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Worksheets1930s
Total questions: 40
Worksheet time: 20mins
Name
Class
Date
1.
1. Which statement about Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal program is most accurate?
a)
Protective tariff rates increased.
b)
Social welfare programs were expanded.
c)
Government regulation of business was reduced.
d)
Government support of environmental conservation ended.
2.
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), established during the New Deal, were important because they
a)
increased the supply of money in the economy
b)
guaranteed loans to failing businesses and banks
c)
attempted to restore public confidence in financial institutions
d)
provided grants to unemployed workers
3.
What was one factor that led to the Great Depression?
a)
government limitations on the amount of money in circulation
b)
high wages paid by employers
c)
increases in the tax rate for corporations
d)
excessive speculation in the stock market
4.
Much of the domestic legislation of the New Deal period was based on the idea that the federal government should
a)
favor big business over labor and farming
b)
assume some responsibility for the welfare of people
c)
own and operate the major industries of the country
d)
require local communities to be responsible for social welfare programs
5.
A lasting effect of the New Deal has been a belief that government should
a)
own the principal means of producing goods and services
b)
allow natural market forces to determine economic conditions
c)
maintain a balanced federal budget during hard economic times
d)
assume responsibility for the well-being of its citizens
6.
In the 1930s, shantytowns, often called “Hoovervilles,” sprang up across the United States because of President Herbert Hoover’s
a)
support for federal programs to provide jobs for the unemployed
b)
refusal to provide direct federal aid to the homeless
c)
efforts to help the residents return to their farms
d)
emergency relief program to provide food to the poor
7.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt supported domestic policies that
a)
favored only one region of the nation
b)
attempted to increase the wealth of the rich
c)
led to tax cuts for all Americans
d)
provided direct help to those in need
8.
Which conditions are most characteristic of an economic depression?
a)
high unemployment and overproduction
b)
large business investments and low taxes
c)
too much money in circulation and high stock prices
d)
high employment and increased real estate investments
9.
New Deal programs such as the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and the Works Progress Administration (WPA) were primarily intended to help
a)
farmers
b)
homeowners
c)
businesses
d)
unemployed workers
10.
During the Great Depression, expressions such as Hoovervilles and Hoover blankets showed that President Hoover
a)
was seen as a role model
b)
used the military to aid the unemployed
c)
was blamed for the suffering of the poor
d)
supported relief and public housing for the needy
11.
The National Labor Relations Act (Wagner Act) of 1935 strengthened labor unions because it legalized
a)
collective bargaining
b)
the open shop
c)
blacklisting
d)
the sit-down strike
12.
The major purpose of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s bank holiday of 1933 was to
a)
restore public confidence in the nation’s banks
b)
reinforce strict laws to punish banks charging high interest rates
c)
reduce the number of banks to a manageable number
d)
encourage the nation’s banks to loan more money to failing businesses
13.
One difference between the administrations of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and President Herbert Hoover is that Roosevelt was
a)
unwilling to allow government agencies to establish jobs programs
b)
unable to win congressional support for his economic program
c)
able to ignore economic issues for most of his first term in office
d)
more willing to use government intervention to solve economic problems
14.
Which was an important difference between the approaches of Franklin D. Roosevelt and Herbert Hoover towards the Great Depression?
a)
Roosevelt was unwilling to establish federal job programs
b)
Roosevelt was unable to win Congressional support
c)
Roosevelt ignored economic issues during his terms in office
d)
Roosevelt was more willing to use the powers of the federal government to tackle economic problems
15.
How did the American economy of the 1920s differ from the economy of the 1930s?
a)
The 1920s saw increased consumer borrowing and speculation, while the 1930s saw a rise in unemployment and business failures
b)
The 1920s saw a decrease in consumer borrowing, while the 1930s witnessed prosperity and success in the U.S. economy
c)
The 1920s saw a large increase in unemployment, while the 1930s saw a sharp decline in unemployment and homelessness
d)
The 1920s saw a marked increase in the role of government, while the 1930s saw a reversal of this trend.
16.
In the twentieth century, the American economy experienced periods of both good and bad times. What conditions were characteristic of the economic depression that Americans faced in the 1930s?
a)
High unemployment and bank failures
b)
Inflated stock prices and low taxes
c)
Excess money in circulation and rising inflation
d)
High employment and business expansion
17.
How did the raising of U.S. tariffs expand the worldwide depression?
a)
U.S. imports increased sharply, leading to further unpaid debt
b)
Though demand for U.S. exports increased, payments fell behind
c)
Other nations fell behind competitively without such tariffs
d)
Other nations retaliated and world trade became even worse
18.
Which of these factors helped hide economic problems in the 1920s?
a)
Investors lost confidence in the market
b)
Farmers sold crop surpluses to pay off their debt
c)
Americans purchased many consumer goods on credit
d)
Wages increased at the same pace as worker productivity
19.
