Gilded Age Quiz #1

Which of the following explains how railroads promoted U.S. economic development in the late 1800's?

• They used up natural resources, altered the landscape, and caused damage to the environment.

• They competed with manufacturers for the use of a limited pool of skilled workers.

• They connected producers with markets and encouraged greater production of iron, steel and coal.

• They created noise and pollution, encouraging people to move from cities to suburbs

In the late 1800s, which factor directly contributed to the growth of the American STEEL industry?

• Government regulation

• Employee ownership

• New production techniques

• The formation of labor unions

What social issue was raised by the philanthropic activities of many American business leaders during the Gilded Age?

• Should private industries be taken over by worker

  organizations?

• Were American businesses charging too much for their

  products?

• Should state governments limit the philanthropic activities of

  private citizens?

• Was it right for business owners to pay low wages to their

  workers to finance philanthropic activities?

What was an important benefit of the laissez-faire policies of the federal government in the late nineteenth century?

• American entrepreneurs could invest in their businesses with

  little government interference

• American businesses could avoid the ups and downs of the

  business cycle

• American workers found it easy to organize into labor unions

• American workers felt secure about safety in factories

During the Gilded Age, there was a notable increase in

federal support for -

• Increased temperance movements

• Involvement in foreign wars

• The acquisition of foreign territories

• The growth of big business

Which statement would most likely be found in a history of

the economic impact of the Transcontinental Railroad on the United States?

• Statement 1

• Statement 2

• Statement 3

• Statement 4

This cover from a nineteenth century magazine helps

illustrate that the US was beginning to change from -

• A direct democracy to a representative one

• A mostly rural society to a mostly urban one

• A foreign policy of isolationism to one of

  interventionism

• A slave-owning society to one without slavery

"Prices and wages should be determined by the marketplace.” The author of this statement would most probably support...

• government ownership of utilities

• minimum-wage laws

• wage and price controls

• laissez-faire capitalism

What big business owner was a philantropist?

What process made the production of steel more efficient?