her book Silent Spring (1962) detailed the harmful effects of toxic chemicals on the environment. Carson said that
the big chemical companies spread false information about their products. Her book was especially critical of chemical pesticides
such as DDT. Silent Spring shocked many people and was a catalyst for the environmental movement of the 1960s and 1970s.
In the 1960s, Cesar Chavez brought the plight of migrant farm workers into the consciousness of the public. Chavez was one
of the organizers of United Farm Workers. This organization organized strikes and boycotts of farm products to advance the
cause of workers' rights. In the 1980s, Chavez was one of the organizers of a national boycott of grapes to protest the use
of toxic chemicals used in growing grapes.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(2) The headlines do not indicate that
social reforms progress faster with support from big business. The chemical industry vociferously opposed Carson's work and
the agricultural industry opposed Chavez's effort.
(3) The headlines do not indicate that the press discouraged efforts
at reform in the 1960s. The three items are all headlines from newspapers. This indicates that the press played a role in
publicizing the issues raised by these individuals.
(4) The headlines do not indicate that mass movements often continue
without strong leaders. The importance of leadership in mass movements is often debated by both historians and participants.
But the three headlines all focus on strong individuals who led mass movements. |
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14. Base your answer on the statement below and on your knowledge of social studies.
.
. . But this secret, swift, and extraordinary buildup of Communist missiles—in an area well known to have a special
and historical relationship to the United States and the nations of the Western Hemisphere, in violation of Soviet assurances,
and in defiance of American and hemispheric policy—this sudden, clandestine [secret] decision to station strategic weapons
for the first time outside of Soviet soil—is a deliberately provocative and unjustified change in the status quo which
cannot be accepted by this country, if our courage and our commitments are ever to be trusted again by either friend or foe.
. . .
— President John F. Kennedy, October 22, 1962
What is a valid conclusion
based on this statement? |
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| 1. Strategic weapons of the United States should be stationed on foreign soil. |
3. Presidential attempts were made to end military alliances. |
| 2. An isolationist foreign policy is the most effective way to preserve peace. |
4. Geographic location plays an important role in determining foreign policy. |
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4 Based on the statement, it is valid to conclude that geographic location plays an important role in
determining foreign policy. The proximity of Cuba to the United States led President Kennedy to oppose the placement of missiles
in that country. Throughout its history, the United States has taken a special interest in countries of the Western Hemisphere.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) The statement by President Kennedy did not mention the placement of U.S. strategic
weapons.
(2) The statement by President Kennedy does not reflect an isolationist approach to foreign policy. By challenging
the Soviet Union on behalf of the nations of the Western Hemisphere, Kennedy is demonstrating an interventionist approach
to foreign policy.
(3) The statement by President Kennedy does not reflect a desire to end military alliances. By speaking
out on behalf of the nations of the Western Hemisphere, he is asserting the importance of an alliance. |
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15. Base your answer on the statement below and on your knowledge of social studies.
.
. . But this secret, swift, and extraordinary buildup of Communist missiles—in an area well known to have a special
and historical relationship to the United States and the nations of the Western Hemisphere, in violation of Soviet assurances,
and in defiance of American and hemispheric policy—this sudden, clandestine [secret] decision to station strategic weapons
for the first time outside of Soviet soil—is a deliberately provocative and unjustified change in the status quo which
cannot be accepted by this country, if our courage and our commitments are ever to be trusted again by either friend or foe.
. . .
— President John F. Kennedy, October 22, 1962
This statement is most closely
associated with the |
|
| 1. Bay of Pigs invasion |
3. United States-Soviet space race |
| 2. Cuban missile crisis |
4. nuclear test ban controversy |
|
2 The statement is associated with the Cuban missile crisis. The Cuban Missile Crisis occurred in 1962
when a U.S. U-2 spy plane discovered that Cuba was preparing bases for Soviet nuclear missiles to be installed. President
Kennedy felt that these missiles, in such close proximity to the United States, amounted to an unacceptable provocation and
ordered Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev to halt the operation and dismantle the bases. Khrushchev insisted on the right of
the Soviet Union to install the missiles. For about a week, the world stood on the brink of nuclear war. Finally, a deal was
reached in which the Soviet Union would abandon its Cuban missile program and the United States would quietly remove missiles
from Turkey.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) The statement is not associated with the Bay of Pigs invasion.
The Bay of Pigs invasion (1961) did involve Cuba, but the statement refers specifically to "communist missiles" and "strategic
weapons." The Bay of Pigs invasion was planned under the Eisenhower administration and implemented by President Kennedy. The
plan called for the United States to train, arm, and aid a group of Cuban exiles opposed to the Communist government of Fidel
Castro. The exiles landed at the Bay of Pigs in Cuba in April 1961, but they were quickly captured by Cuban forces.
(3)
The statement is not associated with the United States-Soviet space race. The space race was the competition between the United
States and the Soviet Union to explore outer space. It began with the Soviet launch of the unmanned satellite Sputnik
into space in 1957. The launching of Sputnik led the American government to devote more resources to teaching science
and math to young people. The United States was the first nation to successfully land men on the moon in 1969.
(4) The
statement is not associated with the nuclear test ban treaty. A Partial Test Ban Treaty was signed by the United States, the
Soviet Union, and Great Britain in 1963. The ban exempted underground nuclear tests. |
|
1
16. The D-Day invasion in June 1944 was important to the outcome of World War II because
it |
|
| 1. opened a new Allied front in Europe |
3. forced Italy to surrender |
| 2. avoided use of the atomic bomb against civilian targets |
4. stopped Soviet advances in eastern Europe |
|
1 The D-Day invasion in June 1944 was important to the outcome of World War II because it opened a new
allied front in Europe. Until D-Day, most of the fighting against Germany was carried out by the Soviet Union in eastern Europe.
Joseph Stalin, the leader of the Soviet Union, had been urging the United States and Great Britain to open a second western
front in Europe against Germany. At a meeting in Tehran, Iran, in November 1943, President Franklin Roosevelt and British
leader Winston Churchill assured Stalin that they would open up a second European front. In June 1944, allied troops landed
on the beaches of Normandy, France, and began pushing Hitler's forces back toward Germany. By August 1944, allied forces had
liberated Paris from Nazi occupation. Hitler made a last attempt to stop the allied assault in the winter of 1944–1945.
German forces drove through allied lines into Belgium in the Battle of the Bulge before being stopped by allied forces. American
and British troops approached Germany from the west as Soviet troops approached from the east. By April 1945, Soviet troops
were on the outskirts of Berlin. On April 30, Hitler committed suicide, and on May 7, 1945, Germany surrendered, ending the
war in Europe.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(2) The use of the atomic bomb was not an option for the United
States and its allies in June 1944. The bomb had not yet been developed. It would take another year of frenzied research and
development at Los Alamos, New Mexico, before the bomb was ready to use. In June 1945, this new deadly device was tested at
the Alamogordo Air Base in New Mexico. In August 1945, an atomic bomb was used on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Three days
later, a second bomb was used on the Japanese city of Nagasaki. Within days of the dropping of the second bomb, Japan agreed
to surrender.
(3) The D-Day invasion did not bring about the surrender of Italy. Italy surrendered after a long and bloody
campaign against American and British forces just as the D-Day invasion was beginning in June 1944.
(4) The D-Day invasion
was not intended to stop Soviet advances in eastern Europe. On the contrary, the strategy of the allies was to have two fronts
in Europe against Hitler—the Soviets on the eastern front and the Americans and British on the western front. |
|
2
17. The Marshall Plan (1948–1952) was a United States effort to assist the nations
of Europe by |
|
| 1. forming a strong military alliance |
3. sending United States troops to trouble spots |
| 2. providing economic aid |
4. continuing Lend-Lease aid to the Soviet Union |
|
2 The Marshall Plan (1948–1952) was a U.S. effort to assist the nations of Europe by providing
economic aid. The Marshall Plan (1948) extended billions of dollars to war-torn western Europe after World War II. It was,
in part, designed to strengthen the western democracies so that they would not turn to communism. The Marshall Plan was part
of the U.S. policy of containment. The policy was developed after World War II when the wartime ally of the United States,
the Soviet Union, became its rival and the two powers became entangled in an ongoing Cold War. The architects of the containment
policy saw the Soviet Union as a predatory force, forcing its form of government on other countries. The reality was usually
more complex, as Soviet pressure often combined with internal factors to push a country toward the communist camp.
WRONG
CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) The Marshall Plan was an economic package, not a military alliance. As part of its strategy
during the Cold War, the United States did encourage the formation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO; 1949),
a military alliance of nations opposed to the Soviet camp.
(3) The Marshall Plan was an economic package, not a military
strategy. As part of the Cold War, the United States did send troops to trouble spots, most notably South Korea (1951–1953).
(4)
The Marshal Plan did not extend aid to the Soviet Union. It was designed to strengthen nations so that they would not turn
to communism. The Lend-Lease Act was the U.S. policy of extending aid to nations fighting Nazi aggression at the beginning
of World War II. |
|
1
18. Base your answer on the accompanying map and on your knowledge of social studies.
The
relocation camps shown on the map were mainly a reaction to the |
 |
|
| 1. Japanese military attack on Pearl Harbor |
3. need to train Japanese Americans for military service |
| 2. capture of Japanese war prisoners |
4. attacks by Japanese Americans on United States military bases |
|
1 The relocation camps shown on the map were mainly a reaction to the Japanese military attack on Pearl
Harbor. The bombing of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, by Japan (December 7, 1941) led the United States to enter World War II. Emotions
ran high after this attack. Many Americans directed their anger at all Japanese people—even ones who had decided to
immigrate to the United States. The United States asserted that these Japanese Americans posed a security risk, but the government
never provided evidence of spying or sabotage by Japanese Americans.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(2) The relocation
camps did not include Japanese war prisoners. The United States maintained prisoner-of-war camps in areas it controlled in
the Pacific theater of operations.
(3) The relocation camps were not intended as military training centers for Japanese
Americans. However, many Japanese Americans did volunteer to serve in the military during World War II. Despite the mistreatment
they received at the hands of the U.S. government, Japanese Americans comprised the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, which fought
with distinction in Europe.
(4) There were no attacks by Japanese Americans on U.S. military bases during World War II. |
|
2
19. President Franklin D. Roosevelt's reelection in 1940 created a controversy that eventually
led to |
|
| 1. the Supreme Court declaring the election unconstitutional |
3. an effort to increase voter participation |
| 2. the establishment of presidential term limits |
4. an attempt to increase the number of Justices on the Supreme Court |
|
2 President Franklin D. Roosevelt's reelection in 1940 created a controversy that eventually led to the
establishment of presidential term limits. President George Washington established a precedent of serving only two terms.
This tradition of serving for only two terms became such an ingrained part of the American political system that it was long
described as being part of the "unwritten constitution" of the United States. Each president after Washington followed this
tradition until President Franklin D. Roosevelt ran for a third term in 1940. He won that election, and he was even elected
to a fourth term in 1944 before he died in office in 1945. After Roosevelt's death, many argued that the tradition of the
two-term presidency should be added to the actual Constitution. These advocates argued that the power of the presidency gave
an incumbent president an unfair advantage. In 1951, the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution was ratified, limiting to two
the number of full terms a president may serve.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) The Supreme Court did not address
the issue of presidential term limits. The Court did rule in 1995 that states could not impose term limits on their federal
representatives.
(3) The controversy around President Franklin Roosevelt's decision to seek a third term did not involve
the level of voter participation.
(4) The controversy around President Franklin Roosevelt's decision to seek a third term
did not lead to him attempting to increase the number of justices on the Supreme Court. Roosevelt did attempt to increase
the number of justices on the Supreme Court, but the "court packing" controversy occurred in 1937, three years before he ran
for a third term. |
|
4
20. Base your answer on the accompanying map and on your knowledge of social studies.
Which
statement is best supported by the information on the map? |
 |
|
| 1. Government officials used abandoned mining towns to house Japanese Americans. |
3. Relocation centers had to be placed near rivers. |
| 2. Western states did not support the decision to create the relocation centers. |
4. The government considered Japanese Americans a threat to national security. |
|
4 The map indicates internment camps where the government relocated Japanese Americans during World War
II. This indicates that the government considered Japanese Americans a threat to national security. In 1942 President Roosevelt
issued Executive Order 9066, authorizing the government to remove 120,000 people, two-thirds of them citizens, from West Coast
states and relocate them to camps throughout the West. Most of their property was confiscated by the government. In the case
of Korematsu v. United States (1944), the Supreme Court ruled that the relocation was acceptable on the grounds
of national security. Much later, in 1988, the U.S. government publicly apologized to the surviving victims and extended $20,000
in reparations to each one. The Korematsu decision is one of several rulings by the Supreme Court that have curtailed civil
liberties in times of war.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) The map does not indicate whether the camps were
located in abandoned mining towns. Manzanar, one of the largest camps, was established at the site of an abandoned town that
had been founded by ranchers and miners. Many of the camps were simply erected on open land out West.
(2) The map does
not indicate whether Western states opposed the creation of the relocation centers. Anti-Japanese sentiment ran high during
World War II, leading many people to support the move to relocate Japanese Americans.
(3) The map does not indicate whether
the relocation centers were placed near rivers. Many were located in the desert and had to be supplied with water. |
|
2
21. Base your answer on the accompanying song and on your knowledge of social studies.
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?They used to tell me I was building a dream
And so I followed the
mob.
When there was earth to plow or guns to bear,
I was always there, right on the job.
They used to tell me I was
building a dream
With peace and glory ahead —
Why should I be standing in line, just waiting
for bread?
Once
I built a railroad, I made it run,
Made it race against time.
Once I built a railroad, now it's done —
Brother,
can you spare a dime? . . .
Once in khaki suits, gee, we looked swell
Full of that Yankee Doodle-de-dum.
Half
a million boots went slogging through hell,
And I was the kid with the drum. . . .
— E. Y. Harburg and J. Gorney, 1932
Which program was created to deal with
the problem identified in this song? |
|
| 1. Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) |
3. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) |
| 2. Works Progress Administration (WPA) |
4. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) |
|
2 The Works Progress Administration (WPA) was created to deal with the central problem identified in
the song—widespread unemployment during the Great Depression of the 1930s. The WPA (1935) was a vast program of government
projects that hired millions of unemployed workers. The WPA, for example, built schools, maintained highways, installed sewer
lines, wrote guidebooks, and produced theatrical productions. 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.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) The Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC; 1887) was created to regulate
trade between states, not to address the issue of unemployment. The impetus behind the ICC was widespread resentment at the
practices of the large railroad companies. Many farmers believed the railroad companies were engaged in underhanded business
practices and that the government should step in to regulate these giant corporations.
(3) The Federal Trade Commission
(FTC; 1914) was created to regulate business practices, not to address the issue of unemployment. The FTC attempts to protect
the consumers from unfair business practices.
(4) The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC; 1933) was created during
the New Deal, but its focus was restoring people's confidence in the banking system, not helping the unemployed. |
|
4
22. Base your answer on the accompanying song and on your knowledge of social studies.
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?They used to tell me I was building a dream
And so I followed the
mob.
When there was earth to plow or guns to bear,
I was always there, right on the job.
They used to tell me I was
building a dream
With peace and glory ahead —
Why should I be standing in line, just waiting
for bread?
Once
I built a railroad, I made it run,
Made it race against time.
Once I built a railroad, now it's done —
Brother,
can you spare a dime? . . .
Once in khaki suits, gee, we looked swell
Full of that Yankee Doodle-de-dum.
Half
a million boots went slogging through hell,
And I was the kid with the drum. . . .
— E. Y. Harburg and J. Gorney, 1932
Which statement most accurately expresses
the main idea of this song? |
|
| 1. Railroad workers were often overpaid. |
3. Soldiers never have difficulty finding jobs when they return from war. |
| 2. The average wage in 1930 was 10 cents an hour. |
4. Hard times threaten economic opportunity. |
|
4 The main idea of the song is that hard times threaten economic opportunity. The famous song poignantly
highlights the economic bind that many people were in during the Great Depression of the 1930s. The narrator of the song had
participated in building the network of railroads that crisscrossed America and had fought to defend his country during World
War I. Now he was reduced to asking for handouts to survive. The song makes clear that the unemployed during the Great Depression
were not lazy; rather, there simply were no jobs available.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) The song does not
assert that railroad workers were overpaid. The song is sympathetic to the men who built the network of railroads in the United
States. It wonders why these hardworking men had no other option during the Great Depression than waiting in a bread line
or asking for a handout.
