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Worksheets

1920s & Great Depression Review

Total questions: 75

Worksheet time: 57mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

During the Roaring Twenties, the US had just got out of __________, and business was booming.

a)

World War I

b)

World War II

c)

The Great Recession

d)

The Great Depression

2.

In the 1920s, many Americans invested money in the ______ market.

a)

black

b)

credit

c)

share

d)

stock

3.

True or False: The value of a share in a company hardly ever changes.

a)

True

b)

False

4.

What happened in the summer of 1929?

a)

Production of goods increased, and employment rose.

b)

Production of goods decreased, and employment dropped.

c)

Americans sold millions of shares, and the stock market crashed.

d)

Americans paid back the money that they had borrowed to buy stocks.

5.

What happened on Black Tuesday in October 1929?

a)

Factories shut down and cut millions of positions.

b)

Companies sold millions of shares, and the stock market crashed.

c)

Americans sold millions of shares, and the stock market crashed.

d)

Americans paid back the money that they had borrowed to buy stocks.

6.

The ____________ caused food shortages in the southwestern Great Plains.

a)

Dust Bowl

b)

Hungerville

c)

Drought Bowl

d)

Depression Drought

7.

What is another term for shantytowns?

a)

Hoovervilles

b)

Hoover slums

c)

Rooseveltvilles

d)

depression houses

8.

At the beginning of the Great Depression, which president did many Americans blame for their problems?

a)

President Franklin D. Roosevelt

b)

President Calvin Coolidge

c)

President Warren G. Harding

d)

President Herbert Hoover

9.

Which of the following are programs that were part of the New Deal?

a)

the Tennessee Valley Authority and the Pension Act

b)

the Social Security Act and the Employment Administration

c)

the Works Progress Administration and the Social Security Act

d)

the Works Progress Administration and the Tennessee Veterans' Authority

10.

The Social Security Act of 1935 guaranteed

a)

citizenship for working immigrants who moved to America.

b)

access to education for children from impoverished families.

c)

employment for workers who would construct public buildings.

d)

pensions for the retired elderly and unemployment money for the jobless.

11.

Which of the following is a true statement about Black Tuesday?

a)

It was the direct cause of the Great Depression.

b)

It was the result of a steady decline in demand for stocks in the previous 12 months.

c)

It was a cause of the underlying problems that led to the Great Depression.

d)

It was caused by the Dust Bowl that wiped out farms in the Midwest.

12.

What caused Herbert Hoover to raise taxes during the Depression?

a)

He wanted to prolong the recession for political gain

b)

He thought that collecting taxes would make stocks rise immediately

c)

He wanted to balance the federal government's budget

d)

He wanted to re-distribute money from the rich to the poor

13.

Which of the following trends during the 1920s set the stage for the Great Depression?

a)

Americans building up personal debt

b)

Banks making lots of very safe loans

c)

Americans refusing to play the stock market

d)

A lack of developed farmland in the Midwest and Great Plains

14.

How do the Federal Reserve and the government respond to economic slowdowns today?

a)

They raise interest rates to encourage saving

b)

They keep a tight rein on the money supply

c)

They make money available to individuals and businesses

d)

They don't do anything; the market corrects itself

15.

What can you infer about the federal government's economic policies during the Roaring Twenties?

a)

It regulated the stock market tightly

b)

It encouraged saving

c)

It encouraged the fair distribution of wealth

d)

It encouraged spending

16.

Which of the following problems was a key factor that helped lead to both the Great Depression of the 1930s and the economic recession that began in 2008?

a)

Americans were going to too many jazz concerts.

b)

Business was booming, and profits were distributed equally among workers and managers.

c)

The United States was mired in a costly war at both times.

d)

Americans were spending too much money that they didn't have.

17.

Which of the following is an opinion about credit?

a)

During the 1920s, people could buy stocks on credit.

b)

Credit makes it easier for people to buy things they can't afford.

c)

We would be better off if credit cards had never been invented.

d)

The easy availability of credit during the 1920s led to an increase in debt.

