U.S. History Topic 5.4

How did Henry Ford contribute to the explosive growth of the U.S. economy?

• He improved advertising as a way to encourage consumer activity.

• He sparked a transportation revolution by inventing the first automobile.

• He increased industrial productivity and improved working conditions through innovation.

• He devised a credit system so that more people could own automobiles.

Why did Henry Ford institute the "five-dollar day, forty-hour week"?

• One of Ford's competitors started a similar plan, and Ford felt he had to do the same.

• With more money and time, workers could enroll in night school.

• Ford was following the scientific management research that suggested that workers needed more rest to be productive.

• Ford thought that by giving his workers more money and time they could become his customers.

What effect did installment buying have on the U.S. economy?

• The economy slowed because interest rates on installment plans were high.

• The economy grew because installment buying of resources helped manufacturers produce goods more efficiently.

• The economy slowed because credit was unavailable to many consumers.

• The economy grew as Americans purchased goods that, without installment buying, they would have had to have saved for years to afford.

What effect did mass transportation have on cities and surrounding suburbs?

• Suburban growth decreased until automobiles were widely available.

• Cities grew rapidly as people moved to urban areas from the surrounding suburbs.

• Cities grew more slowly as people moved to rural areas.

• Suburbs grew as workers used mass transportation to travel to jobs in the city.

What was the purpose of time-study analysis in the automobile industry?

• to increase the speed of an automobile and improve driving times

• to predict how long an automobile would last after being purchased

• to minimize the amount of time it took to manufacture an automobile

• to increase the length of workers' shifts in order to increase efficiency