(2) The song does not mention average wages in 1930. In fact, it notes that many hardworking men
were unemployed during the Great Depression. The "dime" in the title refers to spare change that the narrator is asking passersby
for.
(3) The song does not assert that returning soldiers easily find work. Rather, it is noting the opposite. Many veterans
of World War I were reduced to asking for handouts because they did not have jobs. |
|
3
23. Base your answer on the accompanying cartoon and on your knowledge of social studies.
Based
on this cartoon, economic recovery would require |
 |
|
| 1. fewer regulations by the federal government |
3. more money in the hands of lower-income families |
| 2. increased taxes on the working class |
4. protective tariffs on foreign goods |
|
3 Based on the cartoon, economic recovery would require more money in the hands of lower income families.
The cartoon and the quote below it by President Franklin Roosevelt highlight one of the important philosophical underpinnings
of Roosevelt's New Deal program. He saw that one of the causes of the Great Depression was that workers in the 1920s were
not able to purchase enough consumer goods to keep the economy growing. An important aspect of his New Deal was increasing
workers' wages. Toward this end, President Franklin Roosevelt pushed for passage of the Wagner Act, which made it easier for
workers to join unions so that their wages, and purchasing power, would rise. He also supported programs that would provide
government jobs to unemployed people, such as the Works Progress Administration.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1)
The cartoon is not asserting that economic recovery would require fewer regulations by the federal government. The presence
of Uncle Sam, helping "Mr. Small Income," indicates that the cartoonist would encourage greater government involvement in
the economy, not less.
(2) The cartoon is not asserting that economic recovery would require increased taxes on the working
class. The key to the "permanent recovery" door is labeled "increased purchasing power." President Franklin Roosevelt argued
that workers were not able to purchase enough consumer goods to get the economy moving toward recovery. Increasing taxes on
working people would not increase their purchasing power; it would diminish it.
(4) The cartoon is not asserting that economic
recovery would require protective tariffs on foreign goods. The cartoon does not allude to trade at all. Roosevelt actually
pushed to lower tariffs on foreign goods in order to boost trade. |
|
3
24. 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. |
|
1
25. 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. |
|
4
26. Which foreign policy did Warren G. Harding support when he used the phrase "return to
normalcy" during his presidential campaign of 1920? |
|
| 1. appeasement |
3. containment |
| 2. internationalism |
4. isolationism |
|
4 Warren G. Harding supported the foreign policy of isolationism when he used the phrase "return to normalcy"
during his presidential campaign of 1920. Harding ran a conservative campaign. His call for a "return to normalcy" implied
a rejection of the internationalist impulses that propelled the United States into World War I as well as a rejection of the
reformist impulses of the Progressive era. Isolationism means retreating from world affairs. The policy of isolationism led
to the Senate rejecting the Treaty of Versailles. Approval of the treaty by the Senate would have made the United States a
member of the League of Nations. Harding signed into law the 1922 Fordney-McCumber Act, which dramatically raised tariff rates
in order to keep out foreign goods. Isolationist sentiment in the 1920s also led to the enactment of legislation that dramatically
restricted immigration into the United States.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) The foreign policy of appeasement
is not associated with President Harding. The policy of appeasement is associated with the leaders of Great Britain and France
in the 1930s, when they allowed Hitler to expand German territory.
(2) The foreign policy of internationalism is not associated
with President Harding. Several presidents have pursued an internationalist foreign policy by urging greater U.S. involvement
in international affairs. President Wilson ushered the United States into intervening in World War I, and President Franklin
Roosevelt pushed for greater United States involvement in World War II even before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in
1941.
(3) The foreign policy of containment is not associated with President Harding. Containment, the policy of preventing
the spread of communism beyond the countries in which it already existed, is associated with President Truman in the early
years of the Cold War. |
|
1
27. President Woodrow Wilson's policy of strict neutrality during the early years of World
War I was challenged by |
|
| 1. German violations of freedom of the seas |
3. attacks by Mexicans on United States border towns |
| 2. British disrespect for the Roosevelt corollary |
4. the refusal of the League of Nations to supply peacekeepers |
|
1 President Woodrow Wilson's policy of strict neutrality during the early years of World War I was challenged
by German violations of freedom of the seas. Freedom of the seas was a major reason for U.S. entrance into World War I. 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. But quickly Great Britain successfully blockaded American ships from reaching Germany. Out of necessity,
U.S. trade shifted to Great Britain exclusively. Germany responded by warning the United States that 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 American 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:
(2) The Roosevelt corollary to the Monroe Doctrine involved Latin America, not Europe. Further, the United
States entered World War I on the side of Great Britain, so British "disrespect" of the United States would not contribute
to America joining the war on the British side.
(3) There were no attacks by Mexicans on U.S. border towns. There was some
concern about Mexico when the United States became aware of the Zimmerman note, in which German foreign secretary Arthur Zimmerman
indicated that Germany would help Mexico regain territory it lost to the United States if Mexico joined the war on Germany's
side. But Mexico stayed out of World War I.
(4) The League of Nations was not formed until after World War I. |
|
1
28. The initiative and referendum are considered democratic reforms because they |
|
| 1. permit citizens to have a more direct role in lawmaking |
3. extend the right to vote to 18-year-old citizens |
| 2. let all registered voters select their state's presidential electors |
4. allow residents of one state to bring lawsuits against residents of another state |
|
1 The initiative and referendum are considered democratic reforms because they permit citizens to have
a more direct role in lawmaking. Progressive reformers in the first two decades of the 20th century sought to expand citizen
participation in government by adopting the initiative and referendum. These reformers were concerned that government was
being taken over by corrupt and inefficient political machines. The muckraking journalist Lincoln Steffens exposed the underside
of American municipal politics and the influence of wealthy businessmen in The Shame of the Cities (1902). Reformers
hoped that by expanding democracy the power of these political machines would be lessened. The initiative would enable citizens
to introduce a bill to the local or state legislature by petition. The referendum would allow people to vote directly on proposed
legislation.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(2) The initiative and the referendum did not let all registered voters
select their state's presidential electors. The Constitution states that each state shall determine the method for selecting
electors. Currently, in all states the presidential electors are determined by the results of the popular vote in the state.
Forty-eight states have a winner-take-all system for selecting electors.
(3) The initiative and the referendum did not
extend the right to vote to 18-year-old citizens. The voting age was reduced from 21 to 18 by the 26th Amendment (1971).
(4)
The initiative and referendum did not address the issue of lawsuits between residents of different states. There have never
been any bans on residents of one state bringing lawsuits against residents of another state. |
|
2
29. 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
30. The Federal Reserve System was created in 1913 to |
|
| 1. protect endangered species |
3. collect income taxes |
| 2. reduce tariff rates |
4. regulate the nation's money supply |
|
4 The Federal Reserve Bank was created in 1913 to regulate the nation's money supply. By regulating the
amount of money in circulation, the Federal Reserve Bank (also known as the Fed) is able to regulate economic growth. For
instance, if the economy is sluggish, the Fed will attempt to stimulate economic growth by putting more money in circulation.
If inflation occurs, the Fed will attempt to slow down economic activity by taking money out of circulation. An important
mechanism for regulating the amount of currency in circulation is raising or lowering the interest rate at which the Fed loans
money to other banks. Other banks follow suit, raising or lowering the interest rates at which they loan money to the public.
For example, by lowering interest rates, the Fed will encourage more people to take out loans and spend money on big-ticket
items such as homes and cars. This has the effect of putting money in circulation. Conversely, if the Fed raises interest
rates, people will be less likely to take out loans. More money would then stay in bank vaults instead of going into circulation.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) The Federal Reserve System was not created to protect endangered species. The
United States passed the Endangered Species Act in 1973.
(2) The Federal Reserve System was not created to reduce tariff
rates. A series of tariff acts throughout American history have either raised or lowered tariff rates.
(3) The Federal
Reserve System was not created to collect income taxes. Federal income taxes were legally permitted with the ratification
of the 16th Amendment, also in 1913. |
|
3
31. "Hawaiian Planters Urge American Annexation"
"U.S. and Germany Negotiate for Control
of the Samoan Islands"
"U.S. Gains Control of Wake Island and Guam"
Which conclusion can best be drawn from
these headlines? |
|
| 1. The Anti-Imperialist League strongly influenced Congress. |
3. United States territorial expansion increased in the Pacific Ocean. |
| 2. Respect for native cultures motivated United States foreign policy. |
4. Construction of a railroad to Alaska was a major policy goal. |
|
3 The three headlines indicate that U.S. territorial expansion increased in the Pacific Ocean. Hawaii,
Samoa, Wake Island, and Guam are all Pacific islands that the United States has gained control over. 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. Wake Island was annexed by the United States in 1898. It was uninhabited at the time. Samoa
was divided as a result of negotiations between the United States and Germany in 1899. The negotiations followed several years
of war in which the United States and Germany supported different sides. Some critics in the United States resisted the move
toward empire. These critics wondered how the United States, a country born in an anticolonial war, could acquire an empire
of its own. The most prominent anti-imperialist was author Mark Twain.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) The
headlines do not indicate that the Anti-Imperialist League strongly influenced Congress. The headlines describe imperialist
acts on the part of the United States. If the Anti-Imperialist League was successful, such acts would not have occurred.
(2)
The headlines do not indicate that United States foreign policy was motivated by respect for native cultures. The United States
assumed that native cultures were inferior. It showed little respect for the desires of native people. In the case of Hawaii,
the local leader, Queen Lilioukalani, hoped to restore Hawaii to native control and challenged American control. She was forced
to surrender.
(4) The headlines all refer to incidents involving Pacific islands, far from the North American mainland. |
|
4
32. . . ."You are our employers, but you are not our masters. Under the system of government
we have in the United States we are your equals, and we contribute as much, if not more, to the success of industry than do
the employers." . . .
— testimony, United States Congress, April 29, 1911 The point of view expressed
in the quotation was most likely that of a |
|
| 1. recent immigrant responding to discrimination |
3. woman demanding the right of suffrage |
| 2. government official campaigning for reelection |
4. labor leader speaking about the rights of workers |
|
4 The point of view expressed in the quotation was most likely that of a labor leader speaking about
the rights of workers. The speaker was asserting that ordinary workers were equal, in terms of rights and privileges, to the
owners of big corporations. The speaker was reminding the audience that ordinary workers actually produced the goods that
were contributing much to the U.S. economy. At the time, labor leaders and their allies worried that the robber barons, as
the owners of big corporations were derisively labeled, had come to dominate the political process in the United States.
WRONG
CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) The speaker was not discussing immigration. Many of the workers at that time were immigrants,
but the speaker was discussing their status as workers, not as immigrants.
(2) The speaker was not expressing the point
of view of a government official on the campaign trail. The speaker identified himself or herself as a worker, not as a politician.
(3)
The speaker was not discussing discrimination against women. There were certainly many women working in factories at the time,
but the speaker was discussing the status of workers, not of women. |
|
4
33. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, many members of Congress supported legislation requiring
literacy tests for immigrants in an attempt to |
|
| 1. stop illegal immigration from Latin America |
3. limit the power of urban political machines |
| 2. provide highly skilled workers for industry |
4. restrict immigration from southern and eastern Europe |
|
4 In the late 1800s and early 1900s, many members of Congress supported legislation requiring literacy
tests for immigrants in an attempt to restrict immigration from southern and eastern Europe. During this period a strong Nativist,
or anti-immigrant, movement developed in the United States. Some members of the movement exhibited prejudice toward people
who seemed "different." Others did not want immigrant workers to compete with Americans for jobs. Still others worried that
the United States might become overpopulated. One strategy for restricting immigration was requiring immigrants to pass a
literacy test before they would be admitted to the United States. Large numbers of immigrants were not literate in their native
tongue, let alone English. Nativists failed to implement such a literacy test, but they were successful in the 1920s in restricting
immigration. 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) Illegal immigration was not a major issue before the 1920s. In the 1920s, the
United States passed laws drastically restricting the number of immigrants allowed into the country, based on complicated
quota systems. Before the 1920s, however, the United States had virtually open borders. Therefore, one did not have to break
the law to come into the United States.
(2) Literacy tests would be used to keep out immigrants, not to entice highly skilled
workers into the United States. Further, by the early 1900s, there was much more demand for unskilled workers than for skilled
workers. Mass production techniques required unskilled factory operatives, not skilled craftsmen.
(3) To participate in
the electoral process, immigrants would have to become citizens of the United States. Reading, writing, and speaking English
were prerequisites for citizenship. |
|
3
34. In the late 1800s, which group most often supported the views of the Populist Party? |
|
| 1. factory owners |
3. farmers |
| 2. nativists |
4. labor unions |
|
3 In the late 1800s, farmers most often supported the views of the Populist Party. The populist movement
became a formidable force in the 1890s. The Populists grew angry at the concentration of wealth and power by Eastern industrialists.
They supported a national income tax so that those with higher incomes would pay more than the poor. They also supported free
and unlimited coinage of silver. The Populist Party wanted the United States to get off the gold standard and to issue money
backed by silver as well. This would increase the amount of money in circulation and would lead to inflation. Farmers supported
inflationary policies so that the prices they received for their produce would increase. In 1896, the Populist Party endorsed
William Jennings Bryan, a Democrat, because of his support for the free coinage of silver. In a famous speech, Bryan promised
not to let the American people be crucified "upon a cross of gold." Finally, the populists supported the direct election of
senators to make officials more accountable to the public.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) Factory owners would
not have supported the views of the Populist Party. The Populists were very critical of the wealth and power that were concentrated
in the hands of factory owners. They believed that such powerful economic interests had undermined democracy.
(2) There
was some overlap between the Populist movement and the Nativist movement. Nativists were people who believed that immigration
was dangerous to American society. Some Populist farmers were suspicious of urban people, including immigrants. However, other
Populists thought it was important to create alliances among all producing people—farmers as well as urban factory workers.
(4)
There was a great deal of overlap between the Populist movement and the Labor movement. Both movements championed the cause
of the common man over the power of large corporations. However, the main support for the Populist movement came from farmers. |
|
2
35. During the late 1800s, pools and trusts were used by big business in an effort to |
|
| 1. increase imports |
3. improve working conditions |
| 2. limit competition |
4. reduce corporate income taxes |
|
2 During the late 1800s, pools and trusts were used by big business to limit competition. Trusts and
pools are combinations of companies that came to dominate entire industries during the Gilded Age of the late 1800s. John
D. Rockefeller established the first large trust in the oil processing industry. The formation of trusts was seen as harmful
to the interests of consumers. The men who controlled the major industries in the United States came to be known as robber
barons, a scornful title meant to call attention to their cutthroat business activities and their attempts to control
the government. Critics of corporate power pushed the government to take steps to reign in these massive corporations. But
their efforts often did not end up having the desired effect. The Sherman Antitrust Act was designed to break up trusts, but
only a few trusts were challenged. Ironically, the act was used with equal vigor against unions, on the grounds that they
were illegal formations that interfered with free trade.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) Pools and trusts were
not used by business to increase imports. American business leaders of the late 1800s wanted to reduce imports because imported
goods would compete with products produced by American companies.
(3) Pools and trusts were not used to improve working
conditions. Working conditions of the late 1800s were often unsafe to the workers. American business leaders were not eager
to put money into improving these conditions.
(4) Pools and trusts were not used to reduce corporate income tax. Business
leaders are always eager to reduce their tax burden, but corporate income taxes were not levied until 1909. |
|
1
36. The passage of Jim Crow laws in the South after Reconstruction was aided in part by |
|
| 1. a narrow interpretation of the 14th amendment by the United States Supreme Court |
3. the growth of Republican-dominated governments in the South |
| 2. a change in the southern economy from agricultural to industrial |
4. the rise in European immigration to the South |
|
1 The passage of Jim Crow laws in the South after Reconstruction was aided in part by a narrow interpretation
of the 14th Amendment by the Supreme Court. Jim Crow laws segregated public facilities, such as railroad cars, bathrooms,
and schools. These laws relegated African Americans to second-class status in the South. Advocates for civil rights for African
Americans hoped that the 14th Amendment (ratified in 1868) would prevent the implementation of Jim Crow laws. The Amendment
prevents states from making laws that limit the "privileges or immunities" of any U.S. citizen. It also insists that states
provide all citizens with "equal protection under the law." But the Supreme Court interpreted this broad language in such
a narrow way that it allowed for the implementation of Jim Crow laws. In the Slaughterhouse cases (1873), the Court
made a distinction between national citizenship and state citizenship. It ruled that the 14th Amendment applied to national
citizenship rights, such as the right to vote in national elections and the right to travel between states. The Court said
that the Amendment did not apply to rights that derived from "state citizenship." Therefore, the 14th Amendment could not
be used to prohibit state Jim Crow laws.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(2) The South did not experience a change
in its economy from agriculture to industry after Reconstruction. Some Southerners in the post-Civil War period, notably Henry
Grady, advocated that the South move beyond its old reliance on plantation agriculture and develop a mixed economy that would
include industry. These "new South" advocates did not generally succeed in pushing the South toward industry. Only a few small
pockets of industry emerged in the South before the second half of the 20th century.
