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Great Depression and New Deal STAAR Review

Total questions: 20

Worksheet time: 12mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Which action by the federal government was one cause of the Great Depression? 

a)

Failing to decrease the reserve requirement 

b)

Refusing to regulate the stock market 

c)

Abolishing the use of the gold standard 

d)

Eliminating tariffs on foreign trade 

2.

Which reason correctly replaces the question mark on this list? 

a)

Decrease in interest rates 

b)

Failure of banks 

c)

Outsourcing of manufacturing jobs 

d)

Outbreak of a global war 

3.

Which statement best describes how investment in the stock market during the mid-to-late 1920s contributed to the Great Depression? 

a)

People were unable to repay the loans used to purchase stocks. 

b)

Government taxes on stock transactions made it difficult to repay investors. 

c)

Financial institutions were not required to report earnings to stock investors. 

d)

Foreign countries were not required to immediately pay stockholder earnings. 

4.

Which statement best explains how bank failures contributed to the Great Depression? 

a)

People lost their savings because the government did not insure bank deposits. 

b)

Business could not be done when President Franklin Roosevelt declared a bank holiday. 

c)

The interest rates on bank loans were too high. 

d)

Foreign investors did not invest enough in U.S. banks. 

5.

How did the Great Depression affect American society? 

a)

The price of agricultural goods decreased, causing an increase in demand for farm labor. 

b)

Manufacturing wages increased, causing businesses to concede to labor union demands. 

c)

Demand for luxury goods increased, causing overproduction in manufacturing. 

d)

Businesses were forced to close, causing widespread unemployment. 

6.

Which phrase correctly replaces the question mark in this diagram? 

a)

Increase in minimum wage 

b)

Growth of immigration 

c)

Increase in unemployment 

d)

Growth in consumer spending 

7.

What was one factor that helped turn the Great Plains into the Dust Bowl in the 1930s? 

a)

Paying farmers to plant native grasses 

b)

Increased demand for tobacco after World War I 

c)

Numerous tornadoes occurring in the region 

d)

Intense drought in the region 

8.

What was one effect of this new style of “musical Western” on the United States in the 1930s? 

a)

Country music became more popular than rock and roll music. 

b)

Country music prompted people to move to farms on the Great Plains. 

c)

Country music transitioned from a regional genre to a national sensation. 

d)

Country music encouraged Exodusters to migrate from southern states. 

9.

How did this response to the Great Depression differ from the ideas of Franklin D. Roosevelt? 

a)

Hoover wanted to implement social welfare programs to provide for the poor. 

b)

Roosevelt wanted private charities to take responsibility for relief efforts. 

c)

Hoover wanted to limit the role of the federal government in managing the crisis. 

d)

Roosevelt wanted state governments to regulate private business activity. 

10.

Which of the following contributed most to the situation described in this excerpt? 

a)

The rise of corporate monopolies 

b)

Strict banking regulations and high income tax rates 

c)

The influx of immigrants into urban areas 

d)

High unemployment and widespread home foreclosures 

11.

Who is described in the obituary above? 

a)

Jacqueline Kennedy 

b)

Mamie Eisenhower 

c)

Eleanor Roosevelt 

d)

Claudia “Lady Bird” Johnson 

12.

The goals of these New Deal agencies support the conclusion that the New Deal — 

a)

gave the federal government a larger role in the day-to-day welfare of its citizens 

b)

forced citizens to participate in federal programs 

c)

gave preference to state-run agencies over federally run agencies 

d)

forced the federal government to adopt isolationist foreign policies 

13.

Why were country-and-western performers such as Gene Autry popular with U.S. radio audiences during the 1930s? 

a)

Their art related to the struggles of the period. 

b)

They shared stories of individuals who became wealthy. 

c)

They promoted work programs for rural communities. 

d)

Their art brought attention to global human rights issues. 

14.

What is the MOST LIKELY reason the Public Works of Art Project commissioned this painting? 

a)

To promote optimism for U.S. economic progress during the Great Depression 

b)

To demand federal worker safety laws during the Great Depression 

c)

To encourage competition for U.S. technological superiority during the Great Depression 

d)

To question the success of nationalizing industries during the Great Depression 

15.

How does the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) continue to affect U.S. citizens? 

a)

By regulating loans made to investors who buy stocks on margin 

b)

By changing interest rates to prevent people from paying higher prices for goods 

c)

By providing financial assistance to elderly people who are retired 

d)

By protecting the savings of bank customers during an economic crisis 

16.

What is the purpose of the Securities and Exchange Commission? 

a)

To encourage business practices that promote minority employment 

b)

To maintain fair markets and increase investor confidence in financial institutions 

c)

To encourage business policies that protect the environment 

d)

To ensure worker safety and protect the public from hazardous products 

17.

How did the new program described in the poster affect the role of the federal government? 

a)

It provided the federal government with a role in administering a retirement fund for workers. 

b)

It limited the federal government’s power to enforce minimum wage requirements. 

c)

It provided the federal government with a role in managing workers’ bank accounts. 

d)

It limited the federal government’s power to assist workers in manufacturing plants. 

18.

What was the goal of the actions on this time line? 

a)

To ensure deposits into customer savings accounts 

b)

To increase government regulation of business 

c)

To end speculation in the stock market 

d)

To stabilize the national economy 

19.

Why was the bill in this cartoon important to President Franklin D. Roosevelt? 

a)

He wanted to strengthen the congressional power of impeachment. 

b)

He wanted to strengthen federal judicial authority over state governments. 

c)

He wanted to remove congressional leaders from office. 

d)

He wanted to weaken the power of the judicial branch over the executive. 

20.

Which statement best explains one effect of the New Deal? 

a)

The federal government took control of public education and universities. 

b)

Corporations had to obtain permission from state governments before hiring workers. 

c)

Labor unions had to provide justification to state governments before conducting strikes. 

d)

People relied more on the federal government for assistance.