18.

Which of the following choices describes a recession?

a)

Supply is greater than demand

b)

Demand is greater than supply

c)

Demand increases very quickly

d)

Supply decreases very quickly

19.

Why did so many banks fail during the Great Depression?

a)

Back then, banks had no deposits—they only made loans

b)

The banks had invested all their depositors' money in the stock market

c)

The banks had used their depositors' money to buy automobiles, radios, and other popular inventions

d)

The banks had made risky loans that weren't paid back

20.

What do most historians credit with ending the Great Depression?

a)

The election of Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932.

b)

Massive government spending in preparation for World War II.

c)

The end of World War I.

d)

The passage of the National Recovery Act in 1933.

21.

Why would a union call for a sit-down strike?

a)

Because its members did not want to work

b)

To protest unfair working conditions

c)

To protest the government's welfare policies

d)

To protest the rise of fascism

22.

What can you conclude from the fact that government breadlines were often very long during the Great Depression?

a)

Farmers had a tough time growing wheat during the Depression.

b)

Bread was very expensive during the Depression.

c)

Many people did not have enough to eat during the Depression.

d)

Lots of businesses failed during the Depression.

23.

Approximately how many Americans were out of work in 1932?

a)

1 in 10

b)

1 in 5

c)

1 in 4

d)

1 in 3

24.

What was the significance of the novel, "The Grapes of Wrath?"

a)

It examined the difficulties faced by poor farmers

b)

It examined the difficulties faced by the urban poor

c)

It examined the unfair conditions faced by factory workers

d)

It examined the difficulties faced by hoboes

25.

What can you conclude from the fact that comedies and musicals were so popular during the Depression?

a)

People wanted to escape from their troubles.

b)

People had no other way of listening to music.

c)

The art of comedy had just been invented.

d)

Dramas were very unpopular.

26.

If you were a hobo, where would you live?

a)

In an apartment

b)

On a farm

c)

In a factory

d)

You would be homeless

27.

What was the Dust Bowl?

a)

A large football stadium where political rallies were held.

b)

A huge area of ruined farmland in the middle of America.

c)

The most popular musical comedy of 1933.

d)

A novel that examined the plight of the homeless.

28.

What did Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington have in common?

a)

They were popular novelists

b)

They were popular movie comedians

c)

They were popular musicians

d)

They were popular labor leaders

29.

What event helped end the Great Depression?

a)

World War I

b)

The Cold War

c)

The Vietnam War

d)

World War II

30.

What effect did the stock market crash of 1929 have on the Great Depression?

a)

It marked the start of the Depression.

b)

It marked the end of the Depression.

c)

It marked the point at which the Depression was at its worst.

d)

It marked the point at which the economy started to recover

31.

The fear of a communist takeover of the US during the 1920s became known as the...

a)

Great Depression

b)

Red Scare

c)

Bolshevik Doom

d)

Communist Wave

32.
The government of what country was overthrown in 1917 and turned into a Communist country?
a)
Russia
b)
Austria-Hungary
c)
Germany
d)
England
33.
What group of people in the United States were inspired by the Communist Revolution?
a)
The business elites in the country.
b)
The poor and working class in the country.
c)
The politicians in Washington D.C.
d)
None of the above.
34.
Who were the Palmer Raids meant to find and root out?
a)
Anarchists
b)
Communists
c)
Socialists
d)
All of the above
35.
What did A. Mitchell believe his raids were doing?
a)
Weeding out groups who were attempting to take down the United States.
b)
Taking down anybody who was a supporter of Woodrow Wilson.
c)
Protecting people's freedom of speech.
d)
Taking away people's freedom of speech during and directly after WWI.
36.
What did the Palmer Raids lead to?
a)
The imprisonment and deportation of many American-born residents perceived as radicals
b)
The imprisonment and deportation of many Mexican-born residents perceived as radicals
c)
The imprisonment and deportation of many foreign-born residents perceived as radicals
d)
The imprisonment and deportation of many Chinese-born residents perceived as radicals
37.
During the 1920s, the Red Scare, the trial of Sacco and Vanzetti and the rise of nativism were all signs of
a)
The benefits of new technologies
b)
The start of the Great Depression
c)
A rising fear of foreigners
d)
he return of normalcy
38.
Why were Sacco and Vanzetti viewed with suspicion?
a)
Sacco owned a gun similar to the murder weapon
b)
they were Italian immigrants and anarchists
c)
they were members of the Ku Klux Clan
d)
they looked funny
39.
The Red Scare of the 1920s was the fear that this would spread to the United States...
a)
Communism
b)
Socialism
c)
Radicalism
d)
Capitalism
40.