(3) The Republican Party did not grow
in the South after Reconstruction. The end of Reconstruction meant the end of Republican power in the South, as the Democratic
Party reasserted dominance in the South.
(4) There was little European immigration to the South after Reconstruction. European
immigrants moved to Northern and Midwestern cities, where industrial jobs were plentiful. |
|
4
37. Which Supreme Court decision created the need for a constitutional amendment that would
grant citizenship to formerly enslaved persons? |
|
| 1. Marbury v. Madison |
3. Worcester v. Georgia |
| 2. McCulloch v. Maryland |
4. Dred Scott v. Sanford |
|
4 The Supreme Court decision in the case of Dred Scott v. Sanford created a need for a
constitutional amendment that would grant citizenship to formerly enslaved persons. Dred Scott, a slave, sued to obtain his
freedom on the grounds that he had lived for a time in territories where slavery was banned. The Supreme Court ruled against
him and went further, declaring that no African Americans, not even free men and women, were entitled to citizenship in the
United States because they were, according to the Court, "beings of an inferior order." The case alarmed African Americans
and many white northerners. This principle was overturned with the ratification of the 14th Amendment (1868), which granted
citizenship to all persons born in the United States.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) The case of Marbury
v. Madison did not involve slavery or the status of formerly enslaved persons. The Marbury v. Madison
decision (1803) is arguably the Supreme Court's most important decision. The decision established the Supreme Court's power
to review laws and determine if they are consistent with the Constitution. Laws declared unconstitutional by the Court are
immediately disallowed. This power of judicial review has been the main function of the Supreme Court since then and has been
instrumental in maintaining balance between the three branches of the government.
(2) The case of McCulloch v. Maryland
did not involve slavery or the status of formerly enslaved persons. In the McCulloch v. Maryland decision (1819),
the Supreme Court prohibited Maryland from taxing the Bank of the United States. The case was significant because it declared
federal power superior to state power.
(3) The case of Worcester v. Georgia did not involve slavery or the
status of formerly enslaved persons. In the Worcester v. Georgia decision (1832), the Supreme Court recognized
the Cherokee people as a nation within the state of Georgia and ruled that they would not be subject to the 1830 Indian Removal
Act. |
|
3
38. Base your answer on the quotation below and on your knowledge of social studies.
.
. . With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive
on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his
widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.
— Abraham Lincoln, Second Inaugural Address,
March 4, 1865 This statement reveals
President Lincoln's support for |
|
| 1. a new peace treaty with Great Britain |
3. a fair and generous peace |
| 2. universal male suffrage |
4. harsh punishment for Confederate leaders |
|
3 The statement reveals President Lincoln's support for a fair and generous peace with the South after
the Civil War. The phrase "with malice toward none; with charity for all" from his Second Inaugural Address (1865) reflects
his desire to quickly restore the Union, rather than punish Southerners who took part in secession. His actions reflected
this goal. In 1863, he announced his "10 percent plan" to quickly restore the Southern states after the war. If 10 percent
of the 1860 voters in a Southern state took an oath of allegiance to the United States and promised to abide by emancipation,
then that state could establish a new government and send representatives to Congress. In 1864, he vetoed the Wade-Davis Bill,
which would have established much stricter standards for the Southern states to meet. Lincoln was assassinated less than a
month after his second inauguration, so it is difficult to surmise how he would have negotiated the difficulties of the Reconstruction
era.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) The statement does not address the issue of a new peace with Great Britain.
The United States was not at war with Great Britain during Lincoln's administration, so there would have been no need for
a peace treaty. Lincoln feared that Great Britain might join the Southern side in the Civil War. In fact, one of his motivations
for issuing the Emancipation Proclamation (1863) was to prevent Great Britain from entering the war. He reasoned that Great
Britain might join the South to protect its supply of raw cotton, but it would not join the South to protect the institution
of slavery.
(2) The statement does not address the issue of universal male suffrage. Lincoln did not directly address this
issue. In his attempt to quickly restore the Southern states to the United States, he did not bring up the contentious issue
of extending the vote to African American males.
(4) The statement does not call for harsh treatment for Confederate leaders.
The phrase "with malice toward none, with charity for all" indicates the lenient treatment Lincoln proposed for Confederate
leaders. His desire was to quickly restore the Union, not punish Confederate leaders. |
|
3
39. Abolitionists in the pre–Civil War period were most likely to support the |
|
| 1. removal of the Cherokee Indians from Georgia |
3. activities of the Underground Railroad |
| 2. passage of the Fugitive Slave Act |
4. use of popular sovereignty in the territories |
|
3 Abolitionists in the pre-Civil War period were most likely to support the activities of the Underground
Railroad. The Underground Railroad was an informal network of safe houses in which escaped slaves could find refuge. "Conductors"
on the Underground Railroad guided these escaped slaves from one safe house to another at night to avoid detection by law
enforcement authorities. The goal was to guide the escaped slaves to Canada. One of the important conductors on the Underground
Railroad was Harriet Tubman. The movement to abolish slavery gained strength in the 1830s. A key early figure was William
Lloyd Garrison, who began publishing The Liberator in 1831 to prod the public into challenging the institution of slavery.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) Abolitionists were not in favor of the removal of the Cherokee Indians from
Georgia. Many of the proponents of Indian removal were motivated by a desire to expand cotton production, and slavery, in
Georgia. The government passed the Indian Removal Act (1830), ordering the Cherokee to move west. The Cherokee got a short
reprieve from the Supreme Court decision in Worcester v. Georgia (1832), which recognized the Cherokee people
as a nation within the state of Georgia and ruled that they would not be subject to the Indian Removal Act. But the state
of Georgia, with the support of President Andrew Jackson, began moving them to the West anyway.
(2) Abolitionists were
opposed to the Fugitive Slave Act. One of the elements of the Compromise of 1850 was a stronger Fugitive Slave Act. White
southern politicians welcomed this legislation because it gave slave catchers much greater latitude in retrieving runaway
slaves in the North. Abolitionists despised it for the same reason.
(4) Abolitionists were opposed to the use of popular
sovereignty in the territories. Popular sovereignty meant letting the people of a particular territory decide whether or not
to allow slavery in that territory. The principle was applied to the newly created Kansas and Nebraska Territories under the
Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854). Abolitionists opposed this act because it opened up those areas to the possibility of slavery.
Previously, the Missouri Compromise (1820) closed that portion of the Louisiana Purchase territory to slavery. |
|
4
40. The climate and topography of the southeastern United States had a major impact on the
history of the United States before 1860 because the region |
|
| 1. became the center of commerce and manufacturing |
3. was the area in which most immigrants chose to settle |
| 2. developed as the largest domestic source of steel production |
4. provided agricultural products that were processed in the North and in Europe |
|
4 The climate and topography of the southeastern United States had a major impact on the history of the
United States before 1860 because the region provided agricultural products that were processed in the North and in Europe.
The most important agricultural product was cotton. Cotton needs a long frost-free season, lots of sunshine, and moderate
rainfall. These conditions are present in a broad swath of the South. Eli Whitney's cotton gin (1793) was instrumental in
helping meet the growing demand for raw cotton. A cotton gin separates the cotton seeds from the raw cotton strands. Southern
plantation owners needed workers to plant, tend, and harvest the cotton crop. Thus, the institution of slavery saw a dramatic
increase in the first half of the 1800s. From the 1830s onward, slavery became a contentious issue in American society. The
issue intensified as the United States acquired more territory in the West. The question of whether these new territories
would be slave or free became a central political issue in the 1850s and led to the Civil War (1861–1865).
WRONG
CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) The southeastern United States was not the center of commerce and manufacturing, either before
or after 1860. Throughout the 1800s, the northern states dominated these sectors of the economy.
(2) Steel production was
not significant in the southeastern United States before 1860. Steel production was centered in Pennsylvania and Ohio, and
became prominent only after the Civil War.
(3) The southeastern United States was not a magnet for immigrants, either before
or after 1860. Throughout the 1800s, most immigrants to the United States settled in the cities of the northern states. |
|
3
41. A geographic and economic motivation for the Louisiana Purchase (1803) was the desire
to |
|
| 1. annex California |
3. control the port of New Orleans |
| 2. secure land for the Erie Canal |
4. own all of the Great Lakes |
|
3 A geographic and economic motivation for the Louisiana Purchase (1803) was the desire to control the
port of New Orleans. During the administration of President Thomas Jefferson, the United States purchased the Louisiana Territory
from France for $15 million. The purchase nearly doubled the size of the United States and gave the United States control
of the Mississippi River and the port city of New Orleans. New Orleans became increasingly important as pioneers in the late
1700s and early 1800s crossed over the Appalachian Mountains and settled in the Mississippi and Ohio River Valleys and established
farms. It was impractical to transport agricultural goods such as wheat and corn by overland routes to the population centers
along the eastern seaboard. Roads were primitive and railroads had not yet been developed. Therefore, water routes down the
Ohio and Mississippi Rivers to New Orleans and beyond became very important for the farmers.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1)
Annexing California was not a motivation for the Louisiana Purchase (1803). The United States did not acquire California until
much later. It was part of the land ceded by Mexico in 1848 after the Mexican War.
(2) Securing land for the Erie Canal
was not a motivation for the Louisiana Purchase (1803). The Erie Canal runs through upstate New York, land that the United
States possessed from its founding.
(4) Owning all of the Great Lakes was not a motivation for the Louisiana Purchase.
The United States already extended to the Great Lakes. The United States does not "own" the Great Lakes. Lake Michigan is
within U.S. territory, but the other lakes form the U.S. border with Canada. |
|
2
42. The principal goal of the supporters of Manifest Destiny in the 1840s was to |
|
| 1. convince Canada to become part of the United States |
3. build a canal across Central America |
| 2. expand United States territory to the Pacific Ocean |
4. acquire naval bases in the Caribbean |
|
2 The principal goal of supporters of Manifest Destiny in the 1840s was to expand U.S. territory to the
Pacific Ocean. The term Manifest Destiny was 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. Americans
who did settle out west were probably driven more by economic factors, such as cheap land or precious metals, than they were
by a desire to fulfill God's plan. Supporters of Manifest Destiny achieved their goal of extending American territory to the
Pacific Ocean with the acquisition of the Oregon Territory (1848) and the purchase of the Mexican Cession territory after
the Mexican War (1848). Other noteworthy episodes in the history of the settlement of the West include Texas independence
from Mexico (1836), the opening of the Oregon Trail (1841), and the Mormon exodus to Utah (1847). This movement was especially
damaging for the Native Americans of the West, who were driven off their land and relegated to several western reservations.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) Supporters of Manifest Destiny might have dreamed of incorporating Canada into
the United States, but that was never a principal goal of the movement.
(3) Manifest Destiny is associated with expansion
across the North American continent. The push to build a canal across Central America came later. The Panama Canal was completed
in 1914.
(4) Manifest Destiny is associated with expansion across the North American continent. The push to acquire naval
bases in the Caribbean came in the 1890s as the United States became an imperialist power. |
|
1
43. Which principle of the United States Constitution is intended to ensure that no one
branch of government has more power than another branch? |
|
| 1. checks and balances |
3. limited government |
| 2. federalism |
4. rule of law |
|
1 The constitutional principle of checks and balances is intended to ensure that no one branch of the
government has more power than another branch. The framers of the Constitution created three branches. The legislative branch
creates laws, the executive branch carries out laws, and the judicial branch interprets laws. The Constitution spells out
the powers of each branch. The powers of Congress are listed in Article I, those of the president in Article II, and those
of the Supreme Court in Article III. The framers were very conscious of the problems of a government with limitless powers.
After living under the British monarchy, they came to believe that a powerful government without checks was dangerous to liberty.
Therefore, they created a governmental system with three branches, each with the ability to check the powers of the other
two. The goal was to keep the three branches in balance. An example of this concept of checks and balances is the president's
ability to veto (or reject) bills passed by Congress, or the Supreme Court's ability to strike down laws that it deems unconstitutional.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(2) Federalism describes the relationship between the national government and state
governments. While the word itself implies a loose league of states, in the American context federalism gives the strong national
government supremacy over the state governments.
(3) Limited government describes a government structure in which restraints
are placed on government intervention into people's private lives and into economic matters. It can be contrasted with a dictatorship
or authoritarian government in which there are no restraints on the power of the governments. The United States has a limited
government. The clearest expression of limits on the government can be found in the Bill of Rights.
(4) Rule of law describes
a government structure in which power is exercised only within the bounds of written, publicly agreed upon laws and rules.
Although United States government officials, including the president, have been known to operate, at times, outside the law,
the United States is a country in which the rule of law is the norm. Rule of law can be contrasted with mob rule or dictatorial
rule. |
|
1
44. The creation of the presidential cabinet and political parties are examples of |
|
| 1. the unwritten constitution |
3. the elastic clause |
| 2. separation of powers |
4. judicial review |
|
1 The creation of the presidential cabinet and political parties are examples of the unwritten constitution.
The unwritten constitution refers to those traditions and practices that have become part of the American political system
but were not mentioned in the Constitution. Many of these practices date back to the administration of George Washington.
He first regularly convened a cabinet, comprising the heads of government departments, to advise him. Washington's administration
also witnessed the development of political parties, a practice unforeseen by most of the founding fathers. For most of the
nation's history, two major rival parties have existed. The political parties serve to focus debate in Congress, as members
of Congress tend to support their party's position. The president is, by virtue of his office, the most prominent public voice
of his party, and therefore acts as its leader (even though each party has a formal leader).
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(2)
The creation of the presidential cabinet and political parties are not examples of separation of powers. Separation of powers
describes the basic structure of the government. The framers of the Constitution created a governmental system with three
separate branches—the legislative, the executive, and the judicial—each with the ability to check the powers of
the other two. The goal was to keep the three branches in balance. The framers were very conscious of the problems of a government
with limitless powers. After living under the British monarchy, they came to believe that a powerful government without checks
was dangerous to liberty.
(3) The creation of the presidential cabinet and political parties are not examples of the elastic
clause. The Constitution lists the specific powers of Congress. Some delegates 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) The creation
of the presidential cabinet and political parties are not examples of judicial review. Judicial review is the power of the
Supreme Court to review laws and determine if they are consistent with the Constitution. Laws declared unconstitutional by
the court are immediately disallowed. The power was established by the court itself in the Marbury v. Madison
decision (1803). This power of judicial review has been the main function of the Supreme Court since then and has been instrumental
in maintaining balance between the three branches of the government. |
|
2
45. The term supreme law of the land refers to which document? |
|
| 1. Fundamental Orders of Connecticut |
3. Articles of Confederation |
| 2. Constitution of the United States |
4. Declaration of Independence |
|
2 The term supreme law of the land refers to the Constitution. The framers of the Constitution
grappled with the issue of where power should reside in the United States—on the national level or on the state level.
While the Constitution left certain powers in the hands of the states, the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution states that
the Constitution and federal laws and treaties are the "supreme law of the land." Therefore, state laws must operate within
the bounds of the Constitution, as defined by the Supreme Court.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) The Fundamental
Orders of Connecticut are not the "supreme law of the land" in the United States. The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut were
adopted in 1638 and established the basic framework for government in the colony of Connecticut. It is considered to be one
of the first written constitutions in the western world. For this reason, Connecticut is known as the Constitution State.
(3)
The Articles of Confederation are not the "supreme law of the land" in the United States. The Articles guided the United States
during the 1780s, before the ratification of the Constitution. Even then, the Articles would not have been considered the
"supreme law of the land." The states kept many significant powers, including the power to tax, hampering the ability of the
national government to rule.
