CommonLit: The Great Depression

Guiding Question:

All of the following occurred in 1929 EXCEPT:

• A recession due to fewer consumer goods bought

• Increased stock prices and stock purchases

• The start of WWII

• A stock market crash known as Black Thursday

Guiding Question:

How did the Great Depression change the country?

• It set off a chain reaction of companies closing, unemployment, and poverty

• It destroyed the stock market and banking system forever

• It caused millions of Americans to die of starvation

• It caused massive distrust among foreign investors who no longer wanted to trade with America

Guiding Questions:

Which statement best describes the international effects of the Great Depression?

• The U.S. economic crash forced other countries to face economic crises and political backlash.

• America's withdrawal from the world economy decreased its cultural influence in other countries.

• America's loss of economic influence led to decreased international influence, as other countries shunned the U.S.

• The U.S. depression increased unemployment in other countries, forcing many to immigrate to America.

Guiding Questions:

Why did Hoover's party lose support in the 1932 election?

• because people blamed Hoover for directly causing the Great Depression

• because Hoover's political party was unaware of how to lessen the Great Depression

• because Hoover's administration did not intervene enough to stop the depression

• because Hoover allowed leaders like Hitler to rise to power in Europe

Guiding Questions:

FDR's New Deal programs accomplished all of the following EXCEPT:

• support workers rights

• decrease unemployment

• eliminate homelessness

• provide financial safety nets

Guiding Question:

How does the text characterize FDR's legacy?

• He was a thoughtful but timid man who made many mistakes as a president

• He was a creative though not faultless leader who saved the country from destruction

• He was a fraud who duped the American public into completely changing the country

• He was a strong leader who worked hard to save the country, to little success.

Assessment:

Part A

Which TWO of the following statements best express the central ideas of the text?

• Unstable stock market bubbles can be a dangerous threat to a country's economy

• President Hoover is broadly considered a bad president

• The Great Depression was one of the greatest economic crises in American history and had far-reaching affects outside U.S. borders

• The Great Depression severely impacted the lives of all Americans, except the upper-class

• FDR's reforms helped bring about the end of the Great Depression and continue to shape American economic policies today

Part B:

Which TWO of the following quotes best answer the question to part A?

• People were starving, even in the land of plenty. It triggered political upheavals in Europe that had devastating consequences

• not the answer

• not the answer

• The New Deal...launched bold measures to promote economic reform and recovery, and it enacted unprecedented laws to protect ordinary citizens

What does the word "parlous" mean as it is used in paragraph 15?

• anxious

• panicked

• resilient

• dire

Part B:

Which phrase from par. 15-16 best supports your answer to Part A?

• "bareheaded and unsmiling"

• "restore it to health"

• "will endure, as it has endured"

• "to fear is fear itself"