What was the Red Scare?

a)

A time when people were afraid of anarchism, communism, and socialism

b)

When people were afraid of the color red

c)

Sacco and Vanzetti trial

d)

Post-WWI fear of Germans

41.

Followers of Karl Marx support this system in which the community owns all property and shares all wealth. Requires an overthrow of the established political order.

a)

socialism

b)

communism

c)

capitalism

d)

Leninism

42.
What group saw a revival in the 1920s? Where did it spread? 
a)
League of Suffragettes  -- Northern and Western U.S
b)
Woman's Christian Temperance Union -- Southern and Eastern U.S.
c)
Knights of Labor -- Southern and Western U.S.
d)
Ku Klux Klan -- Northern and Western U.S.
43.
After WW 1, what factors contributed to racial tension in northern cities? 
a)
Competition for jobs and housing
b)
Competition for political offices
c)
Competition for street and sewer maintenance contracts 
d)
Competition for the best farm land
44.
When African Americans began to move from the rural South to the urban North, this was called what?
a)
The Great Awakening
b)
The Great Migration
c)
The Great Pumpkin
d)
The Trail of Tears
45.
What did prohibition make illegal?
a)
Tobacco
b)
Alcohol
c)
Chewing gum
d)
Dating after dark
46.

The Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s was a time when African-Americans ________.

a)

all left the United States to settle in Africa

b)

created important works of literature

c)

used civil disobedience to fight the theory of evolution

d)

all migrated to the West in search of land and jobs

47.

What was a major result of Prohibition?

a)

the rise of the Ku Klux Klan

b)

resistance to the theory of evolution

c)

the rise of organized crime

d)

restrictions on immigration

48.

Which of the following is true about the jazz music of the 1920s?

a)

It was usually played by bands with only 1-2 members

b)

It was popular only among African-Americans.

c)

The melodies made it difficult to dance to.

d)

It was originally invented by African-Americans in the South.

49.

The Scopes Trial was about a conflict between ________.

a)

science and religion

b)

isolationism and international issues

c)

traditional roles and new roles for women

d)

Prohibition and organized crime

50.

The Ku Klux Klan became popular again in the 1920s partly because of the ________.

a)

number of blacks who moved to the South

b)

racist film Birth of a Nation

c)

law against manufacturing and selling alcohol

d)

influence of the flappers

51.

What was the direct result of the government's pro-business policies in the early 1920s?

a)

The stock market grew.

b)

African-American culture flourished in the North.

c)

Scopes was arrested for breaking the law.

d)

Most businesses failed.

52.

Flapper was the name for a ________.

a)

jazz musician during the Harlem Renaissance

b)

member of a racist group started after the Civil War

c)

secret club where people would go to drink during Prohibition

d)

new fashion icon for women in the 1920s

53.

Why did supporters of Prohibition want to outlaw alcohol?

a)

to make Americans healthier

b)

to get rid of immoral behavior

c)

because alcohol manufacturers were making too much money

d)

because alcohol manufacturers were racist

54.

True or False: Prohibition laws were followed very strictly by everyone in the US.

a)

True

b)

False

55.

________ was a poet during the Harlem Renaissance who used blues motifs in his poems.

a)

Marcus Garvey

b)

Langston Hughes

c)

Al Capone

d)

Warren G. Harding

56.