(4) The Declaration of Independence is not the "supreme law of the land" in the United States.
The Declaration was both a statement of intent and a propaganda piece, but it was not intended to be a governing document. |
|
3
46. "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by
it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."
— United States Constitution, 10th amendment This part of the Bill of Rights was
intended to |
|
| 1. give the people the right to vote on important issues |
3. limit the powers of the federal government |
| 2. reduce the rights of citizens |
4. assure federal control over the states |
|
3 This part of the Bill of Rights was intended to limit the power of the federal government. The reading
is the 10th Amendment to the Constitution. It assures the states that they can retain powers that are neither given to the
federal government nor explicitly prohibited by the Constitution. The exact meaning of the amendment was the subject of a
great deal of controversy, especially before the Civil War. Southern states insisted that this amendment prohibited the federal
government from interfering in slavery. Generally, the 10th Amendment protects the right of states to regulate internal state
affairs, such as education, commerce, and local government.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) The passage was
not intended to give the people the right to vote on important issues. Voting rules are mainly left to the various states,
as asserted in the 10th Amendment. Not all states allow people to vote directly on issues. It was not until the Progressive
era of the early 20th century that some states created mechanisms for individuals to vote on important issues through the
referendum process.
(2) The passage was not intended to reduce the rights of citizens. If anything, the passage would increase
the rights of citizens by making clear that powers that are not expressly given to the federal or state government, nor expressly
forbidden by law, are in the hands of the people.
(4) The passage was not intended to assure federal control over the states.
The Supremacy Clause of the Constitution assures that the Constitution and federal laws and treaties are the "supreme law
of the land." |
|
1
47. The Land Ordinance of 1785 and the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 are considered achievements
under the Articles of Confederation because they |
|
| 1. established processes for settling and governing the western territories |
3. provided the basic methods of collecting taxes and coining money |
| 2. settled boundary disputes with Great Britain and Spain |
4. created a system of state and federal courts |
|
1 The Land Ordinance (1785) and the Northwest Ordinance (1787) are considered achievements under the
Articles of Confederation because they established processes for settling and governing the western territories. The two acts
dealt with the Northwest Territory, the vast stretch of land north of the Ohio River, between the western border of Pennsylvania
and the Mississippi River. The Confederation Congress persuaded the various states to give up their land claims in the region.
Then it passed two significant pieces of legislation. The Land Ordinance provided for an orderly system of development for
the Northwest Territory. It divided up the land and provided a plot in every town for public schools. The Northwest Ordinance
spelled out the steps that these areas would have to go through to become states. In addition, the Northwest Ordinance banned
slavery in the Northwest Territory. Although these acts are considered successes of the Confederation, historians have tended
to focus on the problems of the period, such as inflation and lack of government revenues. In fact, the period is often labeled
the critical period, in the sense of a patient being in critical condition.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(2)
The two acts did not deal with boundary disputes with Great Britain and Spain. The United States had disputes with both countries
during this period. The United States resented Spain for challenging its right to use the Mississippi River, and it resented
Great Britain for refusing to evacuate forts in the western part of the United States and for interfering with its shipping
in the Atlantic. Neither of these issues was dealt with satisfactorily by the Confederation Congress.
(3) The two acts
did not deal with collecting taxes and coining money. Both of these issues posed problems for the Confederation Congress.
The Articles did not give the national government the ability to exercise either of these basic governmental functions. As
a result, both tax collection and the issuing of currency were carried out by the various states.
(4) The two acts did
create a system of state and federal courts. Under the Articles of Confederation, states established their own court systems.
There was no national court system. |
|
3
48. Base your answer on the accompanying time line and on your knowledge of social studies.
Which
title is most accurate for this time line? |
 |
|
| 1. Forms of Colonial Protest |
3. Causes of the American Revolution |
| 2. Effects of British Navigation Laws |
4. Abuse of Power by Colonial Legislatures |
|
3 The most accurate title for the time line would be "Causes of the American Revolution." All the items
on the time line reflect the growing tension between the British government and the American colonies in the period following
the French and Indian War. After that war, which lasted from 1754 to 1763, the British government enacted a series of measures
that many colonists found objectionable. The colonists were angered by a series of revenue or tax acts that the British imposed,
in part to defray the costs of the war. The British believed their victory in the French and Indian War had been especially
beneficial to the colonists. In return, the British reasoned it was fair for the colonists to assume some of the costs of
the war and of continued protection.
The Stamp Act (1765), which imposed a tax on the paper used for various documents
in the colonies, provoked the most intense opposition. This tax was solely a revenue raising measure as opposed to earlier
taxes that were designed to regulate trade. Many colonists asserted that only representatives elected by them could enact
taxes on the colonies. "No taxation without representation" became their rallying cry. The Stamp Act itself was rescinded,
but a series of British moves and colonial responses in the coming years worsened the situation. The Townshend Acts (1767)
imposed additional taxes on the colonists. In addition, the British stationed troops in Boston, forcing local residents to
house and feed British troops (1765). The resentments between local residents and British troops resulted in a violent standoff
that led to British troops firing on a crowd of colonists (1770). This so-called massacre intensified colonial resentment
of the British presence. In 1773, the British passed the Tea Act, which eliminated British tariffs from tea sold in the colonies
by the British East India Company. This act actually lowered tea prices in Boston, but it angered many colonists who accused
the British of doing special favors for a large company. The colonists responded by dumping cases of tea into the Boston harbor.
The British responded to the Boston Tea Party by imposing a series of punitive measures known as the Coercive Acts (1774).
Protests grew more intense and led to the colonies declaring their independence from Great Britain in 1776.
WRONG
CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) "Forms of Colonial Protest" would not be an accurate title for the time line. The Boston Tea
Party is the only colonial protest mentioned on the time line. The rest of the items are actions taken by the British.
(2)
"Effects of British Navigation Laws" would not be an accurate title for the time line. Some of the items involve navigation
laws, but the Quartering Act, the Stamp Act, and the Boston Massacre are not directly related to trade regulations.
(4)
"Abuse of Power by Colonial Legislatures" would not be an accurate title for the time line. None of the items on the time
line are actions taken by colonial legislatures. They are either acts of the British parliament or acts of resistance by crowds
of colonists. |
|
3
49. Base your answer on the accompanying map and on your knowledge of social studies. Each
letter on the map represents a specific geographic feature.
At the end of the Revolutionary War, which geographic feature
became the western boundary of the United States? |
 |
|
| 1. A |
3. E |
| 2. B |
4. G |
|
3 At the end of the Revolutionary War, the western boundary of the United States became the Mississippi
River, represented by the letter E on the map. The Treaty of Paris (1883) established the Mississippi River as the
western boundary of the United States. The purchase of the Louisiana Territory in 1803 enlarged the territory of the United
States and pushed the western boundary beyond the Mississippi River.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) The letter
A represents the coast of the Pacific Ocean. This is the current western boundary of the continental United States,
but it was not the western boundary at the end of the Revolutionary War. The United States extended to the Pacific with the
acquisition of Mexican Cession (1848) and the Oregon Territory (also 1848).
(2) The letter B represents the Rio
Grande. This is the current boundary between the United States and Mexico. It was not a boundary at the end of the Revolutionary
War. This boundary was established after the Mexican War (1848).
(4) The letter G represents the Gulf of Mexico.
The coast of the Gulf of Mexico is the southern boundary of the United States today. It was part of the southern boundary,
not western boundary, at the end of the Revolutionary War. The other part of the southern boundary of the United States at
the end of the Revolutionary War was Florida, which was controlled by Spain until 1819. |
|
1
50. Base your answer on the accompanying map and on your knowledge of social studies. Each
letter on the map represents a specific geographic feature.
Which geographic feature most limited the westward movement
of American colonists before 1750? |
 |
|
| 1. H |
3. C |
| 2. I |
4. F |
|
1 The geographic feature that most limited the westward movement of American colonists before 1750 was
the Appalachian Mountains, represented by the letter H on the map. The Appalachian Mountain range runs from Georgia
to Maine, and provided an effective barrier to large-scale movement westward. Before 1750, the lack of transportation routes
beyond the Appalachian Mountains also inhibited western settlement. No navigable rivers extend from the Atlantic coast through
the Appalachian Mountains, and trails through mountain passes were crude. After 1750, as land in the original colonies along
the Atlantic became more expensive, a few settlers crossed over the Appalachian Mountains and established farms in the Mississippi
and Ohio River valleys. These forays to the West led to conflicts with the French, who had earlier established outposts in
the Ohio River valley. These conflicts contributed to the French and Indian War (1754–1763). After the war, the British
passed the Proclamation Act (1763), forbidding colonists from venturing beyond the Appalachian Mountains. This act contributed
to colonial resentment of British policies.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(2) The letter I appears to
represent New England. New England was one of the population centers in colonial America and would not be considered an obstacle
to westward movement.
(3) The letter C represents the Rocky Mountains. Colonists had not ventured that far west
before 1750, so it would not be considered an obstacle to westward movement.
(4) The letter F represents the Great
Lakes. Few colonists had ventured into the Great Lake region before 1750. In addition, the Great Lakes are navigable bodies
of water. They would not be considered an obstacle to movement. |
|
Husp Prac End Mkng 11 30 09
Mr Eisenberg |
TEACHER ANSWER KEY
November 30, 2009 |
|
2
1. Base your answer on the accompanying graph and on your knowledge of social studies.
The
changes shown between 1940 and 2000 are most likely the result of the |
 |
|
| 1. reduction in warfare |
3. increase in the number of immigrants |
| 2. improvements in modern medicine |
4. decrease in obesity rates |
|
2 The changes shown between 1940 and 2000 are most likely the result of the improvements in modern medicine.
Doctors today can use sophisticated diagnostic tools that were simply unavailable before 1940 to identify diseases and conditions.
The medical field has not found outright cures to major diseases such as cancer and heart disease, but it has developed procedures
and medicines to greatly improve a patient's chances of prolonging life. Although the medical field has made great strides
in treating individuals, public health measures have had a greater impact on society as a whole. Public health officials have
pushed for greater availability of vaccinations and have initiated campaigns to encourage hand washing and condom use and
discourage smoking and taking illegal drugs.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) The changes in the graph between
1940 and 2000 are not due to a reduction in warfare. Life expectancy has increased, but warfare has continued and even intensified.
Americans suffered significant casualties in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.
(3) The changes in the
graph between 1940 and 2000 are not due to an increase in the number of immigrants. Immigrants have tended to push down overall
life expectancy figures, but the graph shows an increase in life expectancy. Immigrants tend to come from poorer countries
with a lower average life expectancy.
(4) The changes in the graph between 1940 and 2000 are not due to a decrease in obesity
rates. Obesity is seen today by public health officials as a major health problem. This period has seen an increase in obesity
rates, while the graph indicates an increase in life expectancy. |
|
3
2. Base your answer on the quotation below and on your knowledge of social studies.
.
. . I also ask this Congress for authority and for funds sufficient to manufacture additional munitions and war supplies of
many kinds, to be turned over to those nations which are now in actual war with aggressor nations.
Our most useful and
immediate role is to act as an arsenal for them as well as for ourselves. They do not need man power, but they do need billions
of dollars worth of the weapons of defense.
The time is near when they will not be able to pay for them all in ready cash.
We cannot, and we will not, tell them that they must surrender, merely because of present inability to pay for the weapons
which we know they must have. . . .
—President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Annual Message
to Congress, January 6, 1941
Which
program was President Franklin D. Roosevelt proposing in this speech? |
|
| 1. Fair Deal |
3. Lend-Lease |
| 2. Great Society |
4. Cash and Carry |
|
3 President Franklin D. Roosevelt is proposing the Lend-Lease Act in the speech. The speech makes a direct
appeal to Congress to militarily aid those nations fighting against fascism, even if those nations are unable to pay for that
aid. Between the start of World War II (1939) and the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor (1941), United States foreign policy
shifted from neutrality to military support for the Allies. When World War II began in Europe, many Americans, including President
Roosevelt, were sympathetic to the Allies (England and France), but isolationist sentiment was strong in the United States.
Congress passed several neutrality acts starting in 1935. A 1939 neutrality act stipulated that the United States could sell
weaponry to the Allies but only on a "cash and carry" basis. In early 1941 Roosevelt was able to make military supplies more
readily available to the Allies with the Lend-Lease Act. This act demonstrated the commitment of the United States to the
Allies, but it was not until the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, that the United States entered the war.
WRONG
CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) The speech is not proposing the Fair Deal. The Fair Deal was a set of domestic initiatives put
forth by President Franklin D. Roosevelt's successor, Harry Truman.
(2) The speech is not proposing the Great Society.
The Great Society was a set of domestic initiatives put forth by President Lyndon B. Johnson.
(4) The speech is not proposing
the Cash and Carry policy. The Cash and Carry policy (1939) was put forth by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and was designed
to provide weaponry to the foes of fascism, but the speech makes clear that Roosevelt is breaking with the Cash and Carry
policy. In the Cash and Carry policy, the United States demanded that other nations pay for weapons up front, in cash, before
they are delivered. In this speech, Roosevelt does not want to let other nations' "inability to pay" prevent the United States
from providing needed weaponry. |
|
2
3. Base your answer on the accompanying cartoon and on your knowledge of social studies.
This
World War II cartoon was used to encourage Americans to |
 |
|
| 1. buy war bonds |
3. serve in the armed forces |
| 2. conserve natural resources |
4. work in war industries |
|
2 The cartoon was used to encourage Americans to conserve natural resources. The cartoonist is asserting
that the fuel used by American motorists could be better used by tanks fighting abroad. There was a government-sponsored public
campaign to conserve natural resources during World War II. A famous poster encouraged carpooling by showing a driver in a
car with Hitler in the passenger seat. The caption read, "When you drive alone, you drive with Hitler." The campaign asserted
that wasting resources hurt the war effort and helped the enemy.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) (3) and (4)
The cartoon was not used to encourage Americans to buy war bonds, serve in the armed forces, or work in war industries. The
government did encourage Americans to do all of these things, but that was not the purpose of this cartoon. |
|
1
4. Base your answer on the accompanying cartoon and on your knowledge of social studies.
Which
statement about President Franklin D. Roosevelt's plans for a second term most accurately expresses the main idea of the cartoon? |
 |
|
| 1. Congress will give President Roosevelt a free hand to lead the nation. |
3. President Roosevelt will seek direction from the people. |
| 2. The American people will trust Congress to control President Roosevelt. |
4. The Great Depression will no longer be a serious concern. |
|
1 The main idea of the cartoon is that Congress will give President Franklin D. Roosevelt a free hand
to lead the nation during his second term. President Roosevelt won a resounding endorsement from the American people when
he ran for reelection in 1936. He won over 60 percent of the popular vote and carried every state except for the Republican
strongholds of Vermont and Maine. The cartoonist is interpreting such a landslide as a mandate for Roosevelt's New Deal program—a
mandate that Congress would not dare to challenge. The president is depicted as confidently steering the sled, labeled "New
Deal legislation." Congress is depicted as deferring to the president when asked by the American people about the direction
of the New Deal legislation sled.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(2) The main idea of the cartoon is not that
the American people will trust Congress to lead the nation. In the cartoon, Congress is literally taking a back seat to the
president. When asked about the direction of New Deal legislation, Congress is depicted as deferring to the president.
(3)
The main idea of the cartoon is not that President Roosevelt will seek direction from the people. Roosevelt is depicted as
confidently steering the sled, while the people ask meekly, "Where we goin' this time?"
(4) The main idea of the cartoon
is not that the Great Depression will no longer be a serious concern. The sled represents New Deal legislation. Roosevelt
is still steering the sled forward, indicating his intention to continue pushing for programs to address the Depression. |
|
4
5. President Herbert Hoover's response to the Great Depression was often criticized because
it |
|
| 1. wasted money on new social programs |
3. raised taxes on businesses and the wealthy |
| 2. caused widespread rioting and looting in major cities |
4. failed to provide direct relief for the neediest persons |
|
4 President Herbert Hoover's response to the Great Depression was often criticized because it failed
to provide direct relief for the neediest persons. Hoover was a believer in supply-side economics. This approach to the economy
stressed stimulating the supply side of the economy—manufacturers, banks, and insurance corporations. The theory is
that if there is growth in the supply side, there will be a general economic revival and the benefits of a robust economy
will trickle down to everyone. The alternative approach is to stimulate the demand side—consumers. Demand-side economics
would emphasize government policies designed to increase workers' wages and benefits, such as welfare and unemployment benefits.