Farmers contributed to the problems that led to the Dust Bowl by
a)
Putting down new layers of topsoil
b)
Moving off of the plains to find new farmland
c)
Damming western rivers and using irrigation techniques
d)
Using intensive farming practices that removed protective grasses
20.
President Hoover responded cautiously to the depression because he
a)
Thought that the business cycle would correct itself
b)
Was distracted by the giant dust storms in the Great Plains
c)
Had little experience with business methods and economic theory
d)
Wanted to take an aggressive approach to recovery
21.
The Agricultural Adjustment Act helped farmers because it
a)
Sought to end overproduction and raise crop prices
b)
Attracted industry with the promise of cheap power
c)
Created jobs for over 2 million U.S. citizens
d)
Regulated the stock market and made investments safer
22.
Who was the first female Cabinet member?
a)
Frances Perkins
b)
Margaret Marshall
c)
Mary McLeod Bethune
d)
Eleanor Roosevelt
23.
Why did the stock market crash?
a)
Depositors lost their investments and made runs on the nation’s banks
b)
The Federal Reserve increased the money supply
c)
Investors lost confidence in the market and started to sell their shares
d)
Germany ceased reparations payments
24.
How did Eleanor Roosevelt change the role of the First Lady?
a)
The role became an elected position with Congressional voting rights
b)
She created a newspaper column that all First Ladies now have to write
c)
The role changed from being largely ceremonial to a role of political involvement
d)
She created a new Cabinet position for herself that all First Ladies since have held
25.
A significant cause of the Great Depression of the 1930s was that
a)
Some banking policies were unsound and had led to the overexpansion of credit
b)
A decrease in protective tariffs had opened American business to competition from abroad
c)
A wave of violent strikes had paralyzed major industries
d)
Consumer goods were relatively inexpensive
26.
The main purpose of New Deal measures such as the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) was to
a)
Provide immediate employment opportunities
b)
Develop rules to limit speculation and safeguard savings
c)
Enable the Federal Government to take over failing industries
d)
Assure a guaranteed income for American families
27.
A lasting result of the New Deal has been
a)
Reduction of the national debt
b)
Control of stock prices by the Federal government
c)
Joint effort of businesses and labor to strengthen the Presidency
d)
Assumption by the Federal Government of greater responsibility for the nation’s well being
28.
The main reason President Franklin D. Roosevelt attempted to increase the number of Justices on the United States Supreme Court was to
a)
Force the Court to hear cases involving the rights of minorities and women
b)
Speed up the Court’s review of cases
c)
Increase the independence of the Court
d)
Make the Court more supportive of New Deal programs
29.
A major result of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal was
a)
A decline in the Federal deficit
b)
An expansion of the power of the Federal Government
c)
A change in the voting rights of women
d)
A reinstitution of the gold standard for United States currency
30.
Which day is Black Tuesday?
a)
September 1, 1982
b)
October 29, 1929
c)
December 7, 1941
d)
November 1, 1930
31.
In the fall of 1929, a wave of panic selling gripped the stock market as a result of
a)
A sudden fall in stock prices
b)
Corruption among stockbrokers
c)
Business failures
d)
Government limits on speculation
32.
Practices such as buying on margin reflected Americans
a)
Moral virtue
b)
Demand for safe, secure investments
c)
“get-rich-quick” attitude
d)
Lack of faith in the stock market
33.
These were Roosevelt’s reforms to put an end to the Depression.
a)
Brain Trust
b)
FDIC
c)
New Deal
d)
Prohibition
34.
In the 1930s, one factor that accounted for the westward migration of farmers from the Great Plains was
a)
High farm prices
b)
New technologies
c)
The Dust Bowl
d)
The Baby boom
35.
. In the 1930s, the Great Plains was hit by a/an __________________________?
a)
100 year flood
b)
Drought
c)
tornado
d)
Earthquake
36.
Many of the Okies moved from the Great Plains to _______________________?
a)
California
b)
Nevada
c)
New York
d)
Oklahoma
37.
Which of the following best characterized American foreign policy during the 1920s and 1930s?
a)
strict isolationism
b)
cooperative internationalism
c)
limited internationalism
d)
moral internationalism
38.
Hoover’s belief that the federal government should not be responsible for the people is called
a)
welfare state
b)
pump-priming economics
c)
rugged individualism
d)
social Welfare
39.
He wrote the Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men that continue to be popular literary selections today.
a)
Fizgerald
b)
Hawthorne
c)
Steinbeck
d)
Hemingway
40.
John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath sympathetically portrayed the plight of:
a)
Oklahoma Dust Bowl migrants.
b)
unemployed Detroit factory workers.
c)
new immigrants in New York City.
d)
poor black farmers in Georgia.
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