The Harlem Renaissance was a _____ of African-American culture.

a)

Criticism

b)

Blossoming

c)

Mourning

d)

Repression

57.

Why did many African Americans leave the South after the Civil War?

a)

To escape slavery

b)

To find jobs in agriculture

c)

To avoid racial discrimination

d)

To gain citizenship

58.

How did W.E.B. Du Bois contribute to the Harlem Renaissance?

a)

He composed music based on African American motifs

b)

He led a movement to return to Africa

c)

He wrote plays about the African-American experience

d)

He wrote about the struggle for African-American identity

59.

What was one goal of the New Negro Movement?

a)

Instill pride in African-American culture

b)

End segregation in the South

c)

Win voting rights for all

d)

Ensure separate but equal public facilities for African Americans

60.

What did Louis Armstrong, Bessie Smith, and Josephine Baker have in common?

a)

They were political leaders

b)

They wrote for black newspapers

c)

They were popular entertainers

d)

They were famous athletes

61.

Which statement about the Harlem Globetrotters is true?

a)

They are a professional baseball team

b)

They were originally from Harlem

c)

They only played during the 1920s

d)

All of the players are African Americans

62.

Which of the following called for the establishment of a new country for African Americans?

a)

New Negro Movement

b)

Pan-Africanism

c)

Civil Rights Movement

d)

Black Nationalism

63.

The success of Madame C.J. Walker symbolized the growing influence of African Americans in:

a)

Business

b)

Education

c)

Music

d)

Politics

64.

What can you infer about the economic status of African Americans prior to the Harlem Renaissance?

a)

Nearly all were unemployed

b)

Most were considered lower class

c)

The vast majority were considered middle class

d)

A large percentage were considered wealthy

65.

What factor allowed many more African Americans to pursue careers in fields like medicine and law?

a)

Spread of black businesses

b)

Access to higher education

c)

Shift from agriculture to industry

d)

Push for unity among all Africans

66.

Place the following events in sequence: A) The FDIC is established; B) Black Tuesday; C) Franklin Roosevelt is elected President

a)

C,B,A

b)

B,C,A

c)

B,A,C

d)

C,A,B

67.

Franklin Roosevelt's initial strategy for economic recovery depended on:

a)

Building up the U.S. military

b)

Distributing free land to poor farmers

c)

Cutting taxes on businesses to stimulate hiring

d)

Injecting money into the U.S. economy

68.

What was the biggest problem facing the United States when FDR took office?

a)

Record unemployment

b)

A crashing stock market

c)

The threat of invasion from Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan

d)

Starvation and disease

69.

What word best describes the U.S. government after the New Deal took effect?

a)

Pacifist

b)

Active

c)

Hands-off

d)

Communist

70.

What was the main goal of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation?

a)

Regulating the stock market.

b)

Helping people buy new homes.

c)

Preventing bank failures.

d)

Building new roads and bridges.

71.

If you wanted to get paid to paint a mural on the side of a public building, you might seek help from:

a)

The Public Works Administration

b)

The Social Security Administration

c)

The Civil Conservation Corps

d)

The Works Progress Administration

72.

What can you infer about the reason why the Social Security Act was passed?

a)

Many senior citizens faced poverty.

b)

Many writers and musicians were out of work.

c)

Many farmers had lost their land.

d)

Many people lost their money in bank failures.

73.

Roosevelt's Fireside Chats _________ people about the direction the United States was heading in.

a)

frightened

b)

reassured

c)

misled

d)

confused

74.

How did FDR differ from every other U.S. President?

a)

He addressed the country over the radio.

b)

He helped push his own agenda through Congress.

c)

He raised taxes on businesses and the wealthy

d)

He won four separate Presidential elections.

75.

What was most controversial about the New Deal?

a)

The way it expanded the federal government.

b)

The way it protected the poor and elderly.

c)

The way it destroyed the banking system.

d)

The way it brought electricity into rural communities.