As a believer in supply-side economics, Hoover implemented policies that he thought would stimulate business. One of Hoover's
major initiatives was the Reconstruction Finance Corporation. This agency extended loans to manufacturers and banks. Hoover
resisted extending relief programs to individuals in need, believing that direct relief would make people dependent on the
government rather than on their own resolve.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) Hoover's response to the Great
Depression was not criticized for wasting money on new social programs. In fact, Hoover's critics leveled the opposite criticism
against him. They argued that he should spend more on social programs designed to help the neediest.
(2) Hoover's response
to the Great Depression was not criticized for causing widespread rioting and looting in major cities. There is one instance
of large-scale violence associated with Hoover's decisions. In June 1932, a group of World War I veterans, who called themselves
the Bonus Expeditionary Force, marched into Washington, D.C., to demand a bonus that they had been promised for their service
in the military. After several days, Hoover ordered the army to break up the encampment. A riot ensued, resulting in several
injuries and a death.
(3) Hoover's responseto the Great Depression was not criticized for raising taxes on businesses and
the wealthy. As a believer in supply-side economics, Hoover did not raise taxes on businesses and the wealthy. His idea was
to stimulate the supply side—banks, manufacturers, and other businesses—with lower taxes so that the benefits
would trickle down to everyone. |
|
4
6. A major reason for creating the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) in 1933 was to |
|
| 1. build and manage a turnpike in the valley |
3. encourage African Americans to settle in the valley |
| 2. provide health care benefits for southerners |
4. improve economic conditions in a poor rural region |
|
4 A major reason for creating the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) in 1933 was to improve economic conditions
in a poor rural region. The TVA was part of Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal. This set of programs and agencies was designed
to address the poverty and economic dislocation caused by the Great Depression. Roosevelt tried a variety of approaches to
put the economy on sound footing. The TVA was a set of development projects in the Tennessee River area, which includes the
states of Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi. The region was especially hard
hit by the Great Depression. Even before the Depression, poverty was pervasive; most homes in the region were without electricity.
The TVA included major infrastructure projects, including electricity- generating dams along the Tennessee River. The strategy
was to provide jobs and electricity to people in the region. The TVA was largely successful, and still exists, despite initial
resistance from competing utility companies.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) The TVA was not designed to build
and manage a turnpike in the valley. New Deal projects included new roads, but the TVA focused on electricity-generating projects.
(2)
The TVA was not designed to provide health care benefits for Southerners. Access to health care was not a major focus of the
New Deal. Later, in the 1960s, President Lyndon Johnson's Great Society programs included Medicare and Medicaid. Access to
health care remains a contentious issue that government officials continue to address.
(3) The TVA was not designed to
encourage African Americans to settle in the valley. The program was designed to help existing residents in the region, not
bring in new ones. |
|
4
7. During the second half of the 1920s, which economic trend was a major cause of the Great
Depression? |
|
| 1. deficits in the federal budget |
3. creation of national and state sales taxes |
| 2. reductions in tariff rates |
4. overproduction and underconsumption |
|
4 During the second half of the 1920s, overproduction and underconsumption were major causes of the Great
Depression. Mass production techniques, such as the assembly line, led to an overall increase in the production of consumer
goods, but ordinary Americans found it increasingly difficult to purchase these consumer goods. Wages did not rise significantly
in the 1920s. One reason for low wages among workers was a weak union movement. The Red Scare of the late 1910s and early
1920s intimidated people from organizing unions. Also, in the 1910s and 1920s, lower-paid unskilled assembly line workers
were replacing higher-paid skilled craft workers. 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.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1)
The Great Depression was not caused by deficits in the federal budget. In the 1920s and earlier, the federal government generally
did not have deficits except during times of war. Large peacetime federal deficits first appeared during the 1930s, as President
Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal programs cost more money than was being brought in from tax revenues.
(2) The Great Depression
was not caused by reductions in tariff rates. In fact, tariff rates were high in the 1920s, as isolationist senators attempted
to limit United States interactions with Europe. These high tariff rates contributed to the Great Depression by causing some
of America's trading partners to implement retaliatory tariffs, thus reducing Americans exports.
(3) The Great Depression
was not caused by the creation of national and states sales taxes. States sales taxes existed before, during, and after the
Great Depression. Certain products, such as gasoline and cigarettes, are subject to federal excise taxes. |
|
4
8. National Prohibition, as authorized by the 18th Amendment, stated that |
|
| 1. Americans must be 18 years old to purchase alcoholic beverages |
3. alcoholic beverages could be sold only in government-run stores |
| 2. only imported alcoholic beverages would be sold |
4. the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages was banned |
|
4 National Prohibition, as authorized by the 18th Amendment, stated that the manufacture and sale of
alcoholic beverages was banned. The ratification of the 18th Amendment (1919) was the result of a long national dialogue in
the United States about the role of alcoholic beverages in daily life. In the early 19th century, the temperance movement
urged individuals to pledge not to consume alcohol. Later in the century, the Prohibition movement went further, urging the
government to outright prohibit the production, sale, and consumption of alcohol. Women were well represented in these movements.
The final victory for the Prohibition movement came as the United States entered World War I. 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; many American breweries had German names. These factors led to the ratification of the 18th Amendment, which banned
alcohol production, sale, and consumption as of January 1, 1920. The experiment in Prohibition reduced the overall quantity
of alcohol consumed, but it also turned otherwise upstanding citizens into outlaws, as many ordinary Americans continued to
find ways to procure alcoholic beverages. Prohibition ended with the ratification of the 21st Amendment (1933).
WRONG
CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) (2) and (3) National Prohibition was an outright ban on the production, sale, and consumption
of alcoholic beverages. It did not set the drinking age at 18, ban the sale of domestically produced alcoholic beverages,
or mandate that alcohol be sold in government-run stores. |
|
3
9. During the 1920s, Congress passed a series of immigration laws that were primarily designed
to |
|
| 1. increase immigration from Asia |
3. limit immigration from southern and eastern Europe |
| 2. expand the workforce for the growing economy |
4. prohibit immigration from Latin America |
|
3 During the 1920s, Congress passed a series of immigration laws that were primarily designed to limit
immigration from southern and eastern Europe. The two most important pieces of legislation were the Emergency Quota Act (1921)
and the National Origins Act (1924). These acts greatly reduced the number of immigrants allowed into the United States by
establishing quotas for different nations based on the numbers of each national group present in the United States decades
earlier. Eastern and southern Europeans were especially hard hit by these quotas. Opposition to immigration, or Nativism,
rose steeply in the years after World War I. There are several reasons Nativists resented the new wave of immigrants that
arrived in the United States between 1880 and 1920. Some Nativists focused on the fact that most of the new immigrants were
not Protestant. Poles and Italians tended to be Catholic; Russians and Greeks tended to be Eastern Orthodox; and Jewish immigrants
came from several countries in eastern Europe. Some Nativists objected to the cacophony of languages heard on the streets
of New York or Chicago. Some Americans were anti-European after the trauma of World War I. Some Nativists associated the immigrants
with either radical movements or drunkenness. Finally, some working-class people feared that low-wage immigrant laborers would
take jobs from native-born American workers.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) The immigration laws of the 1920s
were not designed to increase immigration from Asia. In fact, Nativists tended to harbor an intense resentment of Asian immigrants.
Asian immigration was effectively cut off even before the passage of the immigration laws of the 1920s. In 1882, Congress
passed the Chinese Exclusion Act. In 1907, President Theodore Roosevelt worked out the "Gentlemen's Agreement" with the leaders
of Japan. Roosevelt agreed to undo anti–Japanese American legislation in California in exchange for Japan agreeing to
limit emigration into the United States.
(2) The immigration laws of the 1920s were not designed to expand the workforce
for the growing economy. In fact, the immigration laws of the 1920s had the opposite effect, reducing the flow of potential
new laborers into the United States to a trickle.
(4) The immigration laws of the 1920s were not designed to prohibit immigration
from Latin America. The laws did not prohibit immigration from any nation or region. Rather, they set quotas for different
nations. |
|
1
10. One major reason the United States Senate refused to approve the Treaty of Versailles
after World War I was that many senators |
|
| 1. were concerned about future United States obligations in foreign affairs |
3. wanted immediate repayment of war debts from France |
| 2. rejected United States colonial practices in Asia |
4. supported increased foreign aid to Germany |
|
1 One major reason the United States Senate refused to approve the Treaty of Versailles after World War
I was that many senators were concerned about future United States obligations in world affairs. The Senate's rejection of
the treaty was a blow to President Woodrow Wilson. The treaty stipulated that the nations who signed it would be participants
in the new League of Nations. Therefore, the Senate's rejection of the treaty also meant rejection of United States membership
in the League. The League of Nations was dear to President Wilson. He included the concept in his Fourteen Points program
for the postwar world and he campaigned vigorously for it in Europe and the United States. Some senators, however, wanted
to isolate the United States from world affairs and opposed membership in the League. They feared that membership in the League
might obligate the United States to participate in future wars.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(2) Senate rejection
of the Treaty of Versailles was not caused by opposition to United States colonial practices in Asia. Nothing in the treaty
condemned or condoned United States colonial practices.
(3) Senate rejection of the Treaty of Versailles was not caused
by concerns about repayment of war debts from France. The issue of repayments of war debt from France and England surfaced
in the 1920s as part of the Dawes Plan (1924).
(4) Senate rejection of the Treaty of Versailles was not related to increased
foreign aid to Germany. The treaty stipulated that Germany must pay war reparations. |
|
4
11. ". . . There's no chance of progress and reform in an administration in which war plays
the principal part. . . ."
—President-elect Woodrow Wilson, 1913 In this statement, President-elect Wilson
was expressing the belief that |
|
| 1. the United States should enter World War I immediately |
3. the nation will require a change in leadership if it goes to war |
| 2. reform movements are strengthened by war |
4. the Progressive movement would be best served by continued peace |
|
4 In the statement, President-elect Woodrow Wilson was expressing the belief that the Progressive movement
would be best served by continued peace. Wilson believed that militarism shifted a nation's priorities away from domestic
reform. He was therefore opposed to United States participation in World War I when it began in 1914. Wilson initially assumed
that the United States could stay neutral in World War I and maintain commercial ties to nations on both sides of the conflict.
However, England successfully blockaded American ships from reaching Germany. Out of necessity, United States trade shifted
to England exclusively. Germany became increasingly belligerent toward the United States as the war progressed. When Wilson
ran for reelection in 1916, he still maintained an antiwar position but, after reelection, became increasingly convinced that
United States participation in World War I was necessary to make the world "safe for democracy." Wilson's shift to a prowar
stance divided Progressives. The United States finally entered the war in 1917.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1)
In the statement, Wilson was not expressing the sentiment that the United States should enter World War I immediately. He
adopted such a position in 1917, but in 1913 he was against United States entrance into the war.
(2) In the statement,
Wilson was not expressing the sentiment that reform movements are strengthened by war. In fact, he is expressing the opposite
sentiment. He is arguing that war would shift priorities away from Progressive reform.
(3) In the statement, Wilson was
not expressing the sentiment that the nation will require a change in leadership if it goes to war. He was arguing against
the advisability of going to war, but he was not commenting on his ability to lead the nation in war. |
|
2
12. In Schenck v. United States (1919), the Supreme Court decided that a "clear
and present danger" to the country allowed the federal government to |
|
| 1. establish a peacetime draft |
3. suspend habeas corpus |
| 2. restrict first amendment rights |
4. limit minority voting rights |
|
2 In Schenck v. United States (1919), the Supreme Court decided that a "clear and present
danger" to the country allowed the federal government to restrict 1st Amendment rights. The decision upheld the Espionage
and Sedition Acts, passed during World War I to put limits on public expressions of antiwar sentiment. Charles Schenck and
other members of the Socialist Party had been arrested under the Espionage Act for printing and distributing flyers opposing
the war and urging young men to resist the draft. The defense argued that distributing antiwar literature was protected by
the 1st Amendment. The Supreme Court decided that the government is justified in limiting certain forms of speech during wartime.
The Court argued that certain utterances pose a "clear and present danger." By analogy the Court reasoned that one is not
allowed to falsely shout "Fire!" in a crowded theater. The Schenck decision is one of several instances in United States
history in which the Supreme Court decided that the government could limit certain rights during time of war.
WRONG
CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) The Schenck decision did not address the question of whether the federal government could
establish a peacetime draft. The federal government has never attempted to establish a peacetime draft, but the Constitution
does not prevent it from doing so.
(3) The Schenck decision did not address the question of whether the federal
government could suspend habeas corpus. Habeas corpus is the constitutional provision for taking legal action to free someone
who is unlawfully detained by the authorities. During the Civil War, President Lincoln suspended habeas corpus and allowed
the federal government to imprison suspected rebels, draft resisters, and anyone else deemed disloyal.
(4) The Schenck
decision did not address the question of whether the federal government could limit minority voting rights. Although the Supreme
Court has never explicitly given its approval to practices that limit minority voting rights, it has generally left it to
the states to determine voting procedures. During the 19th and 20th centuries, states often implemented voting procedures
that limited minority voting rights. |
|
3
13. Which type of federal tax was authorized by the 16th amendment in 1913? |
|
| 1. excise |
3. income |
| 2. import |
4. estate |
|
3 The 16th Amendment (1913) authorized the federal income tax. Previously the federal government gained
its revenues almost entirely from import tariffs. The creation of an income tax was a reform championed by both the Populist
movement and the Progressive movement. Reformers argued that a national income tax would create a more equitable society by
shifting the burden of taxation onto the shoulders of those most able to pay. The income tax in the United States is a progressive
income tax, meaning that those at the highest end of the income scale pay a significantly higher percentage of their income
in taxes than those at the lowest end of the income scale. As incomes increase, tax rates progressively increase. The income
tax remains the federal government's primary means of collecting revenues.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1)
The 16th Amendment did not authorize an excise tax. An excise tax is simply a sales tax on a commodity or a service. Excise
taxes exist primarily on the state level in the United States, although there are federal excise taxes on gasoline and cigarettes.
(2)
The 16th Amendment did not authorize an import tax. Federal import taxes, or duties, are allowed for in the Constitution and
have existed throughout United States history.
(4) The 16th Amendment did not authorize an estate tax. An estate tax is
a tax on the material wealth that one inherits upon the death of a donor. Congress adopted a federal estate tax in 1916. |
|
2
14. The United States issued the Open Door policy (1899–1900) primarily to |
|
| 1. bring democratic government to the Chinese people |
3. force China to change its immigration policies |
| 2. secure equal trade opportunities in China |
4. use China as a stepping stone to trade with Japan |
|
2 The United States issued the Open Door policy (1899–1900) primarily to secure equal trade opportunities.
The Open Door policy was put forth by President McKinley's Secretary of State John Hay. In the 1890s the major European powers
had established spheres of influence in China. These nations each declared that they had exclusive trading privileges in their
sphere of influence. The United States asserted that all of China should be open to trade with all nations. The European nations
begrudgingly accepted this concept.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) The Open Door policy was not intended to
bring democratic government to the Chinese people. In recent years, United States foreign policy has attempted to prod China
toward improvements in human rights while at the same time maintaining favorable trade status with China.
(3) The Open
Door policy was not intended to force China to change its immigration policies. The United States has not attempted to influence
China's immigration policies.
(4) The Open Door policy was not intended to make China a stepping stone for trade with Japan.
The United States pursued opening up both Japan and China to American trade, but independently of one another. |
|
1
15. Progressive Era authors such as Jacob Riis and Upton Sinclair are best known for |
|
| 1. focusing attention on social conditions |
3. promoting the interests of the American farmer |
| 2. fighting for the civil rights of African Americans |
4. supporting the goal of woman's suffrage |
|
1 Progressive Era authors such as Jacob Riis and Upton Sinclair are best known for focusing attention
on social conditions. The term muckraker was applied to authors such as Riis and Sinclair who exposed wrongdoing by
government officials, showed the negative side of industrialization, and let the world see a variety of social ills. Upton
Sinclair wrote The Jungle (1906), a stirring book about the unsanitary conditions in the meat packing industry. Jacob
Riis's book of photography and text, How the Other Half Lives (1890), documented the squalid conditions of the urban
poor. Muckraking books inspired a generation of Progressive reformers to push the government to intervene in societal problems.
A whole host of reforms were implemented by Progressive reformers and their allies in the 1900s and 1910s.
