Industrialization Quiz

Which of the following best characterizes the Gilded Age?

• The discovery of goldfields in the West led to an increase in the amount of money issued for circulation

• Industrialists used their connections with corrupt government officials for material gain and political power

• In the Deep South a sharp increase in immigration brought a boom in construction and industry

• Small, family-owned farms were bought and consolidated to form large agricultural corporations

During the Gilded Age there was a notable increase in federal support for:

• the growth of big business

• involvement in foreign wars

• the acquisition of foreign territories

• increased temperance regulations

"All who recall the condition of the country in 1890 will remember that....the country was in real danger from another kind of slavery....that would result from the aggregations of capital in the hands of a few individuals and [businesses] controlling, for their own profit and advantage exclusively, the entire business of the country, including the production and sale of the necessaries of life." -Supreme Court Justice John Marshall Harlan, 1911

In this excerpt, Justice Harlan is warning against:

• a civil service based on patronage rather than merit

• allowing powerful monopolies to dominate interstate commerce

• a lack of federal funding for essential transportation systems

• allowing labor unions to interfere with production goals

Which of the following occurred between 1865 and 1900 as a result of the rapid industrialization of the US?

• Social and economic class divisions began to disappear

• Concerns about air pollution led to stricter environmental regulations

• Union membership increased as workers sought better pay and conditions

• Factory owners introduced wage-equity policies for women in the workplace

Which application of new technology can be attributed to an invention of Thomas Edison?

• Refrigerated railroad cars allowed food to be transported long distances

• Light bulbs made it efficient for factory workers to work at night

• Diesel engines were used in the production of airplanes

• Sonar technology was used to track submarines

Which statement best explains how the application of electricity in the early 1900s affected the development of the US economy?

• Long-distance travel became more expensive

• College education became more accessible

• Manufacturing processes became more efficient

• Household appliances became more costly

How did the light-bulb affect industry?

• Machines needed to be repaired less frequently

• Products could be manufactured on an assembly line

• Businesses needed to hire skilled workers

• Factories could extend working hours

In the late 1800s, which factor directly contribtued to the growth of the American steel industry?

• government regulation

• employee ownership

• new production techniques

• the formation of labor unions

In the late 19th century, critics of big business claimed that monopolies in the US harmed the economy by:

• unfairly limiting competition

• decreasing the urban growth rate

• preventing technological innovation

• failing to keep pace with European industries

Which was an important benefit of the laissez-fair polices of the federal government in the late 19th century?

• American entrepreneurs were able to invest in their businesses with little government interference

• American businesses were able to avoid the ups and down of the business cycle

• American workers found it easy to organize into labor unions

• American workers felt secure about the safety of conditions in factories