WRONG
CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(2) The Progressive Era authors such as Jacob Riis and Upton Sinclair are not known for fighting
for the civil rights of African Americans. In general, Progressive Era reformers and authors turned a blind eye toward the
plight of African Americans. A significant exception was Ida B. Wells, who wrote about the injustices carried out against
African Americans in the South.
(3) Progressive Era authors such as Jacob Riis and Upton Sinclair are not known for promoting
the interests of the American farmer. The Progressive movement was primarily an urban movement. The interests of farmers were
promoted by the Populist movement in the late 1800s.
(4) Progressive Era authors such as Jacob Riis and Upton Sinclair
are not known for supporting the goal of women's suffrage. There was certainly a great deal of overlap between the Progressive
movement and the woman's suffrage movement, but woman's suffrage was not the focus of Riis's and Sinclair's work. |
|
3
16. News organizations were engaging in yellow journalism before the Spanish-American War
when |
|
| 1. publishers tried to prevent the war |
3. editors exaggerated events to build support for war |
| 2. articles about Cuba were fair and balanced |
4. writers ignored the situation in Cuba |
|
3 News organizations were engaging in yellow journalism before the Spanish-American War when editors
exaggerated events to build support for war. There were several causes for the United States' declaration of war on Spain
in 1898. Spain controlled Cuba at the time, but an independence movement was trying to break Cuba's ties to Spain. Many Americans
wanted the United States to intervene on Cuba's side in this struggle. Some Americans saw parallels between the Cuban struggle
for independence from Spain and America's struggle for independence from England. Also, some American businessmen were angered
by the interruption of the sugar harvest by the fighting between Cuban rebels and Spanish forces. The event that led directly
to the Spanish-American War was the destruction of a United States warship, the USS Maine, in the harbor of Havana,
Cuba. Many in the United States thought that the destruction of the ship was the work of Spain, especially after American
newspapers bluntly accused Spain of the crime, despite the scarcity of evidence. This sensationalistic, irresponsible coverage
of events is known as yellow journalism. These newspapers breathlessly followed events in Cuba, with lurid accounts of Spanish
wrongdoing.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) Yellow journalism did not involve publishers trying to prevent
the Spanish-American War. Publishers practicing yellow journalism seemed eager to incite war, knowing that images of bloodshed
and destruction would sell more newspapers.
(2) Yellow journalism did not involve fair and balanced coverage of affairs
in Cuba before the Spanish-American War. Practitioners of yellow journalism generally divided the world into good and evil,
leaving little room for fair and balanced coverage. This was the case in regard to Cuba in the lead-up to the Spanish-American
War. The Cubans were presented as innocent victims and the Spanish as savage monsters.
(4) Yellow journalism did not ignore
the situation in Cuba before the Spanish-American War. Practitioners of yellow journalism routinely covered the situation
in Cuba in a way that created sympathy for the Cuban people and hostility toward Spain. |
|
3
17. Manifest Destiny was used to justify an American desire to |
|
| 1. limit the number of immigrants entering the country |
3. expand the United States to the Pacific Ocean |
| 2. control the area located east of the Appalachian Mountains |
4. warn European countries against colonizing Latin America |
|
3 Manifest Destiny was used to justify an American desire to expand to the Pacific Ocean. The term Manifest
Destiny was 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 should take over and settle the entire continent. Americans who did settle out West
were probably driven more by economic factors, such as cheap land or precious metals, than they were by a desire to fulfill
God's plan. The history of the settlement of the West includes many noteworthy episodes: Texas independence from Mexico (1836),
the opening of the Oregon Trail (1841), the Mexican War (1846–48), the Mormon exodus to Utah (1847), and the California
gold rush (1849). This movement was especially damaging for the Native Americans of the West who were driven off their land
and relegated to several western reservations.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) Manifest Destiny was not used
to justify an American desire to limit the number of immigrants entering the country. The movement to limit immigration into
the United States is called nativism. This movement gained adherents in the 1850s, as immigration from Ireland expanded. Supporters
of Manifest Destiny did not have a unified position on immigration.
(2) Manifest Destiny was not used to justify an American
desire to control the area located east of the Appalachian Mountains. This area was already controlled by the United States;
it was part of the original territory of the United States.
(4) Manifest Destiny was not used to justify an American desire
to warn European countries against colonizing Latin America. It was the Monroe Doctrine (1823) that specifically warned the
European powers against furthering their colonial activities in the Americas. |
|
1
18. The mechanization of agriculture in the United States led directly to |
|
| 1. an increase in production |
3. fewer agricultural exports |
| 2. less dependence on railroads by farmers |
4. the decreasing size of the average farm |
|
1 The mechanization of agriculture in the United States led directly to an increase in production. By
the late 1800s, mechanization was rapidly transforming American agriculture. Expensive, motorized machinery, such as the mechanical
reaper and the combine harvester, replaced hand-held tools. Mechanization had both positive and negative effects for American
farmers. Mechanization increased overall agricultural production, and it reduced the man-hours needed for agricultural tasks.
At the same time, it worked to undermine small-scale family farms. First, the overall increase in production lowered the prices
that farmers received per bushel of corn or wheat. Second, many farmers could not afford the new equipment. By the late 1800s
and into the 1900s, large-scale farms came to dominate agriculture in the United States.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(2)
The mechanization of agriculture in the United States did not lead to less dependence on railroads by farmers. Large-scale
mechanized farming created greater dependence on railroads because the crops were destined for distant urban centers rather
than local markets.
(3) The mechanization of agriculture in the United States did not lead to fewer agricultural exports.
The increases in output allowed for increases in agricultural exports.
(4) The mechanization of agriculture in the United
States did not lead to the decreasing size of the average farm. Farm size increased with mechanization as farmers realized
that they could operate far bigger farms with the same number of man-hours. |
|
2
19. Which statement best explains why the United States mainland suffered minimal physical
damage in both World War I and World War II? |
|
| 1. The United States policy of isolationism discouraged attacks by other countries. |
3. United States military fortifications prevented attacks on United States soil. |
| 2. Geographic location kept the United States protected from most of the fighting. |
4. Latin America provided a buffer zone from acts of aggression by other countries. |
|
2 The United States suffered minimal physical damage in both World War I and World War II because the
geographic location of the United States protected it from most of the fighting. The United States has the Atlantic Ocean
to its east and the Pacific Ocean to its west. These oceans made it extremely difficult for European or Asian powers to launch
successful attacks against the United States. The Japanese were able to execute a raid on the American territory of Hawaii
in World War II, but not on the mainland of the United States. German submarines were spotted off the eastern seaboard of
the United States during World War II, but they did not attack. Both wars occurred before the development of intercontinental
missiles.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) The United States pursued a policy of isolationism during much of
its history, but its involvement in the two world wars represented a break with the policy of isolationism.
(3) The United
States does have fortifications in several ports, but these date back to the 18th and 19th centuries and are designed to repel
attacks from ships. The United States did not attempt to build fortifications that could withstand attacks from airplanes.
(4)
Latin America did not provide a buffer zone from acts of aggression by other countries. Latin America is to the south of the
United States. The fighting of the world wars took place to the east and the west of the United States. |
|
1
20. The Neutrality Acts of 1935–1937 were primarily designed to |
|
| 1. avoid policies that had led to United States involvement in World War I |
3. promote United States membership in the League of Nations |
| 2. halt the spread of communism in the Western Hemisphere |
4. stop Japan from attacking United States territories in the Far East |
|
1 The Neutrality Acts of 1935–1937 were primarily designed to avoid policies that had led to U.S.
involvement in World War I. For the first three years of World War I (1914–1917), the United States insisted on its
right to trade with belligerent nations while remaining neutral. This insistence on trading with belligerent nations during
wartime ultimately contributed to the decision by the United States to enter World War I. German attacks on American ships
angered many Americans and pushed President Woodrow Wilson toward a pro-war position. In the Neutrality Acts of 1935–1937,
Congress made clear that neither the U.S. government nor private American firms were to trade with belligerent nations. The
acts were an expression of isolationism. President Franklin Roosevelt grew frustrated with these acts because they did not
make a distinction between aggressors and victims in the conflicts of the 1930s. The Neutrality Act of 1939 allowed the United
States to supply the opponents of fascism with materials on a cash-and-carry basis.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(2)
The Neutrality Acts of 1935–1937 were not designed to halt the spread of communism in the Western Hemisphere. Concern
about the spread of communism grew in the period after World War II, not before it. Also, a "neutrality" act implies a withdrawal
from world affairs, not involvement in them.
(3) The Neutrality Acts of 1935–1937 were not designed to promote U.S.
membership in the League of Nations. The debate about membership in the League occurred earlier, in 1920. Also, a "neutrality"
act implies a withdrawal from world affairs, not involvement in them.
(4) The Neutrality Acts of 1935–1937 were not
designed to stop Japan from attacking U.S. territories in the Far East. This was a concern of the United States later, as
Japan became more aggressive in its actions. |
|
4
21. Base your answer on the posters shown and on your knowledge of social studies.
These
posters were used during World War II to encourage women to |
 |
|
| 1. serve in the armed forces |
3. buy war bonds |
| 2. exercise their vote |
4. contribute to the war effort |
|
4 These posters were used during World War II to encourage women to contribute to the war effort. Women
contributed to the effort in many ways during World War II. Women served in the armed forces as nurses. In addition, more
than 150,000 women served in the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (later, the Women's Army Corps) and in the WAVES, the women's
unit of the Navy. These posters are encouraging women to work in war-related jobs. Women were needed because factories were
working around the clock producing military goods and much of the male workforce was in the military. Many images were produced
by the government, usually through the Office of War Information, showing women in industrial settings. The fictional "Rosie
the Riveter" was often featured in this public relations campaign. These female workers were presented in a positive light—helping
the nation as well as helping the men in combat abroad. Such a campaign was needed because pre-war social mores discouraged
women from doing industrial work. The campaign was successful. By 1945, one third of the workforce was female.
WRONG
CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) The posters are not encouraging women to serve in the armed forces. Women did serve in the armed
forces during World War II in noncombat roles.
(2) The posters are not encouraging women to exercise their vote. Women
had been voting in large numbers since they won the right to vote with the ratification of the 19th amendment in 1920.
(3)
The posters are not encouraging women to buy war bonds. Other government posters encouraged both men and women to buy war
bonds during World War II. |
|
1
22. 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. |
|
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. |
|
1
24. One goal of many Harlem Renaissance writers was to |
|
| 1. increase pride in African American culture |
3. cut off connections with mainstream American values |
| 2. support existing racial barriers |
4. encourage African Americans to create their own political party |
|
1 One goal of many Harlem Renaissance writers was to increase pride in African American culture. The
Harlem Renaissance was a literary, artistic, and intellectual movement that celebrated African American life and forged a
new cultural identity among African American people. The movement was centered in the African American neighborhood of Harlem,
in New York City. Contributions included the poetry of Langston Hughes, Claude McKay, and Countee Cullen and the jazz music
of Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and Bessie Smith.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(2) Harlem Renaissance writers
did not support existing racial barriers. Many of the writers, especially Langston Hughes, were highly critical of the racial
barriers that existed in the United States at the time.
(3) Harlem Renaissance writers did not seek to cut off connections
with mainstream American values. Langston Hughes's poem, "I, Too," for example, expressed his frustrations that African Americans
were excluded from the social and cultural life of America. The poem begins with the line, "I, too, sing America," and ends
with the line "I, too, am America."
(4) Harlem Renaissance writers did not, for the most part, encourage African Americans
to create their own political party. There was not a strong push in the 1920s to create an African American political party.
African American leaders were more interested in simply getting the right to vote. |
|
3
25. 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. |
|
3
26. 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. |
|
4
27. President Theodore Roosevelt's Big Stick policy is most closely associated with |
|
| 1. friendly relations with China after the Boxer Rebellion |
3. court actions to support business monopolies |
| 2. conservation of natural resources |
4. intervention in Latin American affairs |
|
4 President Theodore Roosevelt's Big Stick policy is most closely associated with intervention in Latin
American affairs. The phrase, "big stick," is derived from Roosevelt's famous adage that the United States should "walk softly,
but carry a big stick" when dealing with other nations. The "big stick" implied the threat of military force. He envisioned
the United States acting as the world's policeman, punishing wrongdoers. He claimed that the United States had the right to
militarily intervene in the nations of Latin America. This assertion of U.S. might is known as the Roosevelt Corollary to
the Monroe Doctrine. The goal of the Big Stick policy was to protect the economic and political interests of the United States.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) President Theodore Roosevelt's Big Stick policy is not associated with friendly
relations with China after the Boxer Rebellion. The "big stick" was to be wielded in Latin America, not China. In China, the
United States pushed for the Open Door policy. This policy would prevent nations from maintaining exclusive trading privileges
in certain parts of China. Instead, all nations would have equal access to China's ports.
(2) President Theodore Roosevelt's
Big Stick policy is not associated with conservation of natural resources. Roosevelt was noted for his conservation policies,
but the "big stick" was a foreign policy initiative. Roosevelt, an avid outdoorsman, set aside millions of acres as protected
areas, including six national parks.
(3) President Theodore Roosevelt's Big Stick policy is not associated with court actions
to support business monopolies. Roosevelt was noted for using the resources of the government to challenge trusts. His aggressive
policies earned him the label, "trustbuster." |
|
1
28. Progressive Era reformers sought to expand voter participation in government by adopting |
|
| 1. the initiative and referendum |
3. additional poll taxes |
| 2. tougher literacy tests |
4. a civil service system |
|
1 Progressive Era reformers sought to expand voter participation in government by adopting the initiative
and referendum. Both items attempted to expand democracy and increase the power of citizens in state and local government.
Progressive reformers in the first two decades of the 20th century were concerned that government was being taken over by
corrupt and inefficient political machines. The muckraker journalist Lincoln Steffens exposed the underside of American municipal
politics and the influence of wealthy businessmen in The Shame of the Cities (1902). Reformers hoped that by expanding
democracy, the power of these political machines would be lessened. The initiative would enable citizens to introduce a bill
to the local or state legislature by petition. The referendum would allow people to vote directly on proposed legislation.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(2) Tougher literacy tests would not have expanded voter participation in government.
Literacy tests were used in the South to prevent African Americans from voting. Most African Americans were illiterate in
the period immediately following emancipation. The slave system had prevented African Americans from learning to read. Literacy
tests were made illegal by the 1965 Voting Rights Act.
(3) Additional poll taxes would not have expanded voter participation
in government. A poll tax is a tax on voting. Poll taxes were used in the South to prevent African Americans from voting.
Poll taxes were made illegal by the 1965 Voting Rights Act.
(4) A civil service system is not related to voter participation.
The civil service is the workforce of government employees. Attempts were made to reform the civil service in the 1880s so
that jobs would be allocated to the most qualified people rather than to friends and relatives of powerful politicians. Civil
service reform became a public issue when President Garfield was assassinated in 1881 by a disappointed, and deranged, office
seeker. Congress passed the Pendleton Act in 1883 to set up the merit-based federal civil service, a professional career service
that allots government jobs on the basis of a competitive exam. |
|
3
29. What was the goal of those who supported the constitutional amendment that provided
for direct election of United States senators? |
|
| 1. expanding the power of the legislative branch |
3. making the Senate more responsive to the people |
| 2. providing equal voting rights to minority groups |
4. basing Senate representation on state population |
|
3 The goal of those who supported the constitutional amendment that provided for the direct election
of U.S. senators was to make the Senate more responsive to the people. The supporters of such a move were successful when
the 17th amendment was ratified in 1913. From the writing of the Constitution until the ratification of the 17th amendment,
senators for each state were chosen by state legislatures. The writers of the Constitution envisioned the Senate as a wise
upper house that would check the rashness and instability of the democratically elected House of Representatives. In the early
20th century, progressive reformers challenged this undemocratic aspect of the American political system.
WRONG
CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) The goal of pushing for the direct election of senators was not to expand the power of the legislative
branch. The goal was to devise a new, more democratic, system for selecting senators. This would not necessarily increase
the power of Congress.
(2) The goal of pushing for the direct election of senators was not to provide voting rights to
minority groups. When the 17th amendment was ratified in 1913, women still had not attained the right to vote on the national
level and African Americans were effectively barred from voting in the South. Most progressive reformers were quiet on issues
of racial injustice.
(4) The goal of pushing for the direct election of senators was not to base Senate representation
on state population. The Great Compromise, hammered out at the Constitutional Convention in 1787, created a House of Representatives,
with each state's representation based on population, and a Senate, with each state being allocated two members. Progressive
reformers did not try to alter this basic structure. |
|
2
30. 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. |
|
1
31. A major purpose of both the Chinese Exclusion Act (1882) and the Gentlemen's Agreement
with Japan (1907) was to |
|
| 1. limit immigration of certain ethnic groups |
3. treat all Asian and European immigrants equally |
| 2. enrich America's cultural diversity |
4. relocate Asians displaced by war |
|
1 A major purpose of both the Chinese Exclusion Act (1882) and the Gentleman's Agreement with Japan (1907)
was to limit immigration of certain ethnic groups. After the Civil War many Chinese people immigrated to the United States.
Many Chinese immigrants worked on the transcontinental railroad. Nativist, or anti-immigrant, sentiment developed in the United
States alongside the growing number of immigrants. Chinese and Japanese immigrants were especially targeted by nativists.
Racist assumptions of the time held that Asian immigrants would never fully assimilate into the United States. The Chinese
Exclusion Act (1882) was the only instance of a particular nationality being prohibited from entering the country. The Gentleman's
Agreement (1907) between the United States and Japan grew out of discriminatory legislation in California. Earlier, California
had established segregated public schools for Orientals. In response to protests from the Japanese government, President
Theodore Roosevelt negotiated an agreement in which California ended this segregated school system and Japan agreed to limit
immigration into the United States.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(2) These policies were not intended to enrich
America's cultural diversity. Both limited immigration into the United States and therefore reduced cultural diversity.
(3)
These policies were not intended to treat all Asian and European immigrants equally. They did the opposite. These policies
specifically targeted Chinese and Japanese people for exclusion.
(4) These policies were not intended to relocate Asians
displaced by war. They both dealt with immigration into the United States. |
|
2
32. 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
33. Increased immigration from Ireland to the United States during the 1840s was primarily
a result of |
|
| 1. crop failures in Ireland that led to mass starvation |
3. unemployment in Ireland caused by industrialization |
| 2. refugees fleeing the new monarchy in Ireland |
4. religious warfare in Ireland between Catholics and Protestants |
|
1 Increased immigration from Ireland to the United States during the 1840s was primarily the result of
crop failures that led to mass starvation. A blight afflicted the potato crop, which was a staple for Irish people. The potato
blight was partly a natural phenomenon and partly the result of British policies. Great Britain controlled Ireland and used
the best land to grow wheat and other crops for export, while potato farming was pushed to marginal land. The result was weak
potato plants less able to withstand disease. It is estimated that a million Irish starved to death between 1845 and 1850,
while another million left for America. Most Irish settled in port cities such as New York and Boston.
WRONG CHOICES
EXPLAINED:
(2) Irish immigrants were not refugees from a new monarchy in Ireland. Ireland was controlled by the British
monarchy during the time of mass migration. Ireland was officially part of Great Britain from 1801 to 1922 but English involvement
in Irish affairs dates back to the 12th century.
(3) Irish immigrants were not dislocated by the industrial revolution.
Industrialization was slow to come to Ireland. When a nation industrializes, jobs are created. Industrialization was one of
the reasons that the United States became such a magnet for immigrants in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The Irish immigrants
were mainly rural farm people, not unemployed laborers.
(4) Irish immigrants in the 1840s were not, for the most part,
escaping religious violence between Catholics and Protestants. Sectarian conflict in Ireland has occurred sporadically since
the English Protestant Reformation of the 1520s and 1530s. Sectarian violence persisted after Ireland gained independence
from England. England retained six counties of Ireland, known as Northern Ireland. From the 1960s to the 1990s, struggles
ensued in Northern Ireland between Protestant Unionists, who wanted to maintain ties to England and Catholic Nationalists,
who wanted Northern Ireland to be part of Ireland. |
|
1
34. 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
35. 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. |
|
3
36. The disputed elections of 1876 and 2000 were similar because in both contests the |
|
| 1. winner was chosen by a special electoral commission |
3. winner of the popular vote did not become president |
| 2. states were required to hold a second election |
4. election had to be decided in the House of Representatives |
|
3 The disputed elections of 1876 and 2000 were similar because in both contests the winner of the popular
vote did not become the president. This fact highlights one of the criticisms of our present electoral system. The president
is officially chosen by the electoral college, not by the results of the national popular vote. A president, therefore, can
be selected by the electoral college without a majority of the popular vote. Whichever candidate wins the popular vote in
a particular state gets all the electoral votes for that state. The number of electors for each state is equal to the
number of members of Congress from that state. Bigger states, therefore, get more electors. Presently, there are 538 electoral
votes. A candidate must win the majority, or 270 votes, to be declared the "president-elect." A situation could arise in which
a candidate could win the popular vote while losing in the electoral college. If candidate A won the popular vote overwhelmingly
in states whose electoral votes totaled 268 (just under the required majority), while candidate B just squeaked by in the
remainder of the states, whose electoral votes totaled 270 (the majority), candidate B would be declared president-elect even
though he or she probably had less of the overall popular vote than candidate A. This scenario occurred in 1876 and 2000,
as well as in 1824 and 1888. In 1876, Samuel J. Tilden won the majority of the popular vote but Rutherford B. Hayes became
president. In 2000, Al Gore won the majority of the popular vote but George W. Bush became president.
WRONG CHOICES
EXPLAINED:
(1) In 1876, the winner was chosen by a special electoral commission. The commission reached a compromise
that allowed the Republican candidate, Rutherford B. Hayes, to win the presidency. In return, the Republicans agreed to end
Reconstruction, paving the way for rule by the Democratic Party in the South. But in 2000, the winner was determined by the
results of the electoral college vote. The final result in 2000 took several weeks to determine because the popular vote in
Florida was so close that neither candidate could be declared victor immediately. The results of this state were crucial because
neither candidate had reached the magic number of 270 in the electoral college without the electoral votes of Florida. Recounts
of votes were occurring in several counties in Florida when the U.S. Supreme Court intervened and ordered the recount process
to stop. At that moment, George Bush was slightly ahead in Florida and Florida's electoral votes therefore went to him.
(2)
In neither case were states required to hold second elections.
(4) In neither case did the election have to be decided
by the House of Representatives. In 1800 and 1824, the House of Representatives selected the president when no candidate received
a majority in the electoral college. |
|
4
37. Base your answer on the accompanying graph and on your knowledge of social studies.
Which
generalization about the projected population in New York State is most clearly supported by the information on the graph? |
 |
|
| 1. The death rate will slowly increase by 2020. |
3. The number of citizens 75 and older will steadily decline by 2020. |
| 2. The number of citizens 75 and older will double by 2020. |
4. The population of both groups shown on the graph will increase by 2020. |
|
4 The information on the graph supports the conclusion that the population of both groups will increase
by 2020. The increase among senior citizens is more pronounced than the increase among the general population. Between 2005
and 2020, the census expects the population of New Yorkers 75 and over to increase by about 11 percent. The increase in the
general population in New York, on the other hand, is expected to be less than 2 percent. The "graying" of New York has implications
for social policies.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) The graph does not support the conclusion that the death
rate will slowly increase by 2020. The graph shows a steady increase in the number of people 75 and over by 2020. This increase
in the population of older New Yorkers would not lead one to infer that the death rate is increasing.
(2) The graph does
not support the conclusion that the number of people 75 and over will double by 2020. The increase is projected to be about
11 percent—considerably less than 100 percent.
(3) The graph does not support the conclusion that the number of people
75 and older will steadily decline by 2020. It will increase by about 11 percent by 2020. |
|
2
38. Which economic policy argues that government should limit, as much as possible, any
interference in the economy? |
|
| 1. socialism |
3. mercantilism |
| 2. laissez-faire |
4. protectionism |
|
2 The government policy of laissez-faire argues that government should limit, as much as possible, any
interference in the economy. The French phrase laissez-faire means "to let alone." It describes a government policy
that would take a hands-off approach with regard to economic activities. Throughout much of the history of the United States,
Americans have been suspicious of government intervention in the economy. The founders of the United States had vivid memories
of the overbearing, mercantilist policies of Great Britain. With the American economy growing by leaps and bounds in the 19th
century, few challenged this doctrine. The term fit in well with the doctrine of social Darwinism, which gained many adherents
in the late 19th century. Social Darwinists argued that government interference in the economy 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." 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 in the 1930s, Franklin D. 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.
Since the Great Depression, politicians have argued about the nature and degree of government economic intervention in the
economy, but few today argue for a complete laissez-faire policy.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) Socialism
is an economic policy that argues for government ownership of key sectors of the economy. It is the opposite of a laissez-faire
approach of non-intervention by the government in the economy.
3) Mercantilism is an economic policy that argues that the
government should play an active role in the economy. Laissez-faire, by contrast, argues that the government should play no
role in the economy. Mercantilist theory holds that governments should try to increase the wealth of a nation by maintaining
colonies so as to have a steady and inexpensive source of raw materials. The theory guided Great Britain in maintaining its
American colonies before the American Revolution.
(4) Protectionism is an economic policy that argues that the government
should impose tariffs on goods imported into the United States. These tariffs would raise the prices of foreign-made goods
and would make American goods comparatively more affordable. The tariffs would, in theory, protect American industry from
foreign competition. Protectionism involves government intervention in the economy; laissez-faire implies no government intervention
in the economy. |
|
4
39. "Gasoline Prices Soar in 2008"
"U.S. Oil Consumption and Imports Continue to Rise"
"OPEC
Votes to Reduce Oil Production"
Which conclusion is most clearly supported by these headlines? |
|
| 1. The United States exports more oil than it imports. |
3. The demand for alternative energy sources is declining. |
| 2. Energy policies are not affected by domestic events. |
4. United States dependence on foreign oil is a major problem. |
|
4 The headlines support the conclusion that U.S. dependence on foreign petroleum is a major problem.
The United States is the biggest consumer of petroleum, accounting for a quarter of all petroleum consumed in the world. Much
of the oil that the United States purchases from abroad is from the Middle East. The oil-producing countries of the Middle
East make up the majority of members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). The United States, as an
importer of petroleum, has had to deal with changing policies of OPEC. In 1973, for example, the Middle Eastern OPEC nations
cut exports to the United States, dramatically increasing the price of petroleum. These moves were in retaliation for U.S.
support for Israel in the 1973 Yom Kippur War between Israel and its Arab neighbors. Supporters of American oil independence
argue that such a move would free the United States from entanglements in Middle Eastern politics.
WRONG CHOICES
EXPLAINED:
(1) The headlines do not indicate that the United States exports more oil than it imports. Two of the headlines
refer to the importation of oil.
(2) The headlines do not indicate that energy policies are not affected by domestic events.
Domestic events do affect energy policy. For example, an increase in oil consumption at home affects the options open to the
United States with regard to energy policy.
(3) The headlines do not indicate that the demand for alternative energy is
declining. If anything, we might infer that as petroleum prices soar, Americans will search for alternative energy sources. |
|
1
40. The D-Day invasion in June 1944 was important to the outcome of World War II because
it |
|
| 1. opened a new Allied front in Europe |
3. forced Italy to surrender |
| 2. avoided use of the atomic bomb against civilian targets |
4. stopped Soviet advances in eastern Europe |
|
1 The D-Day invasion in June 1944 was important to the outcome of World War II because it opened a new
allied front in Europe. Until D-Day, most of the fighting against Germany was carried out by the Soviet Union in eastern Europe.
Joseph Stalin, the leader of the Soviet Union, had been urging the United States and Great Britain to open a second western
front in Europe against Germany. At a meeting in Tehran, Iran, in November 1943, President Franklin Roosevelt and British
leader Winston Churchill assured Stalin that they would open up a second European front. In June 1944, allied troops landed
on the beaches of Normandy, France, and began pushing Hitler's forces back toward Germany. By August 1944, allied forces had
liberated Paris from Nazi occupation. Hitler made a last attempt to stop the allied assault in the winter of 1944–1945.
German forces drove through allied lines into Belgium in the Battle of the Bulge before being stopped by allied forces. American
and British troops approached Germany from the west as Soviet troops approached from the east. By April 1945, Soviet troops
were on the outskirts of Berlin. On April 30, Hitler committed suicide, and on May 7, 1945, Germany surrendered, ending the
war in Europe.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(2) The use of the atomic bomb was not an option for the United
States and its allies in June 1944. The bomb had not yet been developed. It would take another year of frenzied research and
development at Los Alamos, New Mexico, before the bomb was ready to use. In June 1945, this new deadly device was tested at
the Alamogordo Air Base in New Mexico. In August 1945, an atomic bomb was used on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Three days
later, a second bomb was used on the Japanese city of Nagasaki. Within days of the dropping of the second bomb, Japan agreed
to surrender.
(3) The D-Day invasion did not bring about the surrender of Italy. Italy surrendered after a long and bloody
campaign against American and British forces just as the D-Day invasion was beginning in June 1944.
(4) The D-Day invasion
was not intended to stop Soviet advances in eastern Europe. On the contrary, the strategy of the allies was to have two fronts
in Europe against Hitler—the Soviets on the eastern front and the Americans and British on the western front. |
|
2
41. Base your answer on the accompanying cartoon and on your knowledge of social studies.
Which
issue in the United States is the focus of this cartoon? |
 |
|
| 1. poor diets of many older Americans |
3. increased competition among drug manufacturers |
| 2. high cost of many medicines |
4. government-controlled prices of prescription drugs |
|
2 The focus of the cartoon is the high cost of many medicines. The woman in the cartoon is noting the
price of a medication and is wryly suggesting that she and her husband would not be able to purchase food after paying for
the medication. The high cost of medications has been an important political issue recently. Many Americans have health insurance,
which covers the costs of medication. But millions of Americans have no medical coverage and have to pay for medications out
of pocket. Many prescription drugs are extremely expensive. Generally speaking, when a pharmaceutical company produces a new
drug, it has a monopoly on selling it to the public as long as its patent is still in effect. Once the patent expires, other
companies can make generic versions of the drug and sell them for considerably less. Many health care advocates argue that
the prices of medications should be regulated so that helping the sick takes priority over corporate profits.
WRONG
CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) The cartoon does not allude to poor diets of many older Americans. The woman in the cartoon
jokes that perhaps the medication would have to replace dinner, but the point of the cartoon is the high costs of medications.
(3)
The cartoon does not allude to increased competition among drug manufacturers. Many health care advocates argue that increased
competition among drug manufacturers might lower drug costs. Currently, the holder of a patent to a particular medication
has a monopoly on selling that medication.
(4) The cartoon does not allude to government-controlled prices of prescription
drugs. Currently, the government does not regulate the prices of prescription drugs. Many health care advocates argue that
the prices of prescription drugs should be regulated. |
|
1
42. Base your answer on the accompanying map and on your knowledge of social studies.
The
relocation camps shown on the map were mainly a reaction to the |
 |
|
| 1. Japanese military attack on Pearl Harbor |
3. need to train Japanese Americans for military service |
| 2. capture of Japanese war prisoners |
4. attacks by Japanese Americans on United States military bases |
|
1 The relocation camps shown on the map were mainly a reaction to the Japanese military attack on Pearl
Harbor. The bombing of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, by Japan (December 7, 1941) led the United States to enter World War II. Emotions
ran high after this attack. Many Americans directed their anger at all Japanese people—even ones who had decided to
immigrate to the United States. The United States asserted that these Japanese Americans posed a security risk, but the government
never provided evidence of spying or sabotage by Japanese Americans.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(2) The relocation
camps did not include Japanese war prisoners. The United States maintained prisoner-of-war camps in areas it controlled in
the Pacific theater of operations.
(3) The relocation camps were not intended as military training centers for Japanese
Americans. However, many Japanese Americans did volunteer to serve in the military during World War II. Despite the mistreatment
they received at the hands of the U.S. government, Japanese Americans comprised the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, which fought
with distinction in Europe.
(4) There were no attacks by Japanese Americans on U.S. military bases during World War II. |
|
2
43. President Franklin D. Roosevelt's reelection in 1940 created a controversy that eventually
led to |
|
| 1. the Supreme Court declaring the election unconstitutional |
3. an effort to increase voter participation |
| 2. the establishment of presidential term limits |
4. an attempt to increase the number of Justices on the Supreme Court |
|
2 President Franklin D. Roosevelt's reelection in 1940 created a controversy that eventually led to the
establishment of presidential term limits. President George Washington established a precedent of serving only two terms.
This tradition of serving for only two terms became such an ingrained part of the American political system that it was long
described as being part of the "unwritten constitution" of the United States. Each president after Washington followed this
tradition until President Franklin D. Roosevelt ran for a third term in 1940. He won that election, and he was even elected
to a fourth term in 1944 before he died in office in 1945. After Roosevelt's death, many argued that the tradition of the
two-term presidency should be added to the actual Constitution. These advocates argued that the power of the presidency gave
an incumbent president an unfair advantage. In 1951, the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution was ratified, limiting to two
the number of full terms a president may serve.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) The Supreme Court did not address
the issue of presidential term limits. The Court did rule in 1995 that states could not impose term limits on their federal
representatives.
(3) The controversy around President Franklin Roosevelt's decision to seek a third term did not involve
the level of voter participation.
(4) The controversy around President Franklin Roosevelt's decision to seek a third term
did not lead to him attempting to increase the number of justices on the Supreme Court. Roosevelt did attempt to increase
the number of justices on the Supreme Court, but the "court packing" controversy occurred in 1937, three years before he ran
for a third term. |
|
2
44. Base your answer on the accompanying song and on your knowledge of social studies.
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?They used to tell me I was building a dream
And so I followed the
mob.
When there was earth to plow or guns to bear,
I was always there, right on the job.
They used to tell me I was
building a dream
With peace and glory ahead —
Why should I be standing in line, just waiting
for bread?
Once
I built a railroad, I made it run,
Made it race against time.
Once I built a railroad, now it's done —
Brother,
can you spare a dime? . . .
Once in khaki suits, gee, we looked swell
Full of that Yankee Doodle-de-dum.
Half
a million boots went slogging through hell,
And I was the kid with the drum. . . .
— E. Y. Harburg and J. Gorney, 1932
Which program was created to deal with
the problem identified in this song? |
|
| 1. Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) |
3. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) |
| 2. Works Progress Administration (WPA) |
4. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) |
|
2 The Works Progress Administration (WPA) was created to deal with the central problem identified in
the song—widespread unemployment during the Great Depression of the 1930s. The WPA (1935) was a vast program of government
projects that hired millions of unemployed workers. The WPA, for example, built schools, maintained highways, installed sewer
lines, wrote guidebooks, and produced theatrical productions. 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.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) The Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC; 1887) was created to regulate
trade between states, not to address the issue of unemployment. The impetus behind the ICC was widespread resentment at the
practices of the large railroad companies. Many farmers believed the railroad companies were engaged in underhanded business
practices and that the government should step in to regulate these giant corporations.
(3) The Federal Trade Commission
(FTC; 1914) was created to regulate business practices, not to address the issue of unemployment. The FTC attempts to protect
the consumers from unfair business practices.
(4) The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC; 1933) was created during
the New Deal, but its focus was restoring people's confidence in the banking system, not helping the unemployed. |
|
4
45. Base your answer on the accompanying song and on your knowledge of social studies.
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?They used to tell me I was building a dream
And so I followed the
mob.
When there was earth to plow or guns to bear,
I was always there, right on the job.
They used to tell me I was
building a dream
With peace and glory ahead —
Why should I be standing in line, just waiting
for bread?
Once
I built a railroad, I made it run,
Made it race against time.
Once I built a railroad, now it's done —
Brother,
can you spare a dime? . . .
Once in khaki suits, gee, we looked swell
Full of that Yankee Doodle-de-dum.
Half
a million boots went slogging through hell,
And I was the kid with the drum. . . .
— E. Y. Harburg and J. Gorney, 1932
Which statement most accurately expresses
the main idea of this song? |
|
| 1. Railroad workers were often overpaid. |
3. Soldiers never have difficulty finding jobs when they return from war. |
| 2. The average wage in 1930 was 10 cents an hour. |
4. Hard times threaten economic opportunity. |
|
4 The main idea of the song is that hard times threaten economic opportunity. The famous song poignantly
highlights the economic bind that many people were in during the Great Depression of the 1930s. The narrator of the song had
participated in building the network of railroads that crisscrossed America and had fought to defend his country during World
War I. Now he was reduced to asking for handouts to survive. The song makes clear that the unemployed during the Great Depression
were not lazy; rather, there simply were no jobs available.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) The song does not
assert that railroad workers were overpaid. The song is sympathetic to the men who built the network of railroads in the United
States. It wonders why these hardworking men had no other option during the Great Depression than waiting in a bread line
or asking for a handout.
(2) The song does not mention average wages in 1930. In fact, it notes that many hardworking men
were unemployed during the Great Depression. The "dime" in the title refers to spare change that the narrator is asking passersby
for.
(3) The song does not assert that returning soldiers easily find work. Rather, it is noting the opposite. Many veterans
of World War I were reduced to asking for handouts because they did not have jobs. |
|
3
46. Base your answer on the accompanying cartoon and on your knowledge of social studies.
Based
on this cartoon, economic recovery would require |
 |
|
| 1. fewer regulations by the federal government |
3. more money in the hands of lower-income families |
| 2. increased taxes on the working class |
4. protective tariffs on foreign goods |
|
3 Based on the cartoon, economic recovery would require more money in the hands of lower income families.
The cartoon and the quote below it by President Franklin Roosevelt highlight one of the important philosophical underpinnings
of Roosevelt's New Deal program. He saw that one of the causes of the Great Depression was that workers in the 1920s were
not able to purchase enough consumer goods to keep the economy growing. An important aspect of his New Deal was increasing
workers' wages. Toward this end, President Franklin Roosevelt pushed for passage of the Wagner Act, which made it easier for
workers to join unions so that their wages, and purchasing power, would rise. He also supported programs that would provide
government jobs to unemployed people, such as the Works Progress Administration.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1)
The cartoon is not asserting that economic recovery would require fewer regulations by the federal government. The presence
of Uncle Sam, helping "Mr. Small Income," indicates that the cartoonist would encourage greater government involvement in
the economy, not less.
(2) The cartoon is not asserting that economic recovery would require increased taxes on the working
class. The key to the "permanent recovery" door is labeled "increased purchasing power." President Franklin Roosevelt argued
that workers were not able to purchase enough consumer goods to get the economy moving toward recovery. Increasing taxes on
working people would not increase their purchasing power; it would diminish it.
(4) The cartoon is not asserting that economic
recovery would require protective tariffs on foreign goods. The cartoon does not allude to trade at all. Roosevelt actually
pushed to lower tariffs on foreign goods in order to boost trade. |
|
3
47. 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. |
|
1
48. 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
49. President Woodrow Wilson's policy of strict neutrality during the early years of World
War I was challenged by |
|
| 1. German violations of freedom of the seas |
3. attacks by Mexicans on United States border towns |
| 2. British disrespect for the Roosevelt corollary |
4. the refusal of the League of Nations to supply peacekeepers |
|
1 President Woodrow Wilson's policy of strict neutrality during the early years of World War I was challenged
by German violations of freedom of the seas. Freedom of the seas was a major reason for U.S. entrance into World War I. 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. But quickly Great Britain successfully blockaded American ships from reaching Germany. Out of necessity,
U.S. trade shifted to Great Britain exclusively. Germany responded by warning the United States that 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 American 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:
(2) The Roosevelt corollary to the Monroe Doctrine involved Latin America, not Europe. Further, the United
States entered World War I on the side of Great Britain, so British "disrespect" of the United States would not contribute
to America joining the war on the British side.
(3) There were no attacks by Mexicans on U.S. border towns. There was some
concern about Mexico when the United States became aware of the Zimmerman note, in which German foreign secretary Arthur Zimmerman
indicated that Germany would help Mexico regain territory it lost to the United States if Mexico joined the war on Germany's
side. But Mexico stayed out of World War I.
(4) The League of Nations was not formed until after World War I. |
|
2
50. 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. |
|
2
51. During the late 1800s, pools and trusts were used by big business in an effort to |
|
| 1. increase imports |
3. improve working conditions |
| 2. limit competition |
4. reduce corporate income taxes |
|
2 During the late 1800s, pools and trusts were used by big business to limit competition. Trusts and
pools are combinations of companies that came to dominate entire industries during the Gilded Age of the late 1800s. John
D. Rockefeller established the first large trust in the oil processing industry. The formation of trusts was seen as harmful
to the interests of consumers. The men who controlled the major industries in the United States came to be known as robber
barons, a scornful title meant to call attention to their cutthroat business activities and their attempts to control
the government. Critics of corporate power pushed the government to take steps to reign in these massive corporations. But
their efforts often did not end up having the desired effect. The Sherman Antitrust Act was designed to break up trusts, but
only a few trusts were challenged. Ironically, the act was used with equal vigor against unions, on the grounds that they
were illegal formations that interfered with free trade.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) Pools and trusts were
not used by business to increase imports. American business leaders of the late 1800s wanted to reduce imports because imported
goods would compete with products produced by American companies.
(3) Pools and trusts were not used to improve working
conditions. Working conditions of the late 1800s were often unsafe to the workers. American business leaders were not eager
to put money into improving these conditions.
(4) Pools and trusts were not used to reduce corporate income tax. Business
leaders are always eager to reduce their tax burden, but corporate income taxes were not levied until 1909. |
|
4
52. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, many members of Congress supported legislation requiring
literacy tests for immigrants in an attempt to |
|
| 1. stop illegal immigration from Latin America |
3. limit the power of urban political machines |
| 2. provide highly skilled workers for industry |
4. restrict immigration from southern and eastern Europe |
|
4 In the late 1800s and early 1900s, many members of Congress supported legislation requiring literacy
tests for immigrants in an attempt to restrict immigration from southern and eastern Europe. During this period a strong Nativist,
or anti-immigrant, movement developed in the United States. Some members of the movement exhibited prejudice toward people
who seemed "different." Others did not want immigrant workers to compete with Americans for jobs. Still others worried that
the United States might become overpopulated. One strategy for restricting immigration was requiring immigrants to pass a
literacy test before they would be admitted to the United States. Large numbers of immigrants were not literate in their native
tongue, let alone English. Nativists failed to implement such a literacy test, but they were successful in the 1920s in restricting
immigration. 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) Illegal immigration was not a major issue before the 1920s. In the 1920s, the
United States passed laws drastically restricting the number of immigrants allowed into the country, based on complicated
quota systems. Before the 1920s, however, the United States had virtually open borders. Therefore, one did not have to break
the law to come into the United States.
(2) Literacy tests would be used to keep out immigrants, not to entice highly skilled
workers into the United States. Further, by the early 1900s, there was much more demand for unskilled workers than for skilled
workers. Mass production techniques required unskilled factory operatives, not skilled craftsmen.
(3) To participate in
the electoral process, immigrants would have to become citizens of the United States. Reading, writing, and speaking English
were prerequisites for citizenship. |
|
3
53. "Hawaiian Planters Urge American Annexation"
"U.S. and Germany Negotiate for Control
of the Samoan Islands"
"U.S. Gains Control of Wake Island and Guam"
Which conclusion can best be drawn from
these headlines? |
|
| 1. The Anti-Imperialist League strongly influenced Congress. |
3. United States territorial expansion increased in the Pacific Ocean. |
| 2. Respect for native cultures motivated United States foreign policy. |
4. Construction of a railroad to Alaska was a major policy goal. |
|
3 The three headlines indicate that U.S. territorial expansion increased in the Pacific Ocean. Hawaii,
Samoa, Wake Island, and Guam are all Pacific islands that the United States has gained control over. 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. Wake Island was annexed by the United States in 1898. It was uninhabited at the time. Samoa
was divided as a result of negotiations between the United States and Germany in 1899. The negotiations followed several years
of war in which the United States and Germany supported different sides. Some critics in the United States resisted the move
toward empire. These critics wondered how the United States, a country born in an anticolonial war, could acquire an empire
of its own. The most prominent anti-imperialist was author Mark Twain.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) The
headlines do not indicate that the Anti-Imperialist League strongly influenced Congress. The headlines describe imperialist
acts on the part of the United States. If the Anti-Imperialist League was successful, such acts would not have occurred.
(2)
The headlines do not indicate that United States foreign policy was motivated by respect for native cultures. The United States
assumed that native cultures were inferior. It showed little respect for the desires of native people. In the case of Hawaii,
the local leader, Queen Lilioukalani, hoped to restore Hawaii to native control and challenged American control. She was forced
to surrender.
(4) The headlines all refer to incidents involving Pacific islands, far from the North American mainland. |
|
4
54. The climate and topography of the southeastern United States had a major impact on the
history of the United States before 1860 because the region |
|
| 1. became the center of commerce and manufacturing |
3. was the area in which most immigrants chose to settle |
| 2. developed as the largest domestic source of steel production |
4. provided agricultural products that were processed in the North and in Europe |
|
4 The climate and topography of the southeastern United States had a major impact on the history of the
United States before 1860 because the region provided agricultural products that were processed in the North and in Europe.
The most important agricultural product was cotton. Cotton needs a long frost-free season, lots of sunshine, and moderate
rainfall. These conditions are present in a broad swath of the South. Eli Whitney's cotton gin (1793) was instrumental in
helping meet the growing demand for raw cotton. A cotton gin separates the cotton seeds from the raw cotton strands. Southern
plantation owners needed workers to plant, tend, and harvest the cotton crop. Thus, the institution of slavery saw a dramatic
increase in the first half of the 1800s. From the 1830s onward, slavery became a contentious issue in American society. The
issue intensified as the United States acquired more territory in the West. The question of whether these new territories
would be slave or free became a central political issue in the 1850s and led to the Civil War (1861–1865).
WRONG
CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) The southeastern United States was not the center of commerce and manufacturing, either before
or after 1860. Throughout the 1800s, the northern states dominated these sectors of the economy.
(2) Steel production was
not significant in the southeastern United States before 1860. Steel production was centered in Pennsylvania and Ohio, and
became prominent only after the Civil War.
(3) The southeastern United States was not a magnet for immigrants, either before
or after 1860. Throughout the 1800s, most immigrants to the United States settled in the cities of the northern states. |
|
2
55. The principal goal of the supporters of Manifest Destiny in the 1840s was to |
|
| 1. convince Canada to become part of the United States |
3. build a canal across Central America |
| 2. expand United States territory to the Pacific Ocean |
4. acquire naval bases in the Caribbean |
|
2 The principal goal of supporters of Manifest Destiny in the 1840s was to expand U.S. territory to the
Pacific Ocean. The term Manifest Destiny was 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. Americans
who did settle out west were probably driven more by economic factors, such as cheap land or precious metals, than they were
by a desire to fulfill God's plan. Supporters of Manifest Destiny achieved their goal of extending American territory to the
Pacific Ocean with the acquisition of the Oregon Territory (1848) and the purchase of the Mexican Cession territory after
the Mexican War (1848). Other noteworthy episodes in the history of the settlement of the West include Texas independence
from Mexico (1836), the opening of the Oregon Trail (1841), and the Mormon exodus to Utah (1847). This movement was especially
damaging for the Native Americans of the West, who were driven off their land and relegated to several western reservations.
WRONG CHOICES EXPLAINED:
(1) Supporters of Manifest Destiny might have dreamed of incorporating Canada into
the United States, but that was never a principal goal of the movement.
(3) Manifest Destiny is associated with expansion
across the North American continent. The push to build a canal across Central America came later. The Panama Canal was completed
in 1914.
(4) Manifest Destiny is associated with expansion across the North American continent. The push to acquire naval
bases in the Caribbean came in the 1890s as the United States became an imperialist power. |
|
Husp Practice 11 17 09
Mr Eisenberg |
TEACHER ANSWER KEY
November 17, 2009 |
|
3
1. 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. |
|
3
2. 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
3. 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. |
|
4
4. 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. |
|
2
5. 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
6. 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
7. 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. |
|
4
8. President Herbert Hoover's refusal to provide funds for the unemployed during the Depression
was based on his belief that |
|
| 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 |
|
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. |
|
1
9. 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. |
|
4
10. 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." |
|
3
11. 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
12. 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
13. 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
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? |
|
| 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
15. 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. |
|
3
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 |
|
| 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. |
|
1
17. 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. |
|
2
18. 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. |
|
2
19. 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. |
|
2
20. 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
21. 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
22. The 1920s are often called the "Roaring Twenties" because the decade was noted for |
|
| 1. changing cultural values |
3. political reform |
| 2. economic depression |
4. overseas expansion |
|
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